The Detroit Pistons dropped their 27th game in a row Tuesday night at home against the Brooklyn Nets, 118–112, setting an NBA record for consecutive losses in a single season.
Chants of “sell the team!” reverberated throughout Little Caesars Arena as the game drew to a close, indicative of fans’ dissatisfaction with owner Tom Gores, who has said he has no plans to do so.
Prior to Tuesday’s matchup, Detroit had shared the undesirable distinction with the 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers and the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers. The 76ers hold the overall record for consecutive losses across two seasons, with 28.
Detroit was within striking distance towards the end of the game, when a bucket by 2021 first round draft pick Cade Cunningham cut Brooklyn’s lead to two with less than a minute left. But Brooklyn forward Dorian Finney-Smith responded with a corner three, boosting his team’s winning percentage to over 90 percent, according to ESPN analytics. A pair of missed free throws by teammate Mikal Bridges made things interesting in the final seconds, but a Cunningham turnover on the next possession essentially sealed the outcome.
Cunningham ended up with a game-high 41 points, along with 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Brooklyn’s leading scorer was forward Cameron Johnson with 24, half of which came from beyond the arc.
Detroit’s loss was their second to Brooklyn since Saturday, when the two faced off in New York. Their next game is Thursday against the Boston Celtics, and on Saturday they close out the year at home against the Toronto Raptors.
Detroit’s last victory was their October 28 home opener against the Chicago Bulls, with their only other win occurring the night prior when they played the Charlotte Hornets.
