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Knight's layup pushes Pistons past Raptors

Nov 24, 2012 - 5:05 AM Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - Brandon Knight penetrated the lane to score the game-winning layup in the final seconds, lifting the Detroit Pistons to a 91-90 victory over the Toronto Raptors at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Knight, who finished with 16 points, scored his final basket with the Pistons trailing by one. He used a Greg Monroe pick to split the defense and score the go-ahead basket with just over seven seconds remaining.

For the second game in a row, the Raptors lost a one-point contest in devastating fashion. Kyle Lowry scored 19 points but misfired on the Raptors' final two possessions, with the second bouncing off the back rim and over the backboard to seal the win for the Pistons.

"I got the shot I wanted, I just missed it," said Lowry. "I got to the spot I wanted to get to on the floor. I got the shot I shot a million times and the next time I shoot it I intend on it going in."

Andrea Bargnani poured in a game-high 34 points on 13-of-20 shooting for Toronto, which has dropped three straight and eight of its last 10 games.

The Pistons got great games from their two young big men, Monroe and Andre Drummond, with the latter playing a key role down the stretch. He snagged nine of his 13 rebounds in the final period to capture his first career double- double, finishing with 13 points and 13 boards.

"He's improving minute by minute, second by second," said teammate Will Bynum. "It's kind of scary because he is nowhere near where he's probably going to be in a few years. It's great to see."

Monroe scored a team-high 19 points and ripped down 11 rebounds in the victory.

Detroit led by as many as 13 points in the third quarter, but Lowry brought the Raptors back to within striking distance, scoring 14 points in the period to trim Toronto's deficit to 72-68 by the quarter's end.

Jose Calderon then knocked down a triple early in the fourth to give the Raptors their first lead since the opening minutes of the second quarter. They fought off the Pistons to keep the advantage, using a three from Bargnani to push the margin to five at 82-77, but the Pistons drew even soon after.

Knight scored on a layup and then buried a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to tie the game. Less two minutes later, though, Bargnani drained another triple to put the Raptors back on top, 88-85, with 1:21 to go.

Detroit stayed resilient, however, as Tayshaun Prince netted four of his 16 points in the final minute. He put in hook shots on back-to-back possessions in between a Lowry layup to keep the Pistons within one.

Playing with a 90-89 edge, Lowry missed a fadeaway jumper and the Pistons' Rodney Stuckey grabbed the board with 16.1 ticks remaining prior to Knight's game-winner.

Toronto trailed 21-20 after the first quarter, but Bargnani carried them through the opening period, scoring 17 of the Raptors' points on 7-of-10 shooting.

Drummond, who scored nine in the second frame, finished a layup with 1:57 left in the quarter to give the Pistons an eight-point edge, but DeMar DeRozan and Lowry each scored buckets before the end of the period to pull the Raptors within 47-43 at the half.

Game Notes

Toronto failed to win during its three-game road trip. The Raptors will host San Antonio on Sunday ... The Raptors have now lost in 15 of their last 18 trips to Detroit ... The Pistons have beaten Toronto in six of the last seven meetings overall.