Raptors at Pistons
The Toronto Raptors look to extend their season-high winning streak to 10 games when they visit the Detroit Pistons on Friday. Toronto continued its winning ways by prevailing 115-109 over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday in the opener of a brief two-game road swing.
The Raptors are in second place in the Eastern Conference by 1 1/2 games over the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, and a win over Pistons - or one Sunday over the Chicago Bulls - will make Nick Nurse the coach of Team Giannis in the Feb. 16 All-Star Game. The Milwaukee Bucks lead the East but coach Mike Budenholzer is ineligible to coach in the game after doing so last season. The Pistons have lost four consecutive games - all by double digits - and have slipped to 15 games below .500 with only 33 games remaining. "We've got to figure it out," Detroit coach Dwane Casey told reporters after Wednesday's 125-115 road loss to the Brooklyn Nets. "We've got to figure out five or six or seven men that's going to come in and compete at a high level, no matter what your contract says. We've got to find them."
TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: Sportsnet One, FS Detroit
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (34-14): Point guard Kyle Lowry scored 23 points and matched his season high of four steals against Cleveland shortly after learning he was named to the All-Star Game for the sixth time in his career. Lowry has scored in double digits in 24 consecutive games while joining power forward Pascal Siakam - voted in as a starter - in the All-Star Game but he wasn't happy afterward due to a fan pushing him after he went diving into the first row after a loose ball. "I got pushed, and that's the second time it's happened," Lowry told reporters. "The next time it happens, I don't know if I'll be able to control myself. Fans like that shouldn't be able to lay any hands on you."
ABOUT THE PISTONS (17-32): Point guard Derrick Rose has scored 20 or more points in each of his last 13 games and he and teammate Andre Drummond (38 double-doubles) were among the players passed over when the All-Star reserves were announced. Rose has team-best averages of 18.9 points and six assists while Drummond, a center, averages 17.2 points and team-high figures of 15.6 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocked shots. Backup point guard Reggie Jackson scored a season-high 23 points against Brooklyn and is averaging 18.8 points in four contests after missing nearly three months because of a back injury.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Raptors have won eight of the past 11 meetings.
2. Toronto's Serge Ibaka moved into the starting lineup with C Marc Gasol (hamstring) injured and scored 26 points against the Cavaliers.
3. Detroit reserve PF Christian Wood has scored at least 20 points in three of the past five games after having 20 against the Nets.