DETROIT — Adversity met the Pistons at their doorstep once again as they dug themselves into a 14-point deficit caused by turnovers, sloppy play and bad free-throw shooting.
It wasn't an unfamiliar place for Detroit as two of their wins this season were achieved because of double-digit comebacks. The Pistons climbed within one-possession deficits multiple times during the fourth quarter, but couldn't complete the comeback as they lost their fourth consecutive game in a 115-111 defeat to the Toronto Raptors.
Bojan Bogdanovic connected on a 3-pointer to bring Detroit within three points with 57 seconds left and the Pistons got the ball back with 29.7 seconds remaining in the game. Jaden Ivey drove to the paint but was blocked by Jeff Dowtin Jr. The rookie combo guard picked up his fourth foul as he fouled Dowtin after missing the shot. A large crowd of Raptors fans inside Little Caesars Arena erupted into a "Let's go Raptors!" chant as Banton gave Toronto a five-point lead with 16 seconds left.
Ivey showed poise on Detroit's next possession as he connected on a clutch triple to bring the Pistons within three points with nine seconds left. Ivey had no choice but to commit his final foul to stop the clock, sending Banton to the line again, which ultimately sealed the win for Toronto.
Monday's loss snapped a six-game win streak over the Raptors, the former team of Pistons coach Dwane Casey, dating back to 2020.
The Pistons debuted their City Edition jerseys, which paid tribute to historic Detroit gym St. Cecilia, along with a new court on Monday. Coach Dwane Casey even tweaked his starting lineup to experiment with a bigger lineup. Marvin Bagley started at center alongside Killian Hayes, Jaden Ivey, Bojan Bogdanovic and Stewart.
Pistons forward Saddiq Bey came off the bench for the first time since he was a rookie during the 2020-21 season. Bey, who entered the game averaging 16.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game started all 82 games last season and the first 14 games of this season. Despite his new role, Bey played the most minutes of any Pistons player (27) and finished with seven points and six rebounds.
The Pistons, already without Cade Cunningham for the next week due to left shin soreness, are ailing once again as they lost another integral piece of their team in Monday's loss to the Toronto Raptors.
Stewart chased a loose ball out of bounds and crashed into a protective barrier on the baseline at the 3:20 mark of the second quarter. Stewart grabbed his right knee and grimaced as he limped toward the locker room. The Pistons ruled Stewart out the remainder of the game with a right foot sprain.
Stewart was playing noticeably well with nine points and four rebounds before he left the game. He knocked down both of his 3-pointers and blocked a shot to finish with nine points and four rebounds.
Pistons forward Saddiq Bey came off the bench for the first time since he was a rookie during the 2020-21 season. Bey, who entered the game averaging 16.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game started all 82 games last season and the first 14 games of this season. Despite his new role, Bey played the most minutes of any Pistons player (27) and finished with seven points and six rebounds.
Ivey led the team with a team-high 21 points, four rebounds and five assists. He didn't connect on any of his three 3-pointers, but he aggressively attacked the basket and got to the free throw line to connect on six free throws.
The big lineup paid off early as Bagley and Stewart connected on a couple of 3-pointers to get things started for the Pistons.
After trailing by as many as 14 points early in the third quarter, the Pistons pulled within three points with eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter as Ivey found Halen Duren for a thunderous two-handed dunk. A couple of free throws by Hamidou Diallo brought the Pistons within one point with 7:37 left in the game. The Pistons had the momentum and the crowd's attention as they clawed back into the game
Pistons guard Cory Joseph did not play on Monday night due to left hip soreness, so Hayes and Ivey took turns at point guard for the majority of the game. There was an instance toward the end of the first quarter when Burks served as point guard until the 8:12 mark of the second quarter. With a lack of primary ballhandlers, Detroit struggled to take care of the ball early on with nine turnovers in the first quarter. They finished with 18 turnovers overall.
Bey checked in at the 4:34 mark of the first quarter in exchange for Ivey to play along sdei. He looked for his shot inside, but when that wasn't available he popped out to the corner and knocked down his first 3-pointer, assisted by Bogdanovic.
The Raptors were without four of their primary players due to injury: Precious Achiuwa, Pascal Siakam, Gary Trent Jr. and Fred Vanvleet. In their absence, guard Dalano Banton led Toronto with a game-high 27 points, five rebounds and four assists. Chris Boucher paced the Raptors' bench with 20 points and four rebounds. O.G. Anunoby added 19 points and seven rebounds.
