Hardaway, Pistons top Raptors to clinch playoff berth
Published
TORONTO - Tim Hardaway Jr. had 23 points as the Detroit Pistons fended off the Toronto Raptors 117-105 on Friday to clinch a playoff berth.
Jalen Duren had a double-double with 21 points and 18 rebounds as Detroit (43-34) hung on to win after leading by as many as 22 points. Malik Beasley added 21 points.
Rookie guard Ja'Kobe Walter led Toronto (28-50) with 22 points.
Jakob Poeltl had a double-double for the Raptors with 10 points and 11 boards. Immanuel Quickley flirted with a triple-double with 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Scottie Barnes was out for the Raptors with a finger contusion on his right hand. RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., had the night off to rest.
Before the game Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic said that Brandon Ingram (sprained left ankle) and Gradey Dick (right knee bone bruise) were done for the season.
Takeaways
Pistons: Hardaway went off for 11 points in the third quarter, making all four of his field-goal attempts. He was 3 for 3 from three-point range as Detroit led by as many as 22 points in the quarter.
Raptors: Already eliminated from the post-season picture, Rajakovic relied more heavily on his bench players, even benching his starting lineup for a spell with seven minutes left in the game and the lead within reach. As a result, Toronto's bench outscored Detroit's 44-21. The Raptors reserves did cut the Pistons' lead down to six points in the fourth, however.
Key moment
Detroit held a 10-point lead at the intermission but blew the game open with an 11-0 run in the first three minutes of the third quarter. Duren's emphatic dunk added an exclamation to the run for a 76-55 Pistons lead.
Key stat
Rookie guard Jamal Shead — who came off Toronto's bench Friday — had nine assists to reach 290 on the season and surpass Jose Calderon (288) for second-most helpers by a Raptors rookie. Damon Stoudamire's 653 assists in the 1995-96 season are the most by a rookie in team history.
Up next
Toronto: The Raptors will visit the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday for their fourth-last game of the season.
Detroit: The Pistons will return home to host the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2025.