Detroit Pistons set NBA record with 27th straight loss
DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons set a new NBA record on Tuesday night as they dropped their 27th straight game with a 118-112 loss to the Brooklyn Nets at Little Caesars Arena.
The loss marks the most consecutive defeats in a single season in NBA history. The Philadelphia 76ers hold the overall record, losing 28 straight games, but that spanned the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.
The Pistons haven’t won a game since their home opener on October 28, against the Chicago Bulls, and are now 2-28 for the season.
Pistons coach Monty Williams couldn’t avoid the topic of the all-time losing mark, saying “it’s been heavy for a while” and acknowledging the weight of the ongoing losing streak on the franchise.
Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, finished with a game-high 41 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. He had 37 points in the second half alone but has lost all 10 career games in which he scored 30 or more points, marking the longest streak to start a career in NBA history, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
After the game, Cunningham addressed the team passionately in the locker room about the need to stay together as the losses continue to mount, urging teammates not to “jump off the boat.”
The Pistons got off to a fast start, holding a double-digit lead in the first quarter for the first time since November 12. However, they committed six turnovers in the second quarter and entered halftime trailing 61-54.
Although Cunningham went off for 18 points in the third quarter, the Nets ultimately closed the game on a 26-15 run to etch the 2023-24 Pistons in the history books.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, some fans chanted “Sell the team! Sell the team!” although Pistons owner Tom Gores was not in the building to hear it.
The chants didn’t sit well with some of the players, with second-year guard Jaden Ivey expressing disappointment in the negativity from the crowd and emphasizing the need for the team to stick together and play for each other.
The 2023-24 Detroit Pistons have now etched their names in the history books in a way that no one would have wanted, and the franchise faces an uphill battle to turn things around as the losses continue to mount.