The Detroit Pistons finally snapped their NBA-record 28-game losing streak on December 30 when they defeated the Raptors, but started a new one by losing each of the next 7 games. It looked like they were going to start a new unfortunate streak, especially after their 22-point loss to the lowly Spurs last week, but they were able to get a win on Martin Luther King Day, just their second since before Halloween.
NBA: The Pistons win for the fourth time this season
BREAKING NEWS: The Pistons won pic.twitter.com/qzqWzyqMlh
– NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 15, 2024
The Pistons were on the road for the contest and were facing a Wizards team that had been mostly poor for the first nearly three months of the season. But Washington was coming off its biggest win of the season, a 28-point blowout of the Hawks on Saturday night, and had as much momentum as a 7-31 team could have.
But Detroit was able to emerge victorious in the battle of the NBA’s cellar dwellers, and they were led by an incredible shooting performance from Alec Burks. The 13-year veteran made 8 of his 12 three-point attempts and finished with 34 points, tying his career high and doing it all off the bench. Jaden Ivey added 24 and Jalen Duren dropped 20.
The Pistons were without leading scorer Cade Cunningham for the fourth straight game.
Detroit could end with the worst record in history
At this point it’s like “don’t be that team” 🤣 https://t.co/qmWMgPt9Jz
– kuz (@kylekuzma) December 29, 2023
The victory is just the fourth of the season for Detroit, which still has the NBA’s worst record by three full games. They are on pace to finish between 8 and 9 games on the year, which would challenge the fewest wins in league history. The worst all-time record in a full season was 9-73, achieved by the 1973 Philadelphia 76ers.
Don’t expect the Pistons to make any kind of progress over the next week with their little push. Their next game is against the Western Conference-leading Timberwolves, and they will follow it with a two-game set against the powerful Bucks. But they will face the Hornets next Wednesday, followed by a rematch with the Wizards, giving them a chance to close out January with another spot in the win column.
To add some salt to the Wizards’ wound, it was less than a month ago when forward Kyle Kuzma sent out a tweet about the Pistons’ 27-game losing streak. He was like “At this point it’s like “don’t be that team” with a laughing emoji.
The Wizards were that team on Monday afternoon.
