The Detroit Pistons are a few games away from making history. Just not the kind of history any team wants to be making.
After losing on Saturday to the Brooklyn Nets, the Pistons have now lost 26 consecutive games.
That matches the NBA record for most consecutive losses in a single season (held by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers) and is two back of tying the all-time record of 28 straight defeats set by the 76ers over two seasons in 2015.
For context on just how bad the Pistons have been, they have fewer wins than the NFL’s Detroit Lions in the calendar year of 2023. The Pistons have nine wins through 72 games, while the Lions have 13 victories through 17 games.
Truly wretched stuff.
The Pistons actually started the 2023-24 season at 2-1 (they lost by one point in their opener against the Miami Heat). They have spent more days above .500 than a handful of teams, and the same amount of time as the 11-18 Toronto Raptors, even with their current 2-27 record.
With Detroit so close to setting the all-time mark, the question that seems to keep popping up is who will finally be the one to snap the streak and lose to this team?
Let’s take a look at the Pistons’ next three games and outline their path towards undesired history and possibly avoiding it.
Nets (14-15) at Pistons, Tuesday, Dec. 26, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
Detroit’s next opponent is a familiar foe, as they host the Nets just three days after their last matchup. The stakes will be higher this time as a loss for the Pistons will mean they hold the sole spot for most consecutive losses in one NBA regular season.
Brooklyn picked up a convincing 126-115 win in that contest on Saturday, leading by as many as 21 points.
A major weakness for the Nets coming into that matchup was their defence. They had lost four in a row and allowed more than 120 points per game in that span.
However, the bottom-10 defence was able to hold the Pistons below that mark and snap their own losing skid in the process.
Brooklyn was helped by the fact that Detroit kept getting in its own way. The Pistons had 14 turnovers that resulted in 22 points, a plus-14 edge for the Nets. Detroit has mad a habit of giving the ball away this season as the Pistons currently average the most turnovers per game in the NBA.
The good news for the Pistons was their usually pedestrian offence (28th in the league) showed positive signs. They shot nearly 50 per cent from the field and 43 per cent from distance, well above their season averages.
It was clear that Detroit was able to take advantage of a lacklustre defence. In fact, they’ve shown a propensity to do that during this stretch. Despite averaging just 109 points per game, the Pistons have put up an average of 116 points in their last four games — all of which were against bottom-10 defences.
The Pistons had the game to within a basket late in the third on Saturday, but they couldn’t keep their composure and gave up a 15-0 run that put them into a hole too deep to overcome.
“We continue to shoot ourselves in the foot,” centre Isaiah Stewart said. “If we do that, we’re not going to really win any games doing that. We’re not that good enough to recover from those kinds of mistakes.”
If Detroit can continue to put up offence in an efficient manner against the Nets, the Pistons will give themselves a realistic shot. What they really need to focus on is avoiding careless errors.
Pistons at Boston Celtics (23-6), Thursday, Dec. 28, 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT, Sportsnet ONE
Undoubtedly, the Pistons’ toughest challenge when it comes to snapping their streak will be against the Boston Celtics.
Tied for the best record in the NBA, the Celtics have a top-five offence and defence, and have won six of their last seven contests.
The Pistons will likely have to hope for a cold shooting night from beyond the arc by the Celtics to have a chance at winning.
Boston likes to do most of its damage in the perimeter game, ranking first in three-point makes and attempts per game. In comparison, Detroit ranks at the bottom of the NBA when it comes to long-distance shooting.
The Pistons instead focus on attacking inside the arc as they rank in the top five for two-point makes and attempts, versus the Celtics, who are bottom-three.
If Boston struggles to hit from three-point range and Detroit keeps attacking at the basket, it won’t automatically equal a Pistons win by any means, but it might just be their best shot.
Toronto Raptors (11-18) at Pistons, Saturday, Dec. 30, 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT
If (or more likely, when) the Pistons make it to Saturday without a win, they’ll be tied for the all-time record for most consecutive losses.
So, that means it’ll be up to Toronto to hand Detroit a record-setting 29th straight defeat. Coincidentally, when these two teams played earlier in the season the Raptors handed the Pistons a 29-point loss.
Raptors fans might feel confident heading into that game considering how the last one went, and the fact that Toronto has won five straight against Detroit.
However, Toronto has lost eight of its last 10 overall and has been struggling recently with three consecutive defeats.
The Raptors’ most consistent quality this season has been inconsistency. They’ve picked up impressive wins over teams at the top of the standings like Milwaukee and Minnesota, but have also lost to teams at the bottom like Charlotte and Portland.
Guaranteeing anything when it comes to this Toronto squad feels like a risky proposition.
Detroit’s path to a win in this one will be similar to the Brooklyn game. They’ll have to try and take advantage of a team that’s been sputtering defensively as of late. Through their last 10 games, Toronto has allowed an average of 120 points, and during their three-game skid that’s bumped up to 126.7 a night.
The Raptors have also been notorious for giving up big leads, especially throughout this latest stretch. Toronto has been down double-digits in 23 of their 29 games this season, and have found themselves down by 10 or more in 10 consecutive contests.
If the Pistons can get off to a hot start and build a big lead, like the Raptors have grown accustomed to giving up, it could be too much of a gap for Toronto to overcome.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Pistons can end their winless drought over this stretch or if they’re destined to enter the record books. Either way, the NBA world will be watching in anticipation.
For what it’s worth, Pistons head coach Monty Williams continues to believe in his group.
“Everybody feels down when you lose,” said Williams. “You have to allow people to be human, but the way that they come back the next day is something that I am blown away by … I’ve been around a lot of teams and not many teams have that type of resilience.”
— With files from AP.
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