Toronto Raptors win their fourth straight game with a 95-91 victory over the Detroit Pistons
It is known that the Toronto Raptors have the fifth-hardest schedule remaining in the association, however, their return from the All-Star break continues to be kind to them as they pick up a 95-91 victory over the Detroit Pistons. This marks their fourth straight win and brings Toronto to just one game under .500. Although they pulled away with the win, this game was anything but pretty.
Compared to the night prior when the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings contributed to the second most points in an NBA game, this was the complete opposite. It was an old fashion slugfest that consisted of great defensive play. It was a complete deadlock in the first half as the first and second quarters ended with each team scoring 22 points a piece. Pascal Siakam who has been the steady star for the Raptors once again, pushed them when they remained flat.
The recently named two-time All-Star finished with 29 points, eight rebounds, five assists and tallied three steals, making his presence felt on both ends of the court. The team combined for 37 percent shooting from the field and the supporting cast struggled to find the bottom of the basket. Until the second half where there was a bit more rhythm and the Raptors found their pace.
Without his usual running mate in the backcourt for the second straight game, Gary Trent Jr. finished with 19 points. Although he struggled with his jump shot he didn't let that sway his confidence as he kept shooting leading to a big triple that helped give Toronto the separation they needed to leave Detroit for the win.
The Pistons were undermanned with Jalen Duran inactive joining Cade Cunningham who has been out for the majority of the season. Allowing James Wiseman and Marvin Bagley to get extended minutes. Bagley made the most of it with one of his best games of the season. finishing with 21 points and 18 rebounds with 11 of those being offensive boards. Jaden Ivey was held at bay in the scoring department but showed glimpses of how he can affect the game in other facets dishing out 10 assists.
In most instances, the team with the overwhelming disparity in the rebounding column usually wins the game. However, Toronto was able to overcome this due to their relentlessness to get to the free-throw line, which led to being the deciding factor in favour of the Raptors.
The Toronto Raptors have now won 7 of their last 8 games and inch close to the eighth seed. They won't have much time to rest as they will quickly get ready for a matchup tomorrow against the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers at 6 PM ET.