Raptors broke insane “Dwane Casey Curse” with win vs. Pistons

The Detroit Pistons, coached by former Toronto Raptors leader Dwane Casey, have really been a thorn in Nick Nurse’s side over the last few years. The team has been terrible, but they have consistently played the Raptors hard and pulled off some upsets.

Look no further than last season, when the Raptors won 48 games and the Pistons were one of the worst teams in the league. Despite that great disparity in results, Casey was able to sweep the Raptors last season in one of the most puzzling trends of the year.

Even though Toronto had won all three of their matchups against Detroit before Friday night’s game, the combined margin of victory was just nine points. Even though names like Gary Trent Jr. and Scottie Barnes sat out due to injury, Toronto managed to exorcise their Michigan-based demons.

The Raptors beating Detroit for the fourth time this season should officially bring an end to the “Casey Curse,” as the team completely stomped a shorthanded Pistons team 118-97 in a fashion that left no doubt over who is the superior franchise at this point in time.

The Toronto Raptors finally swept Dwane Casey and the Pistons.

Pascal Siakam led the charge with 32 points, 26 of which came in the first half, and nine assists against a Detroit frontcourt that had no answers. Chris Boucher provided 19 points and 13 rebounds off the bench, while Jeff Dowtin also had a more complete two-way showing than Malachi Flynn.

Over the last six seasons, the Pistons and Raptors are now an even 10-10 against once another, with one side sweeping the other each time. After going 9-3 against one of the worst teams in the league for almost a half-decade, Nurse may have finally righted the ship.

Casey still has a complicated legacy in the eyes of many Raptors fans. On one hand, he is the winningest coach in franchise history and the first one to make Toronto a consistent postseason threat year in and year out. On the other, his playoff shortcomings are well known, and the Raptors won as soon as he was let go.

It would not be surprising if the Pistons decide to close the book on the Casey era after this season, which would be a very unceremonious way to go out for someone that has established himself as one of the best coaches of the last decade. If this is what it takes to finally stick a fork in Toronto’s Pistons curse, so be it.