Beasley's 20 points helps Pistons escape Toronto with 99-95 win in NBA Cup game

Toronto Raptors' RJ Barrett tries to get past Detroit Pistons' Isaiah Stewart during first half NBA Cup basketball action in Toronto on Friday, November 15, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Malik Beasley had 20 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, as the Detroit Pistons held off the Toronto Raptors 99-95 on Friday in an NBA Cup game.

Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris had double-doubles for the Pistons (6-8), who are 2-0 in the group stage of the in-season tournament.

Jakob Poeltl had a double-double with 25 points and matched a career-high with 19 rebounds as Toronto (2-11) lost its sixth straight game.

RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., scored 22 points and had seven assists and six boards.

Gradey Dick had 16 points and five rebounds as the Raptors' record in the in-season tournament dropped to 0-2.

Takeaways

Detroit: Cunningham, Beasley and fellow guard Jaden Ivey are typically the engine that drives the Pistons' offence but Toronto’s defence is geared toward stifling perimeter play and those three were harassed into underperforming. Cunningham entered the contest leading Detroit with 23.8 points per game but was held to 15, going 6-for-21 on field goals including 2-for-9 on three-point attempts.

Toronto: Poeltl has been a consistent presence for the Raptors all season and Friday was no different. He carried Toronto for long stretches of the game, including nine points in the third quarter. His 19 rebounds matched his career best set on Oct. 28 in a 127-125 overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Key moment

Toronto scored six consecutive points -- generating two turnovers along the way -- in the final two minutes of play to make it a one-possession game with 15.3 seconds left. Ochai Agbaji fouled Ivey, who made one of two free throws for a three-point Pistons lead. Dick missed a three-pointer after a Toronto timeout and centre Jalen Duren made one of two free throws to finish the game.

Key stat

Both teams played tight defence on the ball carrier, tangling each other up at half-court. Toronto had 15 turnovers and Detroit had 14.

Up next

The Raptors visit the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Celtics on Saturday night. Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic joked pre-game that if his team was going to get to Boston on time, they had to avoid overtime against the Pistons to beat the rush hour caused by Taylor Swift’s concert letting out from nearby Rogers Centre.

Detroit travels to Washington, D.C., to take on the Wizards on Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 15, 2024.