• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Bayless trey caps wild Raptors comeback over Pistons

Dec 12, 2010 - 7:41 AM Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - Jerryd Bayless hit a go-ahead three- pointer with 1:21 left in the game, as the Toronto Raptors overcame a 25-point deficit and beat Detroit, 120-116, at the Palace.

Bayless matched a career high by scoring 31 points for the Raptors, who outscored the Pistons by a 37-17 margin in the fourth quarter and recorded the largest comeback in franchise history.

Leandro Barbosa and Andrea Bargnani each scored 22 as Toronto snapped a four- game slide. The Raptors also got only their third road victory of the season, but did so against a Pistons team that has dropped eight of its last nine.

Ben Wallace netted a career-high 23 points and pulled down 14 rebounds for Detroit, while Rodney Stuckey scored 23 points and matched a career high with 12 assists.

"You look at the stats sheet and guys have season highs for points, rebounds, records for assists, and the other team ends up shooting 63, 64 percent and come back and winning the game," said Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince. "It's heartbreaking, but like I said, I can't explain it."

The Pistons held a 72-53 lead at the break and expanded their advantage to 89-64 when Wallace sank a layup about midway through the third quarter.

Detroit carried a 99-83 advantage into the fourth and was up by 17 early in the quarter before Toronto rapidly erased the deficit. The Raptors needed only 69 seconds to score eight points and get within 104-95 with 9:11 to play.

A minute later, Bargnani canned a three before Amir Johnson's layup made it 106-100, and suddenly it was a close game.

Detroit still led by six with three minutes to play, but back-to-back threes from Barbosa and Bargnani pulled Toronto even. After Prince missed a jumper, Bayless drilled his three to give the Raptors a 113-110 edge, and they never relinquished the lead.

The Pistons were within three with 20 seconds left, but Prince turned the ball over. Bayless was fouled and made both attempts for a 118-113 advantage, and Toronto held on from there.

"We just came together and played good defense, that is all that I can say," Johnson said. "We were shooting the ball well at half, we just had problems on defense and needed to stop turning over the ball and needed to get stops. We just had to be accountable for ourselves out there and step up to the plate. We knew what we had to do, there was no question about that, and we just stepped it up."

The Raptors made 13 of their 19 shots from the field in the fourth quarter, as well as 7-of-9 free throws.

Detroit built its big halftime lead thanks to 14 Toronto turnovers, which the Pistons turned into 29 points.

While the Raptors made 64.5 percent from the floor in the first half, they took only 31 shots. Meanwhile, the Pistons made 30-of-53 from the field over the first two quarters.

Game Notes

The Pistons recorded a season high for points in a half. The 72 points also matched their worst scoring output of the season -- a 97-72 loss at Miami...Toronto has won five in a row against Detroit...The Pistons started a four-game homestand, with visits from Atlanta, the Clippers and New Orleans upcoming.