 | Detroit | 91 | Final Box Score | 96 | Toronto |  |
 F | S. Ibaka24 MIN, 2 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 1-5 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 3 +/- Ibaka’s shot is as streaky as they come. He was 8-for-36 from deep coming into this game and didn’t look close with the jumper tonight. Wasn’t too much of a factor defensively either and this was easily one of his worst performances of the season. | ||||||||
 C- | O. Anunoby19 MIN, 2 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 1-2 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, -1 +/- He’s definitely lost confidence on the jumper to the point where he’s reluctant to put it up. Competed on the defensive end but looks to have hit the rookie wall. Ironic, since there are some who saw this being around the time he’d be making his debut. | ||||||||
 B | J. Valanciunas27 MIN, 17 PTS, 16 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 5-12 FG, 1-2 3FG, 6-6 FT, 1 BLK, 4 TO, 3 +/- “Better than Drummond” had another one of those games against the Pistons. Active early on both ends, kept possessions alive when the Raptors were cold from the outside, and even earned the respect of Drummond from the outside. Drummond, though, had his way for a change and kept the Pistons in the game with his 25 and 17. | ||||||||
 B+ | K. Lowry32 MIN, 18 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL, 5-14 FG, 4-10 3FG, 4-5 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 8 +/- A tale of two halves. Did a good job looking for his teammates but couldn’t throw it in the ocean in the first half with 1-for-5 shooting. The three he made towards the end of the first half – his first make of the game – seemed to get him going and he was much more effective with the jumper in the second half. Still does the little things that make a big difference outside of the box score. | ||||||||
 C | D. DeRozan37 MIN, 17 PTS, 2 REB, 5 AST, 0 STL, 7-15 FG, 0-2 3FG, 3-4 FT, 0 BLK, 5 TO, 5 +/- Started 4-for-4 and looked as though he would give the Pistons fits all night long. Loved the bounce pass to Jakob Poeltl for a layup in the first quarter after posting up Ish Smith and attracting the double from Drummond. Pistons changed it up and started blitzing, causing five turnovers out of DeRozan and just 3-for-11 shooting after the perfect start. keep. your. toes. off. the. line. please and thank you. | ||||||||
 A | C. Miles25 MIN, 21 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 7-16 FG, 5-12 3FG, 2-4 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 3 +/- Came in with both Lowry and DeRozan still in the game and was immediately free on a cut to get an early two and get himself going. Had 13 points in nine first-half minutes and kept the shooting coming in the second half. | ||||||||
 B+ | D. Wright24 MIN, 4 PTS, 3 REB, 5 AST, 0 STL, 1-5 FG, 0-1 3FG, 2-2 FT, 2 BLK, 2 TO, 4 +/- Delon blocks are the best blocks. Didn’t try to fire away from three after lighting it up against Philadelphia, and just led the team the way he’s best accustomed to. Struggled a bit with the press initially, but learning curve is short with this kid. Upped his compete level, brought it on the other end of the floor, and made the game easier with transition opportunities. | ||||||||
 B- | P. Siakam18 MIN, 4 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 2-2 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -2 +/- Wasn’t as impactful as we’ve been accustomed to but gave the team far more than what they were getting out of their starting power forward. Watching him and Wright together on the defensive end is always a treat, and tonight was no different. | ||||||||
 B+ | J. Poeltl16 MIN, 8 PTS, 5 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 4-6 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-2 FT, 3 BLK, 1 TO, 6 +/- Picked up three fouls in his first four minutes and it’s frustrating to see him consistently get the short end of the stick from officials. Was great to see him stay in the game and get an and-1 right back in the final few seconds of the first. Had a bit of a block party himself and as much as the referees may disagree, really uses his length well when contesting shots. | ||||||||
 C | N. Powell13 MIN, 3 PTS, 1 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 1-3 FG, 1-3 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- Didn’t necessarily have a negative impact, but is still sputtering offensively. Where are you, Norm? Peak Norm is sorely missed. | ||||||||
 Inc | L. Nogueira4 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -4 +/- Again, marginal minutes where he didn’t really have the opportunity to have an impact. | ||||||||
 B- | Dwane Casey Didn’t seem to have a response to the Lowry-DeRozan blitzes but it’s possible he wanted them to deal with it and overcome it because they’re going to be seeing a lot more of it down the stretch. As much as the VanVleet injury hurts, it does simplify his rotation decisions. | ||||||||
Things We Saw
- There’s a real fortress feel about the Raptors in Toronto. Their only losses to this point have come in the classic against the Warriors, the second night of a back-to-back without Kyle Lowry against a surging Miami Heat, and the first game back after a six-game west coast road trip. Keep it rollin’, guys. This wasn’t a strong performance by any stretch, but you’ve got to be able to pull out these kind of wins as well.
- It’s not what you want to see, but the possessions where the Pistons successfully blitzed the Lowry-DeRozan PnR was a reminder that the Raptors still have steps to take to avoid those ugly offensive stretches in the playoffs. Avery Bradley has struggled in his first season in Detroit, but is still capable of locking players down defensively. His ability to consume DeRozan’s airspace and constantly poke at the ball forced some of the indecision on No.10’s part.
- The Pistons turned up their physicality and the Raptors really struggled to match it. They won 50-50 balls, turned the game into a grind, and if it weren’t for the bench mob matching it in the fourth quarter, the Raptors probably would have lost this one.
