
The Toronto Raptors couldn't hang with the Detroit Pistons in their 113-95 loss to close out the first half of the season.
The Raptors will now go into the All-Star break with a 32-23 record, placing them in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Here are five key numbers that stood out in the box score of the game between the Pistons and Raptors:
Before the game began, the NBA brought the hammer down on the Detroit Pistons who were involved in a brawl against the Charlotte Hornets earlier in the week.
All-Star center Jalen Duren and big man Isaiah Stewart were both ejected from the contest and received discipline. For their actions, Duren was suspended two games for being the instigator, while Stewart received a seven-game suspension for leaving the bench and not learning from previous offences.
While the Pistons were compromised, it clearly didn't affect them against the Raptors as they pulled out a double-digit win anyway.
All-Star forward Scottie Barnes played well on both sides of the ball, especially defensively. He had six "stocks," which consist of steals and blocks, accruing three of each.
Barnes continues to establish his case to be the league's Defensive Player of the Year. If he continues to play like this on a nightly basis, it will be hard not to give him the award.
Jakob Poeltl played his first game for the Raptors after missing the last 25 contests with a lingering back issue. He was on a minutes restriction, but he was still able to log 20 minutes in the team's loss. He scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds for the team.
Cade Cunningham was the leading scorer in the contest, scoring 28 points on 9 of 14 shooting. He made six 3-pointers while dishing out nine assists and grabbing seven rebounds, proving why he is an All-Star starter.
The Raptors struggled to crash the glass against the Pistons, grabbing just 35 rebounds as a team. Meanwhile, the Pistons had 47 despite not having two of their top big men. The Raptors need to make a more concerted effort on rebounding if they are going to compete against the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
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