National Basketball Association
Toronto 109, Detroit 91
When: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Officials: #56 Mark Ayotte, #19 James Capers, #11 Derrick Collins
Attendance: 19800

TORONTO -- Coach Dwane Casey called Wednesday night's performance by DeMar DeRozan one of the most efficient he has seen in his time with the Toronto Raptors.

The Compton, Calif., native led the Raptors with a game-high 40 points as Toronto defeated the Detroit Pistons 109-91.

"It was probably one of the most efficient games of him taking what the game gave him," Casey said. "We get criticized for not passing the ball, but when you have an excellent one-on-one player like that, you've got to take what the game gives."

DeRozan finished 17 of 27 from the field and went 6 of 6 from the line.

"Even when I'm not in the zone, I try to keep that mindset that I can make any shot as long as I can get it off," DeRozan said. "Tonight, I got good looks, my teammates put me in great positions to be able to knock down shots."

Raptors (1-0) center Jonas Valanciunas added 32 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Kyle Lowry had 10 points, eight assists and five rebounds.

Tobias Harris led the Pistons (0-1) with 22 points and five rebounds. Marcus Morris chipped in 17 points and nine rebounds. Center Andre Drummond got into foul trouble early and finished with 16 points and six rebounds.

"We played poorly, clearly," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. "The areas though that concern me -- DeRozan had a great night -- I thought we did a really poor job on Valanciunas. He played very well, but I thought we did a really poor job on him, and we got outrebounded by 11.

"The rebounding was a major concern."

DeRozan set a franchise record for points on opening night. Valanciunas and DeRozan became the first Raptors to score 30-plus points in a season opener since Vince Carter dropped 39 on the New Jersey Nets on Oct. 29, 2003.

According to Elias Sports, DeRozan and Valanciunas became the first teammates in NBA history with a 40-point game and a 30-point game in a season opener.

DeRozan took over the game in the third quarter, scoring 21 on 10-of-14 shooting from the field.

Despite the impressive offensive showing, Casey was more impressed with DeRozan's defensive efforts, which stood out to him watching the 27-year-old play for Team USA a the 2016 Olympics.

"You just find a passion with that," DeRozan said. "In the Olympics, I really found a newfound passion of doing that. They didn't need me for scoring or nothing like that, so I just tried to do other things to make me a better player, try to carry that over to my team and that's something that I did."

Toronto closed the first half on a 9-0 run to take a 58-46 lead into recess.

Valanciunas paced the Raptors with 21 points and six rebounds.

With 6:57 remaining in the half, the Lithuanian center drove the basket and threw down a monster one-handed dunk on Boban Marjanovic, much to the delight of the 19,800 in attendance.

Harris and Morris each had 15 points for the Pistons and Aron Baynes added six points off the bench.

Valanciunas and DeRozan combined for 25 first-quarter points as the Raptors led 33-23.

Harris had a team-high eight points and four rebounds in the first quarter.

Less than two minutes in, Drummond took an elbow to the head from Valanciunas and went down, forcing the Pistons to take a timeout.

Drummond's troubles continued as he gets in to foul trouble early, picking up his second personal foul and sitting.

"I was really shaken up and it took me a minute to really compose myself," Drummond said of the collision with Valanciunas. "I had to come back here for a little bit and do the procedures to see if I was fine and obviously I passed.

"When I came back, there was like five minutes left in the second quarter and it is kind of tough to get back into the swing of the game (after) being out for so long."

The Raptors continue their three-game homestand on Friday when they entertain the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pistons return home for a three-game homestand beginning with the Orlando Magic on Friday night.

NOTES: Raptors F Pascal Siakam, Toronto's 27th overall selection at the 2016 draft, started Wednesday in place of injured Jared Sullinger (foot). ... Toronto C Lucas Nogueira did not dress because of a sprained left ankle. .... Pistons F Reggie Bullock missed the game because of back spasms. G Michael Gbinije took Bullock's spot in the Detroit lineup. ... Pistons G Reggie Jackson missed the season opener as he continues to rehab from left knee tendinitis.
Top Game Performances
 
Detroit   Toronto
Tobias Harris 22 Scoring DeMar DeRozan 40
Ish Smith 7 Assists Kyle Lowry 8
Jon Leuer 9 Rebounds Jonas Valanciunas 11
Tobias Harris 5 Free Throws Made Jonas Valanciunas 12
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 2 Steals Terrence Ross 2
N/A Blocks N/A
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Detroit 91 41.7 4-22 17-22 17 40 0 8 14
Toronto 109 47.7 3-18 24-29 17 51 0 8 12
Upcoming Games
  • Toronto will play their next game at home against Cleveland. The Raptors have a W/L % of .000 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
  • Detroit will play their next game at home against Orlando. The Pistons have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.