Detroit Pistons continue downward spiral, Toronto Raptors capitalize

Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combine for 40 points as the Toronto Raptors cruise past the Detroit Pistons with a 123-94 victory.

The Detroit Pistons lost their fourth straight game; this time 123-94 on the road against the Toronto Raptors tonight.

Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan each score 20 points, leading their team to their 25th home victory of the season.

Andre Drummond led the Pistons with 18 points and 18 rebounds in the game.

The Pistons’ bench failed to show up for the third straight game as well. The Raptors had 54 points come from their bench opposed to the Pistons’ 32 points.

I have some questions after another this game.

When is Reggie Jackson coming back? This team could definitely use a spark at the point guard position. If he can be any kind of difference maker when he comes back in a couple weeks it might be too late.

Ish Smith was benched for a large majority of the second half because he wasn’t effective when he was on the floor. He finished the game with 16 points somehow.

Where has Reggie Bullock been? Does he play for the Pistons anymore? He’s cooled down to the point of non-existence.

Did Luke Kennard join him in this disappearance? He failed to even get on the scoreboard tonight in 16 minutes of play.

Stanley Johnson might have had the worst game of his life. There was a point in the third quarter where his recklessness and lack of awareness took the Pistons out of this game. He finished with just two points in the game.

Why isn’t Anthony Tolliver starting? He plays within his boundaries and actually looks like he cares when he’s on the floor.

This game looked very similar to the first two since coming back from the All-Star break.

The Pistons got off to a good start and competed with Toronto. They played tough on defense and were getting out in transition on offense.

Then all of sudden it came to an end. It was almost like a diffrent team stepped on the court. They stopped contesting shots and collapsed defensively. Their offense turned stagnant and all of a sudden Toronto had a double-digit lead.

The Pistons showed some life in the second quarter. They cut the lead to six and made it a ball game at halftime.

The third quarter was a complete disaster. Toronto outscored Detroit 34-22 and capitalized on every Piston miscue.

Frustrations really started fly in the fourth quarter. After a Blake Griffin basket, he had choice words for the official and received a technical foul.

This team is frustrated. That’s very understandable. Detroit hasn’t been competitive at all since coming back from the All-Star break. It’s not fun to lose at all, especially the way they are losing.

Detroit is back in action on Wednesday at Little Caesars Arena against the Milwaukee Bucks. What team will we see?

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The Bucks are a playoff-caliber team and will jump all over the Pistons if they come into Wednesday night with this kind of effort. The further this team falls from playoff contention, the less patience the fan base will have. The Stan Van Gundy hot seat continues to get hotter day by day.