Raptors All-Star guard Kyle Lowry, who had a game-high 33 points and eight assists, agrees with his coach's assessment of team's recent woes.

"I agree with him," Lowry said after the game. "I think it (defence) is something we haven't relied on, our offence has been so good the last couple of seasons but Dwane Casey's staple in this league has been defence and we're not living up to that."

After outscoring opponents by an average of 7.8 points per game in their first 32 games of the season, Raptors have been outscored by an average of 0.8 points in the 16 games since. During this span, which dates back to Jan. 1, Raptors hold a record of 7-9. This is the first month since March 2015 that Toronto will finish with a losing record.

"It's very challenging," Lowry said of the rough stretch. "At the end of the day we still have to go out there and play games, nobody is going to feel sorry for us. So at the end of the day we have to stay positive, stay upbeat, watch and learn and take everything and continue to grow as a team.

On a positive note, Raptors saw the return of three-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan, who missed the past three games with a sprained right ankle. The 27-year-old finished the game with 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists in just over 36 minutes of action.

Next up for Raptors is Tuesday evening when they host Anthony Davis and the Pelicans.

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