Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry (7) goes up against Detroit Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson (1) at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. The Raptors beat the Pistons 111-107.Tom Szczerbowski
The Toronto Raptors continue their record roll ahead of the NBA All-Star game.
DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points to lift the Raptors to their 11th win in a row, a 111-107 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday.
The Raptors tied baseball's Toronto Blue Jays for the longest winning streak in the city's history.
Kyle Lowry added 18 points and eight rebounds, while Cory Joseph had 16 points, and Bismack Biyombo had 12 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks for Toronto (32-15).
Brandon Jennings led the Pistons (25-23) with 22 points, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 15.
The Raptors were coming off a feel-good game two nights earlier that saw them break a franchise win-streak record that had stood for 14 years. Win No.10 came in a 103-93 victory over New York.
Saturday's game began on a touching note, when Raptors coach Dwane Casey presented Lowry and DeRozan their Eastern Conference all-star jerseys at centre court.
But the game itself was a sloppy affair, as the Raptors let Detroit hang around for the better part of four quarters.
The Raptors took an 81-72 lead into the final frame, in front of a sellout crowd of 19,800 that included rapper Drake, who sat courtside in a red OVO sweatshirt, and former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.
Drake guest-starred on the television commentary, saying "The guys are rolling, man."
And roll they did for most of the fourth quarter. With 6:19 to play, Lowry stole the ball and was making for the basket when Stanley Johnson smacked him hard – the refs would rule it a flagrant foul. Lowry's two free throws put Toronto up by 20, their biggest lead of the game.
Detroit battled back again and seven Pistons points cut the Raptors' lead to just four points. But with just six seconds left, it was too little too late for the visitors.
The Raptors had 16 turnovers for 20 points, while the Pistons coughed up 18 points on 12 giveaways.
The win capped a seven-game homestand, and the Raptors' final appearance at the ACC before the Feb. 12-14 NBA all-star festivities in Toronto.
The Blue Jays, meanwhile, won 11 straight on two occasions last year, and have done it five times in total. The Raptors would beat that with a win Monday in Denver.
The Pistons, meanwhile, were coming off a 114-106 loss to the Cavaliers a night earlier – their sixth loss in 10 games.
James Johnson and DeRozan led the way with seven points apiece in a first quarter that saw Lowry go without earning a point, an assist or a rebound. Still, the Raptors led 26-17 heading into the second.
The Pistons pulled to within two points three minutes before halftime, but a three-pointer from Scola sparked a 9-1 Raptors run and Toronto took a 55-47 advantage into the break.
Detroit pulled to within two points again in a messy third quarter. Biyombo got the crowd back into it with a monster block – and a sinister sneer – on a dunk attempt from Aron Baynes with a minute to play.