Raptors at Pistons
The Toronto Raptors look to stay on the winning track when they hit the road to face the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday. The Raptors have won three of their last four, including a 106-89 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday, to pull a half-game ahead of the Chicago Bulls in the race for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. Toronto has dropped four of its last five away from Air Canada Centre and hopes to solve its road woes by beating the Pistons for the fourth straight time in Detroit.
The Pistons have won back-to-back games for the first time since in five weeks following their 105-97 overtime victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday. Detroit has won three of its last four after an ugly 10-game losing streak all but eliminated it from playoff contention. The Pistons are 4 1/2 games behind the Celtics with 12 remaining as they hope to defy the odds and make up some ground by beating the Raptors at the Palace of Auburn Hills for the first time since Nov. 23, 2012.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TSN (Toronto), FSN Detroit Plus
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (42-28): DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points and pulled down seven rebounds to finish with more than 20 points for the fifth straight game while Tyler Hansbrough added a season-high 18 points in the win over the Knicks. "We just have to stay focused and understand that every game still matters," DeRozan told reporters. "Even though we are going to the playoffs we can't relax." All-Star guard Kyle Lowry sat out for the second straight game due to a bruised back and is questionable for Tuesday.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (26-44): Kentavious Caldwell-Pope poured in a game-high 27 points while Andre Drummond added 18 points and 22 rebounds in the comeback victory over Boston. Reggie Jackson, who has handed out 52 assists in his last four games, recorded 17 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds to finish just shy of his second triple-double in his last three outings. Detroit went 9-of-26 from beyond the arc and set a new franchise record when Caron Butler knocked down the team's 583rd 3-pointer of the season in the third quarter.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Raptors have won seven of the last nine meetings.
2. DeRozan has gone 40-of-44 from the free-throw line in his last five games.
3. Drummond has pulled down 20 or more rebounds in 10 games this season.