 | Detroit | 102 | Final Box Score | 101 | Toronto |  |
 A- | D. Carroll36 MIN, 15 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 6-9 FG, 2-4 3FG, 1-4 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -5 +/-Played an almost flawless first half, hitting both his three-pointers and all 4 four field attempts to go along with 2 assists, and continued his strong play to start the third quarter with some slick mid-range moves as well. Had a terrible fourth quarter turnover, that got bailed out be a DeMar block. I’m just hoping for some sort of consistency for DC, who’s long distance shot and defense is essential for any sort of Raptors success. | |
 B+ | J. Poeltl20 MIN, 5 PTS, 4 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 2-3 FG, 0-0 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 8 +/-Didn’t really look out of place for any stretch in the game, which at this stage for Poeltl is all we’re asking from him, with the occasional put-back or rebound. The Raptors held their own against the better rebounding Pistons, and Poeltl’s +8 and 4 boards on the night sure didn’t hurt. | |
 A- | J. Valanciunas34 MIN, 17 PTS, 9 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 7-14 FG, 0-0 3FG, 3-4 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 10 +/-Was dominant for many parts of the night, but didn’t get the nod from the officials on most scraps inside the paint, as is becoming typical for JV. The Raps made a clear and concerted effort to get him involved early, and it seemed to pay off but in the second half, that game plan was pretty much ripped up and thrown out by Casey. | |
 A- | K. Lowry36 MIN, 15 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL, 5-10 FG, 4-6 3FG, 1-2 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 2 +/-From the tip, this one felt like a game where Lowry would have to do a little bit of everything to keep the Raptors at a safe distance from Detroit. And while he added 15 points, the Raptors need gargantuan efforts from their back court to be competitive against seemingly anyone. And apparently this just doesn’t cut it. | |
 B+ | D. DeRozan38 MIN, 26 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 10-21 FG, 0-1 3FG, 6-7 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 6 +/-Came out firing in the first half with 12 points on 6/11 shooting. Even when he was missing, he got it in, as Drummond’s field goal interference gave DeMar a freebie. The second half seemed to be more of the same initially, but it got progressively worse for DeMar, who hijacked the offense down the stretch leading to empty trips. | |
 B- | L. Nogueira32 MIN, 6 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 1-1 FG, 0-0 3FG, 4-4 FT, 3 BLK, 0 TO, -4 +/-Had 2 slick blocks in the second quarter – one in the paint, and one out on the perimeter. But I still don’t like Nogeuira’s defensive rebounding ability or overall toughness inside; replacing Biyombo with Bebe has made this team noticeably softer, and it’s starting to show. | |
 C | C. Joseph19 MIN, 8 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 3-8 FG, 1-2 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -17 +/-Hot garbage for Cory once again. I liked the offensive punch he showed (he even hit a three!!). But a -17 is disgusting – and is becoming somewhat of a norm for the Pickering product. | |
 C | T. Ross18 MIN, 7 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 3-6 FG, 1-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -6 +/-A strong first half with a three pointer and soft floater as part of a surge in the second quarter, but didn’t offer much of anything in the second half. The see-saw of emotions dealing with Ross has become unbearable at this point. | |
 B | N. Powell8 MIN, 2 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 1-3 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 1 +/-You gotta love Norm’s willingness to contribute anything and any time necessary, but at some point you’ve got to point to Casey’s sporadic lineup tendencies and hold that against him. You just can’t expect anything out of the guy when he has no continuity in and out of the lineup. | |
 D | Dwane Casey While it looked like the Raptors would come out strong and having taken advantage of their three days of rest, it was all just a big lie. The Raptors once again came out FLAT in the fourth quarter, holding a lead and showing no ability to execute on either end. The defense in the fourth was basically a mad scramble, allowing the Pistons to shoot 13/19 in the fourth quarter, while the offense was just hand the ball to DeRozan and hope for the best – all that led to the Pistons outscoring Toronto 36-19 in the final frame. That’s just pathetic. | |
THINGS WE SAW
- Hero ball – The Raptors went to DeRozan almost every trip down the stretch of the game, leading to empty trip after empty trip, with almost no movement in the offense, and no chance at offensive rebounds. It was a pathetic offensive showing from the Raptors and Casey, who showed no ability to creatively keep the Pistons on their heels defensively.
- Why not keep feeding JV? Despite the physicality the Pistons offered up with Drummond and Baynes, JV asserted himself early and should’ve really gotten more touches down the stretch. The shooting numbers didn’t exactly stand out, as JV settled for a couple of jumpers in the first half; but in the post, Jonas was able to easily carve out space.
- Lack of command – The Raptors once again fizzled away a lead down the stretch, and this time to another sub-par team. The Pistons are 9 games below 500 on the road, and the Raptors still allowed Ish Smith, Tobias Harris and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to shred their defense time and time again. With no offensive answer, the Raptors fell into a nightmare-like spell. That was about as ugly a finish to a Raptors game I’ve ever seen.
