Detroit Pistons blown out by Toronto Raptors on the road
By David Topham
The Toronto Raptors took it to the Detroit Pistons on their home court, winning 123-94 thanks to a dominant second half.
The Detroit Pistons (28-32) survived a second quarter onslaught spearheaded by the bench of the Toronto Raptors (42-17). The Pistons closed the fist half on a 12-6 run to make it only a six-point game at the break, but it was all downhill from there.
The Raptors stormed out of the half on a 22-6 surge, including a 14-0 run, to turn this into a blowout in a matter of minutes. They kept pouring it on in the fourth, ultimately outscoring Detroit by 23 points in the second half to win 123-94. The 123 points is the most Detroit’s given up this season.
The Pistons, losers of all three of their games post-All-Star break by double digits, were playing on the road on the second leg of a back-to-back set against the Eastern Conference’s leading team, so they didn’t stand much of a chance tonight in the first place. It didn’t help that Toronto shot 17-37 from three-point range (45.9%).
Detroit drops to 28-32 on the season, having lost six of their last seven games, their playoff chances smaller than ever with 22 games remaining.
Toronto moves to 42-17 overall, 25-5 at home, and 2-0 against Detroit on the season. They’ve won eight of their last nine games and are atop the Eastern Conference standings to show for it. The Raptors will be in Detroit on March 7 for game three in the season series.
Ish Smith came out aggressive tonight, scoring six points early in the first quarter. He played a big part of the 12-6 run to close the half,<br />but disappeared in the second half (along with the rest of the team).. PG. Detroit Pistons. ISH SMITH. C
Another game, another strong Reggie Bullock first half followed by a no-show second half. Bullock drained triples and back cut his way to 12 first half points, but only had two points in the final two quarters, taking half as many shots as he did in the first half.. SG. Detroit Pistons. REGGIE BULLOCK. C+
Stanley Johnson didn’t have a night to remember. Tasked with checking Toronto All-Star DeMar DeRozan, Johnson didn’t do all that bad. Outside of a few nice passes, he did next to nothing on offense, however, finishing 1-6 from the floor with two points, two rebounds, two assists, and two turnovers.. SF. Detroit Pistons. STANLEY JOHNSON. D+
Detroit Pistons. BLAKE GRIFFIN. D-. Blake Griffin played very uninspired tonight. He settled for subpar looks from three, showed no explosion, and picked up his second technical foul in as many games. Griffin finished with 12 points on 12 shots with five assists and one rebound.. PF
B+. Andre Drummond stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 18 points, 18 rebounds, two assists, four steals, and three blocks in 35 minutes of action. He struggled from the field (8-18 shooting), settling for a couple bad looks on post ups, but he was the only Piston who brought it tonight.<br />. C. Detroit Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND
Detroit Pistons. JAMES ENNIS III. B. James Ennis had a solid game for the Pistons, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds, and two steals in 24 minutes of playing time. He was one of few Pistons who actually demonstrated some hustle out there.. SF
Anthony Tolliver was the first sub off the bench tonight. He finished with five points and one rebound in 18 minutes of action, shooting 2-5 from the floor and 1-3 from deep.. PF. Detroit Pistons. ANTHONY TOLLIVER. C-
PG. Detroit Pistons. DWIGHT BUYCKS. B. Dwight Buycks took over backup points guard duties in lieu of Jameer Nelson tonight, and he played well. Buycks was aggressive with his shot and made things happen for others, finishing with 12 points, four assists, and four rebounds in 19 minutes.
SG. Detroit Pistons. LUKE KENNARD. F. Luke Kennard, back in the rotation after being passed over for Langston Galloway on Sunday, didn’t play well tonight. He wasn’t aggressive and finished 0-4 from the field and didn’t attempt a three, and Stan Van Gundy criticized Kennard’s effort afterward.
C. There’s only so much you can do when your team’s on the road on the second leg of a back to back against the leader of the Eastern Conference. The Pistons put in a good first half considering the circumstances, but succumbed to Toronto’s hot shooting, intense defense, and home-court advantage in the second half.. Head Coach. Detroit Pistons. STAN VAN GUNDY
The Pistons are back in action on Wednesday when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks at home.