Pistons waste Greg Monroe’s career game in loss to Raptors

Maxiell didn’t shoot efficiently from the field or the free-throw line, and otherwise, he didn’t stand out positive or negatively.

33 MIN | 3-6 FG | 3-4 FT | 6 REB | 2 AST | 9 PTS | -2

Prince was pretty efficient, but he didn’t impact the game much. His defense on DeMar DeRozan was shaky early, though it picked up late.

31 MIN | 3-9 FG | 2-2 FT | 6 REB | 0 AST | 9 PTS | -16

Singler fouled out, and though the final one was a late intentional foul, his lack of foot speed is really starting to be exposed on the perimeter.

35 MIN | 14-22 FG | 7-8 FT | 10 REB | 2 AST | 35 PTS | +5

Monroe – whose 35 points were a career high – did everything he could to help the Pistons win, but all his teammates either scored fewer than 10 points or had at least three turnovers. Monroe’s play has been up and down this season, but this is the type of performance many were hoping he could deliver at least on occasion this year.

36 MIN | 1-10 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 6 AST | 2 PTS | +3

Knight didn’t hesitate to look for his shot early in possessions, but he just didn’t make many of them. His playmaking (six assists and two turnovers) was fine. His ability to stay in front of Jose Calderon was not. Calderon frequently beat Knight off the dribble to create passing lanes for his 17 assists.

20 MIN | 4-10 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 8 PTS | -2

Villanueva was cold on his 3-pointers, but he scored well inside. He rebounded and defended as well, or maybe a little better, than usual. He wasn’t the problem tonight.

15 MIN | 1-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 3 PTS | -4

Daye’s shooting line was hurt by forcing one with the shot-clock expiring, but it’s still not good. His defense, considering my expectations for him, was alright. But I certainly wouldn’t trade for him.

20 MIN | 2-3 FG | 2-7 FT | 8 REB | 0 AST | 6 PTS | -4

Drummond mixed scintillating savvy, youthful mistakes and, of course, elite athleticism. At one point, he sneakily stole an inbound pass after a Detroit basket and immediately made a layup. At another point, Drummond grabbed a defensive rebound, but as he looked to pass upcourt, he allowed Alan Anderson to steal the ball from his hands. Though plays like those balanced out tonight, Drummond’s athleticism made him a net positive. Too bad he didn’t play more.

29 MIN | 5-12 FG | 2-5 FT | 1 REB | 4 AST | 13 PTS | -3

Stuckey’s 13 points and four rebounds, a game after he sat out with back spasms, were welcome. But he was a bit out of control tonight with three turnovers, including a crucial botched entry pass to Monroe late.

It’s not his fault that only Prince can reliably throw an entry pass to Monroe, but there were other problems that can be pinned on Frank. I didn’t like that Villanueva and Daye played 13 minutes together, and the Pistons were outscored by seven points in that span. I didn’t like that Monroe and Drummond played just seven minutes together, and the Pistons outscored Toronto by three in that span.

X-Factor

Jose Calderon masterfully ran the Raptors’ offense with 17 assists and just two turnovers. Now, he’s the only NBA player with three 17-assist games this season.

That was… overshadowing.

Monroe was the game’s best player, and Calderon was important to the Raptors’ success, but DeMar DeRozan and Alan Anderson played very well. After shooting 2-of-9 in his first game against Detroit this season, he scored 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting tonight. Anderson scored 12 fourth-quarter points, including back-to-back 3-pointers that gave Toronto some breathing room.