What a way to end a tough 2023 calendar year across the board.
For weeks, teams leaguewide tried their hardest not to be “that guy” who gives Detroit its first win since October 28, while the Pistons frantically searched for light at the end of the tunnel. Their games became must watch TV on a nightly basis, regardless of the opponent.
Unfortunately for the Raptors, they predictably became “those guys” right as the the Pistons were on the brink of unchartered territory. Detroit snapped a 28-game losing streak, tying the “Trust the Process” Philadelphia 76ers for the worst in NBA history.
It was anything but a normal day for Toronto. Hours before the game, O.G. Anunoby was traded after six and a half seasons with the team along with Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn for Immanuel Quickley, R.J. Barrett and a 2024 second round pick that once belonged to these Pistons. Essentially as close to a first rounder as you can get. That left the bench shorthanded. Alec Burks outscored the Raptor reserves 16-12 alone. Still, giving Detroit a win for the first time in two months is inexcusable. Utah walked into Detroit a week ago missing four of its top six scorers, including Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson. The Jazz still came away with the win. Yes, this was also the second night of a back to back. That’s nothing new in the NBA.
Pascal Siakam’s valiant effort
The Raptors fell behind at halftime thanks to a brutal second quarter despite Cade Cunningham only having four points on 1-8 shooting. Too many possessions were ended by Jalen McDaniels, who only finished 0-3 but seemed way worse. Jalen Duren had 11 rebounds in the first half alone. The Raptors shot 34 percent from the field.
However Pascal Siakam’s third quarter was special. He cooked any Piston willing to attempt guarding him for 20 points on 8-9 shooting. The Raptors as a team shot 80 percent in the quarter and scored a season-high 42 points.
Contributions from other starters also can’t be ignored. Gary Trent Jr. nailed a season high threes. Dennis Schroder added a season-high 30 points and nine assists. Jakob Poeltl didn’t win his matchup vs Duren but put up 14 boards, five assists and three blocks. Scottie Barnes was too quiet but came on in the fourth as he tends to do sometimes, finishing with 22 points.
But the Pistons countered the Raptors third quarter by shooting 60 percent from the field. Detroit still led by four after three quarters. The defence was abysmal all game, allowing one of the worst offenses in the league to score 129 points. A perfect example was Bojan Bogdanovic breaking free behind the press for an easy layup with a minute left.
Good for Cunningham, who scored 26 points in the second half after a slow start to finish with 30 points and 12 assists. Monty Williams admitted that he nearly cried.
From a Raptor perspective, its on the short list of most embarrassing moments. Where you rank those is your prerogative. They will always be a trivia answer to who snapped the Pistons historic losing streak, which still tops out as the worst in a single season.
Postgame
As disappointing as the game was, the postgame quotes were even more concerning. Schroder went into detail about the team comradery not being where it should be, comparing it to his gold medal FIBA squad in Germany and even his early days with the Atlanta Hawks.
The “selfish” term was thrown around a ton all last season and training camp to describe the 2022-23 squad that Schroder wasn’t even a part of. Some who feel Schroder takes the ball away from guys such as Barnes and Siakam will say these quotes are coming from the wrong messenger. Still, it’s telling that Dennis felt the need to speak at such length about chemistry just 32 games into his Raptor career.
Meanwhile Siakam is the only remaining player from the memorable 2019-2020 team that arguably enjoyed the best harmony out of any squad in Raptors history.
Pascal and Scottie were asked about the O.G. trade. They were both predictably bummed to lose Anunoby and company, especially Barnes.
Up Next: 2023 was very forgettable. The Raptors will try to turn a new page in 2024 when they host the Cavs on Monday before going back on the road for six games.
