Raptors survive scare from Pistons

Rudi Schuller

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Raptors survive scare from Pistons image

After several slow starts, the Toronto Raptors jumped out to a big lead over the visiting Detroit Psitons on Wednesday and appeared to be cruising to victory.

And while Toronto would eventually win the game 96-91, it turned out to be far tougher than the first half would indicate.

The Raptors looked every bit the well-oiled machine worthy of their current second-place standing in the NBA's Eastern Conference during the opening quarter, moving the ball well and scoring in bunches in a dominant first 12 minutes that ended with Toronto up 31-18. The quick and efficient play extended into the early stages of the second quarter, with Toronto going up by 15 points and looking increasingly comfortable.

However, the Pistons responded by increasing the pressure — especially on Toronto guards DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry — and started forcing turnovers. The Pistons used their heightened team defence to go on a 14-5 run to end the half, and kept up the intensity after the break to take their first lead of the game midway through the third quarter.

From there on out it was back and forth as the teams traded leads, with the Raptors' superior depth and talent ultimately taking control of the game.

But it wasn't without a fight from the Pistons, who are just a half-game above the playoff line and showed that they are willing to grind for every possible point in their quest for the postseason.

Led by 21 points from C.J. Miles and double figures from Lowry (18 points), Jonas Valanciunas (17 points) and DeRozan (17 points), the Raptors moved to 30-13 on the season. 

Here are three takeaways from the Raptors' win over the Pistons on Wednesday night.

Sloppiness nearly kills

A big factor that contributed to the Pistons hanging around all game was turnovers, with the normally responsible Raptors giving the ball away 20 times on Wednesday.

Surprisingly, it was DeRozan that led the team with five turnovers. Some were costly.

DeRozan has a career average of just two turnovers per game, so Wednesday was uncharacteristic for the Compton, Calif., native.

Battle of the bigs

Valanciunas and Andre Drummond engaged in a classic battle of the big men, with both players showing why they are considered crucial pieces for their respective teams.

In the first half it was all Valanciunas, with Toronto's Lithuanian centre getting the upper hand in the opening 24 minutes. Valanciunas dominated the glass in the early stages, collecting seven of his 16 rebounds in the first quarter alone. The 25-year-old even hit a three-pointer as the Raptors looked to be in cruise control.

But Drummond, like his team, took a while to get going. And when he did, the Detroit centre's play lifted his entire team.

Drummond finished with a game-highs in points (23) and rebounds (17).

Serge struggles

While Valanciunas shone in his head-to-head matchup with Drummond, Toronto's other main big man had a noticably silent night.

Serge Ibaka, who averages 13.7 points per game for the Raptors, posted just two points on 1-for-5 from the field. Ibaka registered just a single rebound and zero blocks in 23 minutes on the court.

Rudi Schuller