The Pistons set an NBA single-season record with 28 consecutive losses. Photo/AP
The Pistons’ 28th straight loss is unlike any of the many other defeats that have preceded it in what is now tied for the longest losing streak in NBA history.
The result was the same.
Detroit opened a 21-point lead against the top-ranked Boston Celtics on Friday, then rallied from a six-point deficit in the final minutes to force overtime before the Celtics recovered to win 128-122. It was the first time all season the Pistons led by more than 20 points, and the first time they earned an overtime in the two months since their last victory.
“I’m incredibly proud of the group, the way they present it,” Pistons coach Monty Williams said. “They’ve heard everything about our team and they keep saying it. I know it will pay off.
Detroit fell to 2-29 and tied the “Trust the Process” Philadelphia 76ers with 28 straight losses; The Pistons need a home win against Toronto on Sunday NZT to avoid breaking the NBA record for longest losing streak.
In major North American sports, only the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals, who lost 29 straight games between 1942 and 1945, had a longer losing streak.
“I’m not interested in winning one more game this year – you know what I mean? To stop this. That would be sweet, in my opinion,” said Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, who scored 22 points in the first half but missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer with seven seconds left in regulation.
“Our goals are much higher than that. We have what it takes to win a match, it’s nothing. But to run games, find our system, find what works and keep us winning. That’s all we’re looking for.
Boston erased a 66-45 lead in the second quarter with a 19-5 run in the third that turned a 15-point deficit into a 77-76 game. Kristaps Porzingis scored eight of his season-high 35 points in a 10-0 run that turned a four-point deficit into a 106-100 lead for Boston in the final two minutes of regulation.
Jaden Ivey scored six straight points to tie Detroit, then, after Jayson Tatum was credited with a layup on a goalie call confirmed by replay, Bojan Bogdanovic made a putback on Detroit’s missed 3. Cunningham to send it to overtime.
But Derrick White scored 10 of his 23 points in overtime and Porzingis scored six in overtime – dunk after a full-court pass from Tatum, then hitting two free throws to make the score 125-117.
“Even though they’re hurting right now, I feel bad for them,” Williams said. “But I told them, ‘If we bring that kind of toughness and execution – without the turnovers – we’re not going to win a single game. We’re going to put something together.
Tatum had 31 points and 10 assists for Boston, which earned its fourth straight victory and ninth in the last 10 games. The Celtics, who were without Jaylen Brown, are 15-0 at home this season and have the league’s best record at 24-6.
“We’re on par with all those teams,” said Cunningham, who had 31 points and nine assists. “I’ve never met a team in the NBA where I felt like I was walking into a slaughterhouse. I have never felt like this in my life while attending a basketball game.
“So every game we should be able to fight teams and impose our will on them. We did it from the beginning. We let go a little in the third quarter. But there’s a lot of growth and something we can learn from and definitely implement for the next game.
Ivey had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Jalen Duren had 15 points and 14 rebounds and Bogdanovich had 17 points and 12 rebounds.
The Pistons set the NBA record for most consecutive losses in a season Tuesday night with their 27th in a row, a 118-112 loss to Brooklyn. The Sixers’ streak spanned two seasons, 2014-15 and 2015-16.
NBA results:
Pacers 120 Bulls 104
Pelicans 112 Jazz 105
Timberwolves 118 Mavericks 110
Nuggets 142 Grizzlies 105
Heat 114 Warriors 102
Spurs 118 Trail Blazers 105
Lakers 133 Hornets 112
