Pistons beat Raptors, historic losing streak ends at 28

Detroit — The situation was all too familiar for the Pistons. They were met with yet another opportunity to end their historic losing streak against a shorthanded team.

They failed to complete the task against several other squads. The experience factor was there, but Saturday's home game against the Toronto Raptors provided another chance to apply what they learned from previous losses.

History was also on the line, as another loss would give them 29 consecutive losses and sole possession of NBA's longest overall losing streak.

It wasn't pretty, but the Pistons were on top again for the first time in 62 days when it was all said and done.

Detroit finally broke through the proverbial glass ceiling and ended its historic losing streak with a 129-127 win over the Raptors to claim its third win of the season.

Fans inside Little Caesars Arena exploded with cheers when Cade Cunningham drilled his signature midrange shot to give the Pistons a nine-point lead with 1:31 left. It was the dagger that Pistons fans were waiting on throughout the night. A chant of "Let's go Pistons" broke out when Jalen Duren went to the free-throw line with 44.8 seconds left, a sign that they were pleased with their team's performance for the night.

"I feel amazing," Cunningham said with a smile during his postgame press conference. "This is my first time trying not to just be cheesing in an interview, but I feel good. It's been a long time coming. I don't want to go back to where we were."

The Pistons and Raptors were comparable in nearly every category on Saturday night. The Pistons shot .500 from the field, the Raptors .505. The Raptors made 50% of their 3-pointers, while the Pistons finished with a clip of 42.9% from beyond the arc. Detroit held the edge in rebounding (41-33) and free throws as it connected on 35-of-40 from the stripe.

Cunningham struggled offensively in the first half, but bounced back with an efficient second half to finish with 30 points, three rebounds and 12 assists with zero turnovers. He connected on all 10 of his free throws and drilled two timely 3-pointers in the second half. Bojan Bogdanovic added 19 points and seven rebounds.

BOX SCORE: Pistons 129, Raptors 127

Kevin Knox II was the unsung hero of the first half for the Pistons. He scored a 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, which included a fierce one-handed poster dunk over Jakob Poeltl in the third quarter. He and Alec Burks helped the Pistons stay afloat in the first half.

Burks regained his shooting stroke with 16 points off the bench. Jalen Duren was dominant on the boards and recorded a double-double of 18 points and 17 rebounds.

The Raptors were shorthanded due to a trade earlier in the day that sent O.G. Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn to the New York Knicks in exchange for Canada native R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. Pascal Siakam was available and he was one of four Raptors to score over 20 points. He finished with a game-high 35 points, five rebounds and four assists on 14-of-24 from the field. Dennis Schroder added 30 and nine assists. Scotttie Barnes had 22 points and nine rebounds. Gary Tent Jr. added 24 points and four assists.

Pistons owner Tom Gores, eight days removed from his press conference to address the state of the team, released a statement after the game.

"I’m proud of how our guys have continued to fight through adversity," Gores said. "I know it's been hard, but they've kept their heads up and showed real character. The streak is over, but the hard work continues.”

Pistons coach Monty Williams began his postgame press conference by saying he didn't need a final box score before taking questions. It was a sign of relief for the first-year Pistons coach, who led his team to its third win of the season.

"I've been in a ton of locker rooms my whole life and that's a first for me — it wasn't relief, it was like, 'Thank God. Finally.' Guys were screaming. I was almost in tears and I'm just so happy for our guys. Happy for everybody in the locker room. Sometimes it just takes a win like that to get things started."

A four-game west coast road trip awaits the Pistons, starting in Houston on Monday, but the streak is finally over. The Pistons just needed to understand what winning felt like again. For one night, that was the case.

mcurtis@detroitnews.com

@MikeACurtis2