Raptors rest Lowry, lose
Toronto rested Kyle Lowry for the first time this season, and paid the price, as the NBA Atlantic Division-leading Raptors lost 114-101 on Sunday.
A fourth straight victory was important for the Pistons, who moved into an interim tie with two other teams for the last two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.
In other key results in the East, Washington kept up its push toward the playoffs by beating conference leader Cleveland, and Atlanta downed Charlotte to open a two-game gap between the Southeast Division rivals.
Toronto star Lowry was rested after a 43-point performance against Cleveland on Friday.
Terrence Ross scored 27 points to lead the Raptors, but that was not enough to continue the team’s four-game winning streak.
Andre Drummond had 15 points and 18 rebounds for Detroit.
LeBron doesn’t play, Cavs lose
Washington’s John Wall had 21 points and 13 assists in a 113-99 win against Cleveland.
Attacking from the start, Wall made 8 of 11 shots and came out on top in his matchup against opposing point guard Kyrie Irving, who wound up with 28 points and six assists on 9-of-20 shooting.
At one point late in the third quarter, Wall had the same number of assists as the entire Cavs team, 12, and he sat out the fourth quarter.
Hawks stifle Hornets
Atlanta’s Al Horford had a season-high 16 rebounds to lead the Hawks to an 87-76 win against Charlotte.
Horford had 13 points and Kent Bazemore scored 14 points for the Hawks, which held the Hornets to just nine points in the first quarter.
Marvin Williams finished with 16 points for Charlotte, which trailed the entire game. They pulled within two points with 7 minutes left but couldn’t rally after the slow start.
Blazers stay hot
Portland’s Damian Lillard had 33 points and led the Trail Blazers over Indiana 111-102, making it eight wins from nine games.
C.J. McCollumn and Gerald Henderson each scored 19 points for the Trail Blazers, who pulled clear early in the fourth quarter.
Monta Ellis had 18 points for the Pacers.
Elsewhere
• Miami’s Dwyane Wade scored 26 points to guide the Heat to a 98-81 win at New York; their fifth consecutive road win against the Knicks, and one that kept them half a game clear of Atlanta atop the Southeast Division.
• Dallas’ Chandler Parsons scored 29 points as the Mavericks comfortably beat Minnesota, extending their run of wins against the Timberwolves to six.
• Orlando rookie Mario Hezonja dunked four seconds into his first NBA start, setting the Magic on their way to a 130-116 win against Philadelphia.
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