Raptors one win away from 60 mark

DETROIT One down, one to go.

One more win and it’ll be one for the ages for the Toronto Raptors franchise as they get ready for the post-season as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference in the NBA.

The Raptors can make it a 60win season by beating the host Miami Heat Wednesday night as the regular season comes to an end.

Jonas Valanciunas scored 25 points as the Raptors scored the first 13 points of the fourth quarter before holding on for a 108-98 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.

Detroit, out of playoff contention, was without injured stars Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin for its home finale, but the Pistons still led by 17 in the first half. The margin was only three, however, at halftime, and Detroit scored only 38 points over the final two quarters.

Detroit’s Big 3 of Drummond, Griffin and Reggie Jackson have only played in four games as a unit.

The move to bring in Griffin in a trade was a bold move, but it did not pay off with a playoff appearance.

Inside Little Caesars Arena, the atmosphere was subdued, about as many empty seats as fans in them, which included a large contingent of Raptors fans.

The Raptors played without Fred VanVleet and Serge Ibaka.

The Raptors led 85-80 at the end of the third before breaking the game open.

Toronto led 100-81 in the fourth before a 14-2 run by Detroit. Pistons rookie Luke Kennard took a three-pointer that would have cut the deficit to four, but it rattled out.

Valanciunas didn’t play at all in the fourth, but he’d done plenty already. He finished 11 of 13 from the field and made his only attempt from beyond the arc.