Motor City Misfires: Raptors Take Advantage of Piston's Woes

Another night, another L for the Detroit Pistons. We saw it coming, didn't we? The Raptors rolled into Little Caesars Arena and handled their business, walking away with a 119-118 win on March 9th. It wasn't a blowout, but it never really felt like Detroit was truly in control, even when they made it close late.

RJ Barrett was the guy for Toronto, dropping 23 points and grabbing 8 boards. He hit some tough shots, especially in the fourth quarter when the Pistons were trying to make a run. Immanuel Quickley chipped in 20 points, and Scottie Barnes had a solid all-around game with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists before leaving with a hand injury. That Barnes injury is the real story for the Raptors, more than the win itself. They’re already without Jakob Poeltl for a while; losing Barnes would be a brutal blow to their already slim playoff hopes.

For Detroit, Cade Cunningham tried to carry the load, finishing with 30 points and 12 assists. He’s putting up numbers, no doubt, but it rarely translates to wins. Jalen Duren had a monster game on the glass with 18 points and 15 rebounds, including 6 offensive boards. He’s got that motor, that’s for sure. Simone Fontecchio added 17 points, showcasing his shooting touch with three triples. The Pistons actually shot 50% from the field and 42.4% from three, which usually gets you a win. But they also turned the ball over 15 times, leading to 21 Raptors points. That's the kind of sloppiness that kills you against any NBA team, let alone one that's just a little bit better.

**Same Old Story for Detroit**

Here's the thing: the Pistons are now 10-53. Let that sink in. Ten wins through 63 games. That’s historically bad, even for a franchise that’s seen its share of losing seasons lately. They had a lead early in the third quarter, 69-63, after a Cunningham layup. But the Raptors, like most competent NBA teams, just slowly chipped away. They closed the third on a 20-10 run and never really looked back.

One of the big issues for Detroit was their free throw shooting, hitting just 16 of 24 attempts. You leave eight points at the line in a one-point game, and you deserve to lose. Simple as that. It's not just one thing with this team; it's a thousand small things that pile up. The defensive lapses, the soft turnovers, the missed free throws, the general lack of a killer instinct.

Real talk: I’m starting to wonder if Monty Williams is the right guy for this job. You can only preach patience for so long when the on-court product is this consistently bad. They’ve shown flashes, sure. They beat the Bulls back in January, 118-102, and had a nice road win against Sacramento, 133-120, in February. But those moments are so few and far between.

I’m calling it now: The Pistons will make a significant coaching change before the start of the 2025-26 season if they don't show real progress in the first half of next year. They can’t afford another season like this, regardless of draft picks. They need to show some semblance of competence, and that starts at the top.