AUBURN HILLS -- It's unlikely at this point, but Justin Harper is doing a bang-up job of convincing Detroit Pistons brass he deserves to hang around longer.

The 6-foot-10 forward signed a 10-day contract last Wednesday and has appeared in all three games for Detroit since, playing 16 minutes and scoring a season-high nine points in Sunday's 114-101 win over the Toronto Raptors.

"When I first got off the plane, (coach) told me to be ready to play," Harper said. "Today I was able to come in, and it's always easier when the first shot goes in. It kind of pumps you up a little it bit more and gets you to relax."

Harper shot 3 of 6 -- all made baskets from the 3-point line, including two during a 2 1/2 minute span in the first quarter -- and added a rebound.

He was part of a bench bridge that combined for 36 points Sunday.

"Don't come in and play outside of yourself," Harper said. "Do what you do and don't play outside yourself. If they didn't know what you could do, they wouldn't have brought you here."

Harper, with experience on the Pistons' Summer League teams, was playing for the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League when he was signed to fill the 15th roster spot after Anthony Tolliver (knee) and Stanley Johnson (shoulder) went down with injuries.

Johnson could return as soon as this week, while Tolliver is likely still a few weeks away.

You might remember, Detroit signed veteran backup point guard John Lucas III to a 10-day contract last season before extending him twice.

"He hit two big 3s," Van Gundy said of Harper. "All three 3s he hit were still during the course of the game where it still mattered. Pretty good for a guy coming in on a 10-day contract."

A surprise: Little surprises the Pistons' coach these days, but Van Gundy admitted pregame Sunday he's been caught off guard by how quickly Detroit's rotation has meshed with Tobias Harris involved. Of course, Detroit is 4-0 since Harris was inserted into the starting lineup, and combined with injuries, has given additional playing time to the likes of Reggie Bullock, Darrun Hilliard and Joel Anthony. "I think our guys have made a conscious effort to really share the ball, execute a little bit better and help each other on the defensive end," Van Gundy said. "That's how you build chemistry, and I think our guys have done a good job of it. That's not an easy thing when you're playing new people."

Motiejunas OK: Donatas Motiejunas, the 7-foot forward Detroit reneged on after acquiring him in a trade-deadline deal, has been cleared by Houston doctors and made his return Saturday night, scoring two points, a rebound and an assist in nine minutes off the bench in a 104-94 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Speaking of the Spurs ...: They are Detroit's next opponent, 8 p.m. Wednesday before a nationally televised audience on ESPN. The Pistons travel to San Antonio to kick off a stretch of six of seven on the road, and this one could be more difficult than any other. The Spurs are an NBA-best 28-0 at home. "San Antonio's a decent home team," Van Gundy deadpanned. "28-0, that's pretty good, so that will be a nice challenge. And then you've got five more road games after that. It's not going to get easier, and that's OK."

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