The Detroit Pistons officially punched their postseason ticket for the first time since 2019 after handling the Toronto Raptors 117-105 on Friday night at Little Caesars Arena.
Tim Hardaway Jr. led the way with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including five makes from beyond the arc.
Jalen Duren anchored the frontcourt with 21 points and 18 rebounds, going 9-of-11 from the field in a physically commanding performance.
Detroit, now 43-34 and fifth in the Eastern Conference, secured its sixth straight win over Toronto and completed a turnaround few expected entering the 2024-25 season after a 14-win year before.
Malik Beasley added 21 points, while Dennis Schroder chipped in 16 points and 7 assists for a Detroit team still without All-Star guard Cade Cunningham, who missed his sixth straight game due to a bruised left calf.
Tobias Harris (right heel) also remained sidelined, and Isaiah Stewart served the final game of a two-game suspension stemming from an incident in Minnesota on March 30.
The Pistons shot 46.1% from the field, knocked down 12 three-pointers, and hit 85.2% of their free throws while outrebounding the Raptors 55-49.
Detroit outscored Toronto 36-27 in the second quarter and never trailed after halftime.
Toronto briefly cut a double-digit deficit to 95-91 with 8:13 left in the fourth, but Ausar Thompson responded with two buckets during an 8-2 Detroit run that put the game out of reach.
Thompson finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, continuing his strong late-season stretch.
The Raptors, who were missing multiple starters including Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Ochai Agbaji, dropped their third consecutive game and fell to 28-50 on the season.
Ja’Kobe Walter led all Toronto scorers with 22 points, shooting 4-of-7 from deep.
Immanuel Quickley and Jamal Shead added 14 points apiece, with Shead also dishing out a team-high 9 assists.
Jakob Poeltl posted 10 points and 11 rebounds, but the Raptors’ frontcourt couldn’t contain Duren’s physicality inside.
Toronto shot 41.8% from the floor and made 13 of 37 attempts from long range, but turned the ball over 15 times and struggled to defend in transition.
