Kyle Lowry-less Raptors sink, lose 114-101 to the Detroit Pistions

The Toronto Raptors lost a game they should have won. After besting the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday night, it appeared the Raptors came into this game somewhat lifeless, except for Terrence Ross.

For the starters, DeMar DeRozan registered 20 points, seven assists and four rebounds making 9-21 field goal shots. Off the bench, Ross had a surprising game scoring 27 points, one assist and one rebound. He shot 52.6 percent from the field while also shooting 57.1 percent from three point range. Without Lowry, the point guard duties went to Cory Joseph, who dealt with foul trouble, and Delon Wright, getting his first big minutes in the NBA. For his part, Wright managed 13 points on 3-of-8 shooting with six assists. He also went 2-of-4 from three, which is a nice thing to also mention. Unfortunately, there just wasn't enough production from most of the rest of the Raptors.

As for the home-court Detroit Pistons, despite playing the second game of a back-to-back series, they didn't let that phase them as Andre Drummond scored 15 points and collected 18 rebounds. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 16 points, five rebounds and shot 70 percent from the field. Reggie Jackson scored 19 points and eight assists shooting 58.3 percent from the field and Tobias Harris, the new sharpshooting specialist for the Pistons poured in 14 points and four assists shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from 3.

After a strong first quarter, and a decent first half all-around, the second half was where the Raptors were diminished. They started the third leading by three but that quickly turned into a lopsided affair as the Pistons pushed the to five points, which turned to 10, then 20 and then to a 25 point deficit. The Raptors were unable to recover letting the Pistons run off with a win.

There's something to be said about the Raptors' effort today. As noted in the preview, head coach Dwane Casey said the Raptors couldn't come out of the gates today with lacklustre effort. Some media members probably have drafts saved up on the Raptors collapse, while others, like myself, still have hope in the team and know they will turn it around quickly.

This was just one of those games where the Raptors were drained out and quite frankly didn't seem too concerned with the outcome. That or they just didn't have the right energy to attack. Not to fret though. The Raptors should be able to bounce back and continue to roll out their season playing their best against challenging opponents and their worst against teams who, well, need a win more than them.

The Raptors will return Wednesday night as they take on the Utah Jazz, while the Pistons themselves are back in action Wednesday night as they play against the San Antonio Spurs.

What did you think of the game? Fire down in the comments below!