The Detroit Pistons faced yet another defeat, marking their 28th consecutive loss, equaling the NBA’s longest losing streak record. However, this game against the Boston Celtics stood out for its dramatic turns.
Initially, Detroit led by 21 points, a season first, and even pushed the game into overtime after returning from a six-point deficit in the final minutes. Despite their efforts, the Celtics prevailed with a 128-122 victory.
Pistons coach Monty Williams expressed pride in his team’s resilience amid the challenging season. Detroit’s record dropped to 2-29, tying the Philadelphia 76ers’ infamous streak. They risk setting a new NBA record for consecutive losses if they don’t win their next game against Toronto.
“I’m unbelievably proud of the group, the way they bring it,” Williams said. “They’ve heard all the stuff about our team, and they just keep bringing it. I know it’s going to pay off.”
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The Pistons’ losing streak is now second only to the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals, who lost 29 games straight from 1942-45. Despite scoring 22 points in the first half and nearly winning the game with a last-second three-pointer, Cade Cunningham emphasized the team’s broader ambitions beyond just breaking the losing streak.
“I’m not interested in just winning one more game this year — you know what I mean? To stop this. That would be soft, in my opinion,” Cunningham said. “Our goals are a lot higher than that. We have what it takes to win a game, that’s nothing. But to put games together, find our system, find what’s clicking and allow us to sustain winning. That’s all we’re looking for.”
The Celtics, led by Kristaps Porzingis with a season-high 35 points and Jayson Tatum with 31 points and 10 assists, fought back from a substantial deficit. Porzingis played a crucial role in turning the game around in the final minutes of regulation and overtime.
“We’re on the same level as all these teams were playing against,” Cunningham said. “There’s no team that I’ve ever come across in the NBA where I felt like I was going into a slaughterhouse. I’ve never felt like that in my life, going into a basketball game.
“So every game we should be able to fight teams and impose our will on them. We did that early on. We kind of let go of the rope a little bit in the third quarter. But there’s a lot of growth, and something we can learn from and definitely take to the next game.”
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Despite the loss, Williams remained optimistic, citing the team’s toughness and execution. Meanwhile, the Celtics celebrated their fourth consecutive win and maintained their status as the team with the best record in the league, even in the absence of Jaylen Brown.
“As bad as they hurt right now, I hurt for them,” Williams said. “But I told them: `If we bring that kind of toughness and execution — minus the turnovers — we’re not just going to win one game. We’re going to put something together.”
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Key contributions also came from Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, and Bojan Bogdanovic for the Pistons. This defeat followed closely after setting the record for most consecutive losses in a season, previously held by the Sixers over two seasons.
Looking ahead, both the Pistons and Celtics will face the Toronto Raptors in their next game.
