It got hairy at the end, but Toronto grinds out a win against Detroit.
 | Amir Johnson, PF 28 MIN | 7-9 FG | 3-4 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 17 PTS | -1 +/-Amir was listed as questionable coming into the game but he provided what the Raptors needed. He got his shots around the hoop, had one nice drive in the third quarter, and played bothersome defence down the stretch. The two rebounds are a concern though, and the All-Star break couldn’t come sooner. |  | |||||||
 | Jonas Valanciunas, C 28 MIN | 9-15 FG | 2-2 FT | 11 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 3 BLK | 0 TO | 20 PTS | +11 +/-No surprise: JV played well against the Pistons. He couldn’t guard Monroe and was stapled to the bench for nearly all of the fourth quarter. The Pistons were running a lot of their plays through DJ Augustin pick and rolls, so I can understand why Val didn’t get any run. |  | |||||||
 | Kyle Lowry, PG 37 MIN | 4-8 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 8 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 11 PTS | +7 +/-DJ Augustin dropped a career-high and Lowry’s defence was a contributing factor. Augustin was feeling it, hitting 12-20 shots, including 5-9 from three. But Lowry wasn’t fighting through screens and it created chaos for the defence. His fourth quarter was forgettable too, with a combo of bad passes, bad shots and fouling a jump shooter. |  | |||||||
 | Greivis Vasquez, PG 24 MIN | 5-10 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 7 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 13 PTS | +4 +/-Vasquez started the game guarding DJ Augustin, and the Texas product dropped 11 in the first quarter. The rest of the stat line looks good, but the Pistons stayed afloat by attacking Vasquez. | | |||||||
 | DeMar DeRozan, SG 35 MIN | 8-14 FG | 8-10 FT | 6 REB | 4 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 25 PTS | +2 +/-This was DeRozan’s most complete game since his return from injury. He hit his jump shots while also driving to the hoop to force foul calls. Not sure how this game would have went without him. |  | |||||||
 | Tyler Hansbrough, PF 6 MIN | 1-1 FG | 1-3 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 3 PTS | +6 +/-He couldn’t guard Monroe, but Hansbrough was effective enough on the other end. He had a good and-one finish off a pick-and-roll. Role players fills role effectively. |  | |||||||
 | James Johnson, PF 3 MIN | 0-0 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | +6 +/-Don’t really know why he didn’t get more run. When the perimeter defence is as bad as it was tonight, Casey should give Johnson a longer leash. |  | |||||||
 | Patrick Patterson, PF 29 MIN | 2-4 FG | 2-2 FT | 6 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 6 PTS | -6 +/-Decent defensive night. Toronto’s pick and roll coverage wasn’t great, but Patterson was hedging well and recovering to his spots. His commitment to rebounding is a welcome sight. Now, can he pair it with some shooting? | | |||||||
 | Terrence Ross, SF 23 MIN | 2-6 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 7 PTS | -9 +/-Typical night for Ross; invisible for stretches while providing glimpses of defensive potential. Ross still struggles when chasing an opponent off the ball, electing to guess where an opponent is going instead of following them. Those clutch free throws help his case for an otherwise underwhelming performance |  | |||||||
 | Chuck Hayes, C 5 MIN | 0-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | -2 +/-Chuck attempted a spin-move lay-up in the third quarter! Very cool moment during a dull period of the game. |  | |||||||
 | Louis Williams, SG 22 MIN | 5-12 FG | 1-2 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 4 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 12 PTS | +2 +/-Brutal first quarter. Lou died on screens, missed lay-ups and turned it over. He bounced back throughout the rest of the game and even passed it on a play at the end of a quarter. Progress! | | |||||||
 | Dwane Casey The glaring coaching impact from tonight: JV’s fourth quarter minutes. You can drop this into a ton of quick reactions and tonight’s was especially puzzling. The Pistons were running with Tolliver and Monroe down the stretch. In Tolliver, you have a stretch-four who Jonas can’t guard. Monroe had already beaten JV. But still, Casey didn’t even attempt to put Jonas in, and the Raptors squandered their 10-point lead anyways.I’m also docking points for not throwing different defenders at Augustin. Did DJ need to go Klay Thompson to illicit a coaching decision? | | |||||||
Two Things We Saw
- Masai Ujiri had an interview with Sportsnet’s Eric Smith, and Smith asked him if the Raptors will be active as the trade deadline approaches. Ujiri gave a non-answer, saying his “BlackBerry Passport is on” but the Raptors won’t ruin the future of the team.
- Lowry got hit on his right arm, adding to the laundry list of ailments he’s battling. The Raptors aren’t playing at a high enough level to pull a Spurs move and rest some of their starters while also getting a win, but Casey may want to consider it. The first time All-Star played 37 minutes tonight, leading the team.
