Brandon Ingram walked into Scotiabank Arena and reminded everyone that topping the conference doesn’t guarantee a win. The Toronto Raptors, facing the Eastern Conference’s leaders who have dominated all season, were expected to become another victim of the Detroit Pistons’ historic run.
Instead, in a display of NBA resilience and how the game rewards the team that puts in everything, the Toronto Raptors pulled off a stunning 119-108 win, snapping a nearly two-month drought without a victory over a top-seven opponent since beating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 103-101, on Jan. 25.
Brandon Ingram Addresses Raptors’ Statement Win over the Pistons
The narrative surrounding the Raptors had focused on their rough patch and struggles against elite teams. Brandon Ingram, the night’s top scorer with 34 points on 12-of-25 shooting, anchored the shift in storyline by making 4-of-9 three-pointers and 6-of-8 free throws.
“For sure,” Ingram replied when asked if this win would force people to take the Raptors more seriously. “But outside noise is outside noise. Whatever opinion they have about us, that’s cool. We continue to fight, try to be the best we can every single time that we play, and live with the result.”
Brandon Ingram on if these last couple wins sends a message for people to starting taking the Raptors more seriously (given that they’ve largely struggled against the top teams throughout the season):
“For sure. But outside noise is outside noise. Whatever opinion they have… pic.twitter.com/KnrQYAVPDR
— Omer Osman (@OmerOsman200) March 15, 2026
TSN’s Josh Lewenberg called it “a statement victory, their most impressive of the season.” He added that the Raptors’ win marked “only their 2nd win vs the NBA’s top-7 teams and 1st at home (they were 1-14 vs those teams).” After this win, they are “tied with Orlando & Miami (5-7 seeds) in the win column. 15 games to go.”
The Raptors built momentum against the Pistons and capitalized on it until the end. Thanks to a 34-point third quarter, Toronto had a safety net going into the final period. The Raptors shot 44-of-91 (48.4%) from the field and 8-of-28 from beyond the arc against Detroit’s 41-of-85 (48.2%) and 10-of-26 (38.5%).
The Raptors totaled 48 rebounds, 25 assists, 5 blocks, and 9 steals, while the Pistons had 39 rebounds, 23 assists, 5 blocks, and 6 steals. Despite being statistically close, it came down to which team could keep its head above water and fight until the end.
Ingram Credits Raptors’ Communication and Grit
In his postgame press conference, Ingram noted that internal conversations are finally paying off. “I think it’s around that time for things to start clicking defensively, offensively,” he said. “We went through a little rough patch these previous four games, but we found it.”
He added, “We had some conversations. Our communication on the floor has been good, and we’ve been able to fight back when we’ve been down and stay together. So, you know, it’s building.”
The Pistons were 48-18 before facing the Raptors (37-29) for the weekend clash. At the end of the first half, the Raptors were trailing, 59-64, after allowing the Pistons to shoot a blistering 65%. The tables turned in the third quarter when the Raptors dropped in 34 points and took a 93-81 lead.
Jakob Poeltl posted 21 points, a season-high 18 rebounds, and 5 assists on 9-of-12 shooting. RJ Barrett added 27 points, while Scottie Barnes had 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists, notching his 100th block of the season.
