DeMar DeRozan had an explosive season-opener against the Detroit Pistons, dropping 40 points in three quarters during Wednesday night's 109-91 win.
The Toronto Raptors swingman was especially aggressive after the break, scoring 21 of his 40 points in the third quarter — one short of his teammate Kyle Lowry‘s team record 22 in a period.
DeRozan also broke Vince Carter‘s Toronto opening night record of 39 points, which he scored back in 2003 against the New Jersey Nets.
The 6-foot-6 shooting guard was locked-in, making a career-high 17 field goals on 27 shot attempts, while hitting all six of his attempts from the free-throw line. He showed reckless abandon going to the rim and finishing high-difficulty plays in traffic.
In-game pullups. #RTZ https://t.co/GptbV6dxzb
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 27, 2016




The USC product had his patented mid-range jumper going all night long, carving up the Pistons defense at will.
Butter. #RTZ https://t.co/cH0pwQ0OtC
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 27, 2016
Center Jonas Valanciunas also shined during the Raptors win, posting a career-high 32 points along with 11 rebounds in the effort.
DeMar DeRozan got a short run in the fourth quarter, only attempting two shots in a four-minute stint before heading back to the bench. He has now scored 100 points in his last three games, dating back to the preseason.