Brandon Ingram made a 3-point field goal at the 2:30 mark of the third quarter, prompting coach J.B. Bickerstaff to call a timeout. As Ingram celebrated with his teammates while returning to the bench, Bickerstaff expressed frustration, as the basket highlighted Detroit's lackluster defensive performance during the period.

The Pistons' defense struggled in that quarter, allowing the Toronto Raptors to score 34 points on 13 of 23 shots (56.5%), including three 3-pointers. It was one of the Pistons' least effective quarters of the season, ultimately leading to a 119-108 loss at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday afternoon.

The loss ended the Pistons' three-game winning streak. They are now 48-19 overall.

"We did not have enough physicality. We did not dictate well enough on that end of the floor (defensive end), and we gave them second and third opportunities," Bickerstaff told reporters. "It is going to be hard to survive. We have to be better."

The Pistons' defensive struggles in the third quarter also affected their offense. They scored only 17 points in the period, missing 19 of 26 shot attempts (26.9%) and 1 of 7 on 3-pointers.

Ingram led Toronto with a game-high 34 points on 12-of-25 shooting. However, Jakob Poeltl ignited the Raptors' second-half comeback. He was also the catalyst behind Toronto's success on the boards, accounting for 18 of the Raptors' 48 rebounds.

Poeltl had nine offensive rebounds, which played a major role in the Pistons giving up 30 second-chance points. Detroit finished with 39 rebounds amid 15 second-chance points.

"The ball got loose, and our bigs had to help a lot, but give them credit, I thought they (the Raptors) were just quicker to the ball," Bickerstaff said. "They had multiple guys who were attacking, and we knew that coming in as part of the game plan. They just did a better job at it than we did tonight."

The Pistons held a 64-59 lead at halftime. Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 33 points and nine assists. He had 16 points at the midway point. Cunningham was joined by his All-Star teammate Jalen Duren, who added 20 points and 11 rebounds. Tobias Harris finished with 21 points. They were the only Pistons to score in double figures.

Ausar Thompson played 23 minutes in his return from a right ankle sprain, which forced him to miss five games. He finished with four points and three assists.

"Being on a minutes restriction is hard," Bickerstaff said. "Trying to figure out how to keep him in a rhythm, getting back to playing with the group. His effort was great — his ability to defend was great. He is just working his way back. He'll be fine."

Observations and notes

— Stewart out due to injury: Even with Thompson back, the Pistons were still not at full strength. Isaiah Stewart missed the game against the Raptors due to a strain in his left calf. Bickerstaff mentioned during his pre-game press conference that Stewart has been dealing with the calf injury for the past few games and that it has worsened. He also stated that there is no timetable for his return.

— Has Sasser moved ahead of Jenkins? Bickerstaff made a small adjustment to his rotation, which could be his most significant change in recent weeks. At the start of the second quarter, Bickerstaff inserted Marcus Sasser as the team's backup point guard behind Cunningham. It marked Sasser's sixth consecutive game, but his appearance led to Daniss Jenkins' first DNP since Jan. 19 against the Boston Celtics.

Jenkins is still an important part of the Pistons' core, but Bickerstaff's decision could have stemmed from the second-year guard's recent struggles. Jenkins' play has been subpar at best, averaging 5.8 points on 32.1% shooting from the field and 2.6 assists in the 13 games played post All-Star break.

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