TORONTO – Jakob Poeltl’s return did not go according to plan.
The Austrian big man played his first game Wednesday after missing 24 games with a nagging back soreness against the Detroit Pistons, but the Toronto Raptors struggled in a 113-95 loss against the Eastern Conference leaders.
Toronto’s loss marked its seventh in as many attempts against the top three seeds in the East, including the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.
The Raptors are also now 4-13 against the top 10 teams in the league overall.
“I think they just worked harder and outplayed us a little bit today,” Poeltl said. “They play very physical, they rotate very aggressively defensively and sometimes we play really well against them, but we can’t get open shots. Sometimes, it looks really bad and we turn the ball over or we get caught up.”
Detroit, which has just 13 losses this season, became the first team in the conference to reach the 40-win mark. The Raptors remain in fifth place with a 32-23 record.
Poeltl’s first shift partly foreshadowed the night to come. He scored the Raptors’ first goal of the game on a pick-and-roll with RJ Barrett, but missed a left layup attempt soon after.
On the defensive side, he paired with regular reserve Paul Reed and allowed him to score 11 of Detroit’s first 14 points. Reed finished with 22 points and five rebounds.
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Poeltl was much more active in the second half, grabbing four points and three rebounds in the first two minutes. He finished with nine points and six rebounds, playing in about a five-minute shift at the start of each quarter.
The Austrian said his return “feels quite good.”
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“Definitely not perfect. Still trying to find a little bit of a rhythm, trying to get my lungs back, trying to find myself again without getting offended and things like that, but overall the back feels good, so I’m happy with that,” Poeltl said.
The 30-year-old was averaging 9.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in 21 games prior to Wednesday’s action, missing time with his back.
His return suggests there may still be a long way to go before he returns to his best form.
“It’s exciting that he was finally able to come back and play the 20 minutes we had planned for him. And it’s great to see him not getting restricted on the court,” said Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic.
“I always say there’s a chance to get back into the game, and there’s a return to form. So it’s great to see him on the pitch now before the all-star (break) and he can keep building on that.”
Reed, a backup, only started because other bigs, Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren, were starting to serve seven- and two-game suspensions, respectively, after Monday night’s brawl with the Charlotte Hornets.
Even so, the Pistons managed to record 17 offensive rebounds.
“When they lost Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, that’s something we shouldn’t have to deal with. We’ve got to do a better job of dealing with that,” Rajakovic said.
Toronto now has eight days off, although a large contingent will head to Los Angeles for the all-star weekend.
Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram will play in the game, Rajakovic and his coaching staff will lead the World Team, and rookies Collin Murray-Boyles and Alijah Martin along with Canada’s AJ Lawson will compete in the rising star game.
This would be fitting recognition for a Raptors team that has exceeded expectations through 55 games. But Toronto will need to make a move against the conference’s elite if they want to make some noise after the break.
“I think overall we can be happy with our progress, but we also recognize that there is more room for growth individually and as a team,” Poeltl said. “We have a long way to go and teams like tonight show that we are still not where we want to be.”
For now, Rajakovic is satisfied – but sees greater growth in the future.
“Hopefully after the all-star break we can all be healthy, so we can take the next step,” he said. “I believe our best basketball is in front of us, not behind us.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 11, 2026.
© 2026 Canadian Press
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