Pistons’ losing streak now at 25, nears NBA record
Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons looks on in the fourth quarter on the way to a 119-111 loss to the Utah Jazzat Little Caesars Arena on December 21, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. | Photo by Gregory Shamus / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
Los Angeles, United States—The Detroit Pistons inched closer to NBA ignominy on Thursday as they dropped a 119-111 decision to the Utah Jazz on their home floor for a 25th straight defeat.
The Pistons are now one loss away from matching the NBA’s longest single-season losing streak of 26 games — by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers.
The longest losing streak ever was the 28-game slide of the 76ers that spanned the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.
“That’s history that nobody wants to be a part of,” dejected Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham said.
Utah, playing the second night of a back to back without Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson and Talen Horton-Tucker, had looked to offer the Pistons a golden opportunity to halt the slide.
But after a bright start that saw Detroit lead by as many as eight points in the first quarter, the Jazz turned the tide with a 13-0 scoring run that saw them take a 45-32 lead early in the second period.
Trailing 64-58 at halftime, the Pistons tied it up at 84-84 in the third quarter before the Jazz pulled away again.
Kelly Olynyk led the Jazz with 27 points. Collin Sexton added 19, Ochai Agbaji scored 18 off the bench as six Jazz players scored in double figures.
Cunningham scored 28 points and handed out 10 assists for the Pistons. He drained a pair of free throws that cut the deficit to two points with less than four minutes remaining but the Pistons could get no closer.
Shooting guard Jaden Ivey scored 24 and Marvin Bagley III another 22 for Detroit, but no other Pistons players reached double figures as the Pistons remained without a win since October 28.
“I am sick right now,” said Cunningham, who was coming off a 43-point performance in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
“We had a shot to win it down the stretch, just wasn’t solid enough,” he said. “Me personally, six turnovers — kills us. We had 20 as a team, gave up 27 points off of it. That kills us.”
In other early action, New Orleans’ Trey Murphy got the start in place of ailing Zion Williamson and scored 28 points to lead the Pelicans in a 123-104 victory over the Cavaliers in Cleveland.
Murphy connected on six of 10 three-point attempts and delivered a solid defensive effort in his first start of the season, and just his ninth game since returning from injury.
“He’s a weapon for us, for sure,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said.
Cleveland, still without Darius Garland as he recovers from a broken jaw and with Donovan Mitchell missing a second straight game due to illness, were led by 20 points from Dean Wade.
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