Here are 10 takeaways from the Toronto Raptors‘ 108-106 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday.
1. The Raptors fought to the bitter end, but their comeback fell short: The Pistons had control for most of the game while the Raptors dedicated themselves to complaining about calls rather than committing to defence, and as it always happens, they fell down big to the Pistons. It took an heated ejection from Nick Nurse to spur them into action, and while they came very close to stealing it back, the Pistons completed their season sweep of the Raptors for the third time in four seasons.
2. The Casey Curse continues: Since he joined the Pistons after being fired with the coach of the tear award in hand, Casey has won 32 per cent of his games against all 28 other teams, yet he is 9-3 against the Raptors. In four seasons, just beating the Raptors alone accounts for over nine per cent of all of Casey’s wins. Part of it goes to a familiarity with Nurse that comes from working together for five seasons, but there’s also the element of motivation. Casey denies any special emphasis in these games, but his players have consistently said that these games matter more to coach, and hence the difference in intensity.
3. The matchup between Casey and Nurse can be told in two timeouts from the third quarter: When Nurse burned his fifth timeout early in the third quarter to draw up a play, it was completely neutralized by Casey going to a surprise zone for only that one possession which ended in Gary Trent Jr. tossing up a prayer to avoid a turnover. A few minutes later, Casey called for time after the Raptors started gaining momentum. Nurse tried to spring the same trap by going zone, except the Pistons countered this by setting a back screen from Isaiah Stewart, which pinned both Pascal Siakam and Khem Birch and freed Cade Cunningham for a corner three. It was in keeping with the theme of the game for the first three quarters, which saw the Pistons repeatedly get downhill to bait the Raptors’ hyperactive defence, before kicking out to the corners for three. Casey clearly knows how to hurt Nurse’s scheme.
4. Nurse’s best move was to get ejected: He lost his mind after Dalano Banton was called for a phantom foul, which negated a highlight block from Chris Boucher, and stormed onto the court to confront referee Marc Davis. It was one of several agonizing decisions from the officials in a game that was simultaneously allowed to be physical to the point where Siakam and Scottie Barnes both suffered scary falls, while also being saddled with foul trouble for breathing on Pistons players as they drove past. Nurse’s reaction not only got the fans into the game, but the calls turned in Toronto’s favour as well. The Raptors shot 16 free throws in the fourth quarter, which was their main method of fueling the comeback, along with their all-out intensity on defence, which was suddenly being permitted due to an easing of the whistle. The team outscored the Pistons 34-18 after Nurse left the game.
5. The Raptors always get in trouble in the same way by not being focused on defence: The Pistons were allowed to drive downhill play after play, the Raptors had to overhelp every time down, and it kept resulting in open threes for the visitors. Couple that with a hyperactive whistle, and the usual lack of size in the middle, and even a tanking team like the Pistons was able to rack up 91 points through three quarters. Some of it comes down to schemes, as the Raptors intentionally press tight on the perimeter to bait the opposition to drive into a crowd, and they also run with high-risk strategies like pressing full court, which bleeds open threes if Toronto can’t secure the turnover. But some of it is also just bad defence. Three times in the game, the Pistons were able to score on layups after a made basket by the Raptors, which is simply inexcusable regardless of what lineups or strategies are being used.
6. The fourth-quarter comeback was made possible by two changes on the defensive end: The Raptors played half of the quarter with five six-foot-nine forwards which allowed them to switch more often while also bringing shot blocking at the rim and length to pressure closeouts. Add in their continued trapping over the course of the game, and it did make the Pistons play faster than what they seemed comfortable with. The team’s overall intensity also was raised. Boucher and Precious Achiuwa challenged every shot at the basket, and everyone’s closeouts were that much harder with the Raptors knocking down the shooter at least twice. The Raptors have to find a way to get to that level of intensity from the start, rather than waiting to counter after catching the first punch.
7. The two players who consistently deliver energy are Boucher and Achiuwa: Nurse likes them in their current roles off the bench, but is there a way to get that jolt of energy at the start of games? OG Anunoby is set to miss another two weeks due to his finger fracture so there’s a gap in the starting lineup which is currently being filled by Khem Birch on a bad knee. Birch is a fine player when healthy, but at the moment he’s not as mobile and springy on defence, and offensively he’s not even connecting on the short flip shots which are usually his bread and butter.
8. This was night to forget for Trent Jr. who got blocked at the end: To be fair, Trent Jr. shouldn’t even have driven on the final play given that the Raptors were down three without a timeout, but it was just that type of night. Trent Jr. was pressed into a bigger role with the absences of Anunoby and Fred VanVleet, but nothing was going for him. He shot 4-for-22, including 3-of-15 from deep, and while some of the shots were forced, Trent Jr. also missed a smattering of wide-open looks. Once again, this highlights the lack of a dependable third guard on the Raptors, as they suffer each time anybody from their backcourt is missing in action.
9. Sometimes you wonder how Siakam ever scores when the paint is as clogged as it is: The Raptors hit just seven threes as a team — their fifth time with single-digit threes in their last seven games — and at times had five non-shooters on the floor at once, which allowed the Pistons to load all five defenders in the paint. Siakam still managed to shoot 10-for-15 from the field while getting 10 trips to the line, despite help defenders swarming him on every drive. Nurse made the right call in using his challenge on Siakam early in the second quarter, when the forward pleaded to the coach that he got all ball. It saved Siakam from his third foul and allowed the Raptors to close the quarter on a run.
10. The matchup between Barnes and Cade Cunningham lived up to the hype. The first overall pick was impressive as you would expect, knocking down threes with ease while also operating smoothly as a jumbo point guard. The Raptors trapped him for most of the night, yet Cunningham allowed only one turnover and kept the Pistons offence humming. Barnes didn’t hold the ball nearly as often, but his physicality around the basket and timely cuts allowed him to record 21 points and 10 rebounds, and his passing was just as clever. Team record has Barnes ahead of Cunningham in the rookie of the year race, but this battle will continue for years to come as they both look to grow into stars.