NBA Game Summary - Detroit at Toronto

Toronto, ON (Basketball News) - Mike James scored a career-high 39 points as the Toronto Raptors snapped a 10-game skid with a 108-103 victory over the Detroit Pistons at Air Canada Centre.

James was a perfect 18-of-18 from the free-throw line, a Raptors record and dished out six assists for the Raptors, who hadn’t won since March 24 against Minnesota. Morris Peterson sprang for 20 points and Charlie Villanueva added 15 points and eight rebounds in the victory.

Richard Hamilton had a team-best 16 points while Chauncey Billups donated 15 points and 10 assists for Detroit, which has already clinched the top spot in the Eastern Conference and sat its starters for most of the final 12 minutes.

Toronto trailed by 10 midway through the fourth quarter, but quickly turned the tables with a 13-2 charge.

Villanueva sparked the run with a three-pointer, and added a jumper later in the burst to cut the deficit to four. James’ jumper finished it off with 4:44 left to put the Raptors in front, 89-88.

Carlos Delfino answered with a lay-in to temporarily put the Pistons back on top, but Toronto countered with seven straight to build a 96-90 edge with 2:40 on the clock.

Lindsey Hunter hit the next two baskets to pull Detroit within one, and the Pistons stayed close in the closing seconds. James sank a pair of free throws with 11 ticks remaining to put the Raptors up 106-103, however, and Detroit turned the ball over at the other end to seal the game.

The Raptors held a 52-47 edge at the break, paced by James’ 17 points.

Detroit, though, outscored Toronto 29-18 in the third stanza to assume a 76-70 advantage.

The Pistons took their first lead of the second half with 8:27 remaining in the third, as Billups hit a driving layup, was fouled, and made the ensuing shot from the stripe.

A 5-0 spurt minutes later, capped by a Ben Wallace free throw, upped the advantage to 68-62. The lead ballooned all the way to 11 after a Maurice Evans alley-oop slam with 1:21 left, but the Raptors scored the final five points of the frame.