Raptors roll over Pistons in third quarter
RAPTORS 123, PISTONS 94
Eventually the Toronto Raptors took care of business in this one, but through a half there were some real concerns.
Up by as many as 12 points in the first half, the Raptors appeared to have lost their killer instinct, allowing the Pistons to stay in the game heading into the second half down by just six.
But a 34-point third quarter while holding Detroit to 22 opened some breathing space and once again allowed coach Dwane Casey to keep all his starters under 30 minutes for the night while adding to the win total.
The 123-94 final was as much about the Pistons’ inability to find any flow as it was about Toronto’s dominance.
Detroit just feels like a team out of sync and that feeling wasn’t helped any with new face of the franchise Blake Griffin being bottled up by Serge Ibaka. The Raptors’ defence limited Griffin to just 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting and a single rebound in 33 minutes of play.
The Raptors now head on the road for two, in Orlando on Wednesday and on to Washington Friday, where they will take on the red-hot Wizards.
MORE OPTIONS
End-of-game execution remains a hot topic with the Raptors.
Before Monday’s game against the Pistons, head coach Dwane Casey revealed the team has more than 20 scripted plays for those situations — although he admitted many of them have not had their debut.
“At least (two dozen) and then options off each of them,” Casey said of the late-game playbook. “Our issue, and I think I said it the other day, it’s hard to duplicate those end-of-games. We try, we put score disadvantage, time disadvantage on guys, put them in tough situations. It’s even tougher in practice because guys know what’s coming.
“It’s hard to replicate the stress level, the angst, the pressure of the moment of the game. I don’t know what our number is, but our endof-game situations haven’t been a lot lately. It’s almost like a few years ago we had quite a few and you got used to it.
“That’s something that’s our challenge now, to execute better, to make the plays, make buckets, make open shots at end of games and at the other end, execute defensively, too.”
POTENTIAL PLAYOFF FOE
It was looking more likely heading into the all-star break than now, but the chance remains the Detroit Pistons will be Toronto’s first-round opponent.
Coming into last night’s game, the Pistons sat ninth in the conference. With the Raptors in first, a first-round matchup is still in play.
The Pistons, though, are reeling at the moment trying to incorporate a star into their lineup at the mid-season mark and doing so with their starting point guard, Reggie Jackson, out the past two months with a Grade 3 ankle sprain. Jackson is expected back in mid-March.
Miami has the eighth spot, but those final two regular-season games in Detroit may not be the last the Raps see of the Pistons this season.