Toronto Raptors' Tanking Hopes Boosted with Loss to Detroit Pistons
In a battle of non-playoff teams, the Toronto Raptors did what they needed on Wednesday night, losing 111-104 to the Detroit Pistons, dropping a second loss this season to the 12-53 Eastern Conference cellar dwellers.
While Immanuel Quickley returned to the lineup after being listed as questionable heading into the game, Toronto was still shorthanded, missing key players to injury as Chris Boucher, Gary Trent Jr, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl, and RJ Barrett (personal) were all listed as unavailable.
For the second game in a row, head coach Darko Rajaković’s starting lineup featured rookie Gradey Dick as the longest-tenured Raptor on the floor, a still unfamiliar lineup attempted to push back against a Pistons team that snapped a 28-game losing skid against Toronto on Dec. 26.
Despite the loss, there’s no doubt it's a positive for the Raptors, who align with the Memphis Grizzlies in the overall NBA standings, improving the club’s draft lottery odds with 16 games remaining in the regular season.
Missing four of five regular starters and on the back end of a road trip, the Raptors had just another tough night. They struggled in every aspect of the game, shooting 25% from beyond the arc and being out-rebounded by Detroit 58-37.
With their 43rd loss of the season, the Raptors have a 46% chance of keeping their top-six protected first-round pick. Despite Detroit being the objectively worse team throughout the season, the heavily rotated Raptors looked poor throughout the contest.
Quickley led the Raptors in scoring with 25 points, while Dick didn’t look as strong in the backcourt as he did in the close call and 22-point blow lead against the Denver Nuggets on Monday. Dick posted just nine points and picked up three rebounds in the largely poor effort.
Toronto managed to keep pace with the Pistons through the opening half and outscored their opponents 30-20 in the second quarter, only for the game's back half to fall heavily into Detroit’s favor. Led by 24 points from Jalen Duren, the Pistons outscored the Raptors 31-22 in the third quarter and didn’t take their foot off the gas, also winning the fourth quarter by three possessions.
Outside of the struggling moments, there were some continued bright spots for Toronto, with Canadian Kelly Olynyk still fresh off a two-year contract extension, continuing some strong play as one of the few experienced players with the short bench. At the same time, his frame also allowed the Raptors a little more room as the heavily undersized team in the matchup.
The loss puts the Raptors only ahead of the Pistons, Portland Trail Blazers, and Charlotte Hornets, with the Washington Wizards sitting in the final spot with a record of 11-54 as they play out the rest of their 2023-24 campaign.
Yet, the win could potentially help the Pistons rise up the standings, an unfortunate reality for the Raptors, who own the Pistons’ second-round selection, which, if they continue to drop down the standings, could be as high as the 31st pick.
With the struggling and injury-ridden road trip now in the rearview, the Raptors look ahead to a home-court return on March 15, as they host the Orlando Magic in Toronto, before dipping down to Florida to take on the same opponent on March 17.
