Sixty-three days separated the Detroit Pistons' second and third wins this season. At least they can enter the New Year with their heads held high.

The Pistons (3-29) snapped their 28-game losing streak, which tied the NBA's all-time record set by the Philadelphia 76ers across the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, with a 129-127 win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.

Their last win? A 118-102 thumping of the Chicago Bulls at home on Oct. 28. They finish 2023 with just 10 wins — five since Feb. 10 — and will now aim to set a better tone in 2024 when they face the Rockets in Houston on Jan. 1.

Cade Cunningham had a rough start but came alive late, thanks to a strong night at the free throw line. He scored 26 of his 30 points in the second half, and went 8-for-8 at the line through the first three quarters with just made four field goals in the same span. He also dished 12 assists, with zero tunovers.

A few hours prior to the game, the Raptors officially kicked off trade season by sending potential 2024 unrestricted free agent O.G. Anunoby and role players Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn to the New York Knicks for R.J. Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Detroit’s own 2024 second-round pick.

It allowed Detroit to face a team that not only had to play without three rotation players and its best defender, but was also coming off of a close 120-118 road loss to the Boston Celtics a night prior. Toronto still shot the ball well (50% overall, 47.8% from 3) but were outdone by a Pistons team that got strong performances across their roster.

Pascal Siakam led all scorers with 35 points, but the Pistons got strong nights from Bojan Bogdanovic (18 points), Jalen Duren (18 points, 17 rebounds) and Kevin Knox (17 points).

The Pistons took control in the first half as the Raptors went cold after a hot start, taking a 52-44 lead entering halftime after Toronto shot just 6-for-23 in the second quarter. Detroit’s offense picked up after making just six of 21 shot attempts through the first nine minutes of the opening period.

Offensive rebounding and a rare productive night for the bench (led by Alec Burks’ 16 points on 4-for-6 shooting) helped Detroit build a lead even though Cunningham, who scored just four points on 1-for-8 shooting in the first half after averaging a staggering 33 points, 7.4 assist, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals on 56.9% overall shooting in his last five games, struggled through the first two halves.

Detroit can also credit a strong night at the stripe, knocking down xx of their xx attempts.

The Raptors found a groove again in the third, taking a one-point lead multiple times and tying it at 85 with a Siakam layup. Detroit finished the period with a pair of free throws from Ausar Thompson and contested corner 3-pointer by Bogdanovic, extending the lead back to five. Burks then opened the fourth with an entry pass to Wiseman for a dunk, pushing it to seven.

A pair of free throws by Jaden Ivey with 24 seconds left gave the Pistons a seven-point lead once again, putting the finishing touches on their first victory in more than two months.

Burks, Knox lift Pistons early

You could almost hear a collective groan in the arena when Monty Williams handed the reins to his bench with four minutes left in the first. Detrot’s units without either Cunningham or Bogdanovic on the floor have been routinely crushed by opposing teams. The group (Killian Hayes, Burks, Thompson, Isaiah Livers and Wiseman) initially gave up a pair of Raptors buckets and struggled to find room offensively.

But after their first possession together ended with a shot clock violation, Burks picked up the slack. The veteran sharpshooter drew fouls on a transition layup attempt and 3-pointer and made all five free throws, and then knocked down a catch-and-shoot 3 to put the Pistons back in control and enter the second with the lead, 25-24.

They sustained their momentum, too. After Detroit missed six of eight 3-point attempts to open the game, Knox and Isaiah Livers knocked down back-to-back triples to extend the lead to 10, 47-37, with just over three minutes remaining in the second.

Knox continued rolling in the third, scoring seven points with a three and a pair of inside baskets, including a poster dunk of Jacob Poeltl, to help the Pistons sustain a lead through the first half of the quarter. Knox scored all 17 of his points in the first three periods, on 7-for-12 shooting.

Cunningham finishes strong

One of the NBA's hottest players these past two weeks, Cunningham appeared to be in store for a rough night. Shots simply didn't fall for the third-year guard early, and he shot just 1-for-8 in the opening period for four with four assists.

Cunningham knocked down x of his x attempts in the second half, including a handful of big shots in the final period as Detroit pulled away. On consecutive possessions, he knocked down a pull-up 3-pointer and found Ivey open for another 3-pointer to give the Pistons their biggest lead of the night, 110-99, midway through the fourth.

With 1:34 to go, Cunningham knocked down a midrange jumper to give Detroit a 116-107 cushion, icing the game and ending 2023 on a joyful note after a historically-rough stretch.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Cade Cunningham helps Detroit Pistons bust 28-game losing skid