D.J. Augustin does everything he can, but Raptors too much

64. Final. 114. 81. 110

Pistons. D.J. AUGUSTIN. A+. Augustin, who scored a career-high 35 points and added eight assists, did everything possible in his first start since Brandon Jennings’ season-ending injury. I still think the Pistons will face a downturn in point guard production (one that could have happened even if Jennings remained healthy), but it didn’t happen tonight. Augustin drove to the basket, taking the shots available as Toronto played him to pass to his talented big teammates. Keeping the Raptors even more off balance, Augustin made a season-high five 3-pointers on eight attempts. Augustin didn’t show much defensively, but curiously, Kyle Lowry (11 points on 4-of-8 shooting and eight assists) didn’t look too interested in capitalizing on the apparent matchup advantage.. PG

D-. Dinwiddie (two points on 1-of-4 shooting with two assists) had a lot of trouble getting the offense into a flow. Detroit scored 91.5 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor tonight and 115.3 with him sitting. Augustin’s huge night made it easier for Stan Van Gundy to give Dinwiddie just 11 minutes, but unless the roster changes, the Pistons will need more from the rookie. Dinwiddie had a nice block to stop a fastbreak, but there were more times he got lost in coverage.. PG. Pistons. SPENCER DINWIDDIE

PF. Pistons. GREG MONROE. A. Monroe (21 points, 16 rebounds and four assists) filled some of the scoring and passing void created by Jennings’ injury. This was a nice example of a player doing more, but not pushing himself too far outside his comfort zone.

C. Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND. B. Drummond (14 points on 7-of-11 shooting with eight rebounds, half on each end) played harder offensively than he did defensively. His defensive inattentiveness has been an issue lately, and it’s probably why he didn’t play in the fourth quarter tonight.

D+. He converted a late four-point play as the Pistons tried to make a desperate comeback, but he was also part of the reason they trailed most of the game. Caldwell-Pope (16 points on 6-of-17 shooting) spent most of the game bricking and struggling to defend DeMar DeRozan (25 points, 8-of-14 from the field, 8-of-10 from the free-throw line). Though Caldwell-Pope’s inability to play sound defense without fouling was his own fault, DeRozan also hit some difficult mid-range shots on him.. SG. Pistons. KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE

SG. Pistons. JODIE MEEKS. F. Meeks shot a cringe-worthy 2-of-13, including 1-of-8 from beyond the arc. At least he matched a season-high four assists, his way of helping in Jennings’ absence.

Tolliver’s shooting (3-of-5 overall, 2-of-4 on 3-pointers) makes him helpful despite his defensive limitations. When he helps on the glass too (six rebounds), all the better.. PF. Pistons. ANTHONY TOLLIVER. B

Pistons. KYLE SINGLER. D-. Singler didn’t play in the fourth quarter. He didn’t do much in the first three quarters, either, finishing with four points, two rebounds and two assists.. SF

JONAS JEREBKO. I. Jerebko continues to teeter on the edge of the rotation, not doing much in his six minutes. PF. Pistons

B. Van Gundy tried to keep control this game, the Pistons’ first since Jennings’s season-ending injury, as tightly as possible. He was quick to call timeouts, and he used just nine players, giving Caron Butler his first DNP of the season. It might have been the right approach, but the Pistons just ran into a better opponent. It’ll be interesting to see how much longer Van Gundy keeps his team on such a short leash.. Head Coach. Pistons. STAN VAN GUNDY