Detroit @ Toronto preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 17, 2018 ) Detroit 91, Toronto 96

The Toronto Raptors attempt to rebound from a rare home loss against a team that's been struggling to win on the road when they host the Detroit Pistons on Monday. The Raptors saw a seven-game winning streak come to an end with Friday's 122-119 overtime loss to Milwaukee - which also snapped a seven-game run at home, where they are 24-5 overall.

"We didn't deserve to win," Toronto coach Dwane Casey told reporters after the defeat. "They outworked us, they outplayed us, they out-thought us. Whatever adjective you want to use, they did it to us tonight." The loss leaves the Raptors with a one-half game lead over Boston for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, while the Pistons are just hoping to stay relevant at the back end of the playoff race. They fell 114-98 at Charlotte on Sunday and are 1-5 over their last six games, with four of the defeats coming by 12 or more points. The loss to the Hornets kicked off a stretch during which Detroit plays 11 of 14 on the road, where it has lost five straight.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, Sportsnet One (Toronto)

ABOUT THE PISTONS (28-31): Blake Griffin scored 20 points on 10-of-18 shooting in Sunday's loss while Andre Drummond recorded his 14th straight double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Detroit's bench was outscored 51-28 one game after Boston's reserves recorded a 65-21 advantage, continuing a troubling trend for a team that is 2 1/2 games out of a playoff spot. "We're just having so much trouble when we go to the bench," coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters on Sunday.

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (41-17): Toronto is 2-5 in its last seven games decided by four points or fewer, one of the few areas of concern for the East's top team. "We worked probably half of practice on end-of-game situations, but it still doesn't duplicate what it is in the game," Casey told reporters. "We've got to get better. We work on it. We've got to continue to develop that personality of moving the basketball and trusting the pass and not doing certain things that we've been doing at the end of games to put us in trouble." DeMar DeRozan led the way Friday with 33 points and averages 24.9 at home.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Raptors PF Pascal Siakam has scored 17 points over 22 minutes in each of his last two games.

2. Pistons PG Dwight Buycks scored 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting in 13 minutes against Charlotte.

3. Toronto F/G CJ Miles led the team with 21 points in a 96-91 home win over Detroit in the first meeting between the clubs last month.

PREDICTION: Raptors 113, Pistons 101