“I took a lot of reps over the summer, playing for Team Canada and in the summer league, and I did a lot of practice with our development team,” said Banton, whose previous career high was 14 points Saturday against the Indiana Pacers. . ”The coaches trusted me enough to put me in the starting lineup and Coach Nurse told me to make the most of it.” OG Anunoby added 19 points and seven rebounds for Toronto, which was without Fred VanVleet (non-COVID illness), Pascal Siakam (abdominal strain) and Gary Trent (hip). “I think everybody contributed tonight and that’s what you need when you’re playing so many different guys,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. The Raptors snapped a six-game losing streak against the Pistons, beating Detroit for the fourth time in 13 meetings since Dwane Casey was fired by Toronto and crossed the border to lead Detroit. ”We don’t believe in any curses,” Boucher said. Rookie Jaden Ivey scored 21 for Detroit, which lost its fourth straight. Bojan Bogdanovic added 18 points. Detroit trailed by as many as 14 points before Hamadou Diallo hit two free throws with 7:37 left to cut the deficit to 94-93. Bunton hit a 3-pointer that put the Raptors within six points with 4:54 left before Isaiah Livers’ 3-pointer made it 103-100. But the Pistons committed a key turnover — their 19th of the game — and missed their 12th free throw, slowing their rally. “It wasn’t just that stretch, it was the whole game,” Casey said. ”We were attacking the rim and getting to the free throw line, but we have to convert when we get there.” Casey juggled his lineup, going with two bigs in Isaiah Stewart and Marvin Bagley III, and using Saddiq Bey as a scorer off the bench. Stewart, though, only played 13 minutes before leaving with a sprained right leg. “Saddiq did a good job – we’re just looking for more balance for our two units,” Casey said. ”I know you’re all old enough to remember Manu Ginobili, he had a great career off the bench.” The Raptors led 58-51 at halftime, thanks to 14 points from Bandon and 13 from Bowser. Toronto scored the first seven points of the third quarter. They led 88-77 in the fourth quarter, helped by 10 missed free throws by the Pistons. TIP IN Raptors: Toronto won despite shooting 29.6 percent from 3-point range and committing 17 turnovers that led to 24 Detroit points. … Otto Porter Jr. missed the second half after injuring a toe in the first half. Pistons: Detroit’s reserves went 13 of 19 (68.4%) from the line and made 4 of 13 three-pointers. … Casey said they will learn more about Stewart’s injury Tuesday. HONORING THE SAINT The Pistons debuted their green jerseys designed to pay homage to the mats on the walls of the gymnasium at St. Cecilia, located about five miles from Little Caesars Arena. The ”Saint” opened in the 1960s and became a focal point of the Detroit basketball scene when Hall of Famer Dave Bing trained there during a holdout. He was followed by local stars like Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, George Gervin, Chris Webber and Glen Rice. It even played host to multiple generations, with Pistons star Jimmy Walker playing there in the 1970s before his son Jalen Rose arrived in the 1990s. NEXT Raptors: Host the Miami Heat on Wednesday. Pistons: Visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday. — AP NBA: and
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