One day after losing starting point guard Brandon Jennings to a season-ending Achilles tendon injury, the Detroit Pistons found themselves with their backs up against the wall, squaring off with the Toronto Raptors – the third best team in the Eastern Conference.
Jennings’ backup, D.J. Augustin, did his part by scoring a career-high 35 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Raptors held off the Pistons 114-110.
The Raptors took control early and held it for most of the evening, working to a five point lead at half before gently sliding it near double digits for the majority of the second half.
An Anthony Tolliver triple with a touch under five minutes remaining in the fourth cut the Pistons deficit to five, capping an 8-2 Detroit run. The Pistons eventually whittled the lead down to three with under a minute remaining, but the Raptors were able to seal the deal at the free throw line.
In all, Augustin was 12-20 from the floor, 5-9 from the arc, and a flawless 6-6 from the free throw line. He also chipped in 8 assists and 4 rebounds for good measure. Greg Monroe contributed 21 points and 16 rebounds.
DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Key Notes & Observations
- The Pistons’ de facto backup point guard, rookie Spencer Dinwiddie, was largely ineffective in 11 minutes of play, scoring 2 points on 1-4 shooting.
- Anthony Tolliver was once again effective off the bench, with an increase in minutes resulting in 9 points and 6 rebounds.
- Rounding out the bench, Jodie Meeks struggled to find his groove, hitting just 2-13 and just 1-8 from deep. He finished with 9 points.
- Raptors big man Jonas Valanciunas once again put together a big performance against the Pistons, following up his career-high 31 point effort in their last matchup with 20 points and 11 rebounds Sunday night.
Next Game: Tuesday, Jan. 27; Detroit Pistons vs. Cleveland Cavaliers; 7:30, FSD, NBA TV
