The Toronto Raptors will enter the all-star break on a sour note.
Toronto hardly came close in a 113-95 loss to the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena in both teams’ final contest ahead of the annual midseason event.
The Raptors remain fifth in the East at 32-23 after the loss, while the Pistons improved to 40-13.
The Pistons, missing all-star Jalen Duren and fellow big man Isaiah Stewart due to suspensions, dominated the Raptors inside, with starting centre Paul Reed recording 22 points and five rebounds.
Cade Cunningham, also headed to the all-star game, led Detroit with 28 points while adding nine assists and seven rebounds.
The Raptors’ all-stars didn’t have quite the same effect. Scottie Barnes stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists, four blocks and three steals in just 30 minutes as he battled early foul trouble.
Brandon Ingram, added to the all-star game as an injury replacement on Tuesday, contributed 13 points but failed to notch a single assist or rebound.
Point guard Immanuel Quickley led the Raptors with 18 points on the strength of four three-pointers.
All-star weekend is set to take place at the Los Angeles Clippers’ Intuit Dome, with on-court festivities beginning Friday and the game itself set to go Sunday.
Takeaways
Raptors: Jakob Poeltl returned from a 24-game absence due to a nagging back injury, started and played 20 minutes. The Austrian big man struggled some, scoring nine points (4-for-7) and snagging just one rebound in 10 first-half minutes before finishing with six. He’ll get some more time off for the all-star break, with the Raptors hoping he returns rejuvenated for a second-half playoff push.
Pistons: Detroit hardly missed Stewart and Duren — who will sit seven and two games respectively, due to their roles in Monday’s melee with the Charlotte Hornets — thanks to Reed, who put up 16 of his points in the first quarter. The 26-year-old veteran had scored double-digits just six times in 37 games while averaging 5.9 points per contest.
Key moment
The Raptors narrowed the Pistons’ lead to five points early in the second, but Cunningham responded with three straight triples as part of a solo 9-2 run to restore Detroit’s double-digit edge. Toronto never pulled back within one possession.
Key stat
The Raptors have now lost all seven of their games against the three highest-seeded teams in the conference, also including the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. They’ll face Detroit twice more in March.
Up next
Raptors: Barnes, Ingram and Darko Rajakovic’s coaching staff are headed to the all-star game along with rising stars contestants Collin Murray-Boyles, Alijah Martin and A.J. Lawson. The team’s next game is Feb. 19 against the Chicago Bulls.
