Post Game Report Card: Raptors get their second win in a row after beating the Pistons

Nathan Denette, AP

I still don’t get it. The Toronto Raptors looked like they had received their wake-up call just six days ago after a poor stretch of play. They pulled out a gritty win in Milwaukee, and then followed that up with a great performance, albeit in a loss, to the Memphis Grizzlies. The following two games have seen them nearly lose in a lack lustre effort to the Philadeplhia 76ers, and then they let the Detroit Pistons hang around for the night, a team coming off the loss of a game and Brandon Jennings the previous night. However, it’s the past two games that have resulted in the Raptors’ first winning streak of 2015. Tonight’s 114-110 win was all over the place, but a victory is all that matters at this point as this team still looks to right itself in the new year.

Offence: B+

Although flawed, tonight’s performance offensively is a very welcome sign in light of the team’s recent struggles shooting the ball. The looks that usually go for this team were once again falling, and the ball moved well. Kyle Lowry had eight of the team’s 23 assists, Amir Johnson was both crafty and assertive in putting up his 17 points, while Jonas Valanciunas again impressed against the Pistons front court. His 20 points came off a variety of moves, including a couple spins baseline, and a fade away shot from the post. There were still some open looks from three that need to fall down, but the one troubling aspect were the turnovers the Raptors had. They may have only had eight of them, but they tended to come via mental mistakes: an unforced over-and-back and a rushed inbounds pass are the moments that come to mind. The 114 points is very encouraging, but this team still doesn’t seem to be mentally crisp.

Defence: F

After a stretch of  games where they played solid defence, this was a major let down for the Raptors. D.J. Augustin had  a career-high with 35 points on 20 shots. He was able to drive to the basket with ease; Lowry still looks a step slow defensively. The Pistons, on the second night of a back-to-back, were able to shoot 46% from the floor and hit 12 threes (Granted, this is their first loss on the second night of back-to-back since they cut Josh Smith.) There was too much penetration allowed by the Raptors, something they really need to focus on cleaning up.

Rebounding: D

The Raptors gave up 14 offensive rebounds, and were out rebounded by six overall. They did a good job of crashing the glass as a team early on, but they were overwhelmed by the Pistons later in the game. Greg Monroe was a monster, collecting 16 boards, splitting the number on both sides of the court.

Player of the Game: DeMar DeRozan

DeMar DeRozan looked great tonight. His trademark mid-range fade was falling, he got to the line ten times, and even nailed a three! It might still take some time as DeRozan continues to work himself into game shape after his injury, but this is the player the Raptors desperately need: an all star that gets them a bucket when they need one, gets to the line and slows the game down.