Detroits Skid Hits 25 Games, Nearing NBA Record
After dropping a 119-111 decision to the injury-riddled Utah Jazz, the Pistons find themselves in uncharted territory, currently suffering through an unfathomable 25-game losing streak - still short of an NBA record for most consecutive losses on the road.
Facing the Brooklyn Nets this Saturday, the Pistons' collective hope is that they can't match the NBA's record of 26 consecutive losses in a single season.
Kicking off the match, Pistons fans may have entertained the thought that this game would bring an end to their misery. The visiting Jazz robotically cut down their roster, with stars like Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson both out of action. Markkanen, who had a stellar 2023 campaign, and Clarkson, who nabbed 6th Man of the Year honors in 2021, were missing from the action in the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
What followed, however, was a familiar script for the hard-fighting Pistons, as they stumbled behind to a 64-58 halftime deficit.
The intermission seemed to be just what Detroit needed, battering back with renewed vigor in the third quarter, and narrowing the difference to just two points heading into the final frame.
Unfortunately for the beleaguered Pistons, the Jazz refused to budge, fighting tooth and nail to secure a 119-111 victory, thereby notching the Pistons' record to 2-26 on the season.
"Nobody wants to be on the wrong side of history," an exasperated Cade Cunningham lamented to the press post-game. "This is definitely an added challenge we have to overcome.
"We should have won this game, but we didn't. That's on us. Now we have to come back in the next game, seal the deal, and be stronger."
Although Cunningham led the charge for Detroit with 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists, he acknowledged he had room for improvement, especially on defense, before concluding that this wasn't a season to boast about - "2 wins and 26 losses" - he said.
Detroit head coach Monty Williams echoed Cunningham's sentiments.
"I have to be really careful with my words because this has hurt more than many others," offered Williams.
On the mental status of the team, Williams shed some light, "You can certainly guess how they're feeling."
"They've had a chance like this, they've lost 25 games in a row. They're probably not in the best of mental health, but at the same time, they have no other choice than to fight, compete, and find a way out of this?"
Related:
Detroit's latest test lies ahead against the New Orleans Pelicans, and the team will do everything in its power to avoid equalizing with the NBA's single-season record of 26 consecutive losses.
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Insights:
- The longest losing streak in NBA history is held by the 2011-2012 Philadelphia 76ers, who lost 26 games in a row, but over the span of two seasons (2011-2012 and 2012-2013). A different team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, holds the record for the longest losing streak in a single season, with 26 consecutive losses.
- The provided sources suggest that the Pistons have improved significantly under leadership from J.B. Bickerstaff, despite their current losing streak. The team went from holding the record for the longest losing streak to ascending to the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference.
