Detroit Pistons' chances of avoiding franchise's loss record looking grim
The Detroit Pistons dropped their seventh straight game Monday night in New York, done in by execution (good by the Knicks and bad by the Pistons) and injuries (to almost everyone not named Jaden Ivey and James Wiseman).
The good news? There are just 10 games remaining in this dismal campaign — meaning no matter what, they can’t snap their NBA record for consecutive losses in a season (28), set earlier this season. (They could still lose them all and snap the multi-season loss record with 12 straight to open the 2024-25 campaign, but that’s a problem for November.)
The bad news? They still need four more wins this season to avoid setting the franchise record for fewest wins; they’re at 12 now and hoping to at least tie the 1979-80 iteration that went 16-66 with Dick Vitale (4-8) and Richie Adubato (12-58) as head coach.
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Can they do it? The raw numbers of the remaining stretch are daunting, with eight of 10 games on the road, and five vs. teams sitting in position to at least make the play-in tournament. Let’s take a look at the opponents:
Wednesday: At Minnesota Timberwolves (49-22)
The buzz: Former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards (2020) is a fringe MVP candidate, thanks to 26.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.3 steals a game. Meanwhile, the combo of 7-footers Karl-Anthony Towns (22.1 points and 8.4 boards a game while shooting 42.3% on 3s) and Rudy Gobert (13.6 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks) almost makes Pistons GM Troy Weaver’s constant hoarding of bigs make sense. Almost. Can the Pistons win? Hahahahahahahahahaha. (No.)
Friday: At Washington Wizards (14-58)
The buzz: The Wizards were the Pistons’ top competition for the No. 1 draft lottery spot, right up till they ripped off a three-game win streak over the past week. Also in the Pistons’ favor: They’ve actually beaten the Wizards this season, coming out on top in D.C. on Jan. 15 despite 21 points from Flint’s Kyle Kuzma and 16 points from Michigan alumnus Jordan Poole. Can the Pistons win? Sure. Give them the W in the nation’s capital and call it the curse of Marvin Bagley III — the ex-Pistons big dealt to the Wizards on Jan. 14 has appeared in just six wins this season (including two with the Pistons).
Monday: Memphis Grizzlies (24-48)
The buzz: Injuries to Desmond Bane and Ja Morant (plus his 25-game ban to open the season) basically buried Memphis’ season by mid-January. Still, Bane returned last week and is averaging 23.9 points a game this season, and former MSU star Jaren Jackson Jr. (22.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.6 blocks) is still part of the franchise’s future. Can the Pistons win? They can beat the Grizzlies, who’ve been decimated by injuries, but we’ll give the W to Memphis at Little Caesars Arena (for the second time this season) on the strength of the Grizz’s road record: 16-21 while scoring more than five points more per game.
April 3: At Atlanta Hawks (32-39)
The buzz: Some teams find ways to win despite injuries, like the Hawks, who’ve gone 6-6 and stayed in the play-in tournament race despite losing Trae Young to finger surgery late last month. Granted, most teams don’t do it while falling behind by 30, like the Hawks did against NBA-leading Boston on Monday. But DeJounte Murray is still healthy and averaging 22.3 points, 6.2 assists and 5.3 rebounds a game ad the other Bogey —Bogdan Bogdanovic — keeps churning out 16.5 points a game. Can the Pistons win? The Pistons lost their two previous games against the Hawks — when both teams were healthy — by six points apiece in November and December. So … no.
April 5: At Memphis Grizzlies (24-48)
The buzz: Remember what we wrote about the Grizz a couple items ago? At home, they’re just 8-27 while scoring 103.3 points a game. The Pistons, meanwhile, are 5-29 while giving up 122.3 points a game away from LCA. Something’s gotta give. Can the Pistons win? Again, a shaky “yes.”
April 6: At Brooklyn Nets (27-45)
The buzz: Another team the Pistons have beaten this season, back on March 7 when Cade Cunningham went off for 32 points and 11 assists and Ivey hit six 3-pointers. Can the Pistons win? It’s the second night of a back-to-back, which means Cunningham is almost certainly stuck on the bench, as are the Pistons’ hopes of a series split.
April 9: At Philadelphia 76ers (39-33)
The buzz: Yes, the Pistons may have to deal again with the villain of the Sixers’ first three victories in the series, which came by an average of 20 points — Joel Embiid, who scored 109 points in just over 96 minutes against Detroit before missing Philly’s past 25 games, reportedly hopes to be back by the second week of April to tune up for the playoffs. Can the Pistons win? Not even against an Embiid at 75%.
April 11: Chicago Bulls (34-38)
The buzz: Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams are lost for the season, but DeMar DeRozan has been averaging 24.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists since the All-Star break, and Nikola Vučević has put up 18.6, 11.5 and 3.6, respectively, over that span. Can the Pistons win? The Pistons do have two wins against the Bulls, somehow — one in October and one in February. But they also haven’t won a home finale since 2019.
April 12: At Dallas Mavericks (42-29)
The buzz: It’s the back half of the Pistons’ final back-to-back, with a plane trip to book — we’re gonna go ahead and say Cunningham won’t be available to repeat his March 9 triple-double duel (33 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds) with Luka Doncic (39, 10 and 10). Oh, and Ausar Thompson won’t be around to slow Doncic for 1 ½ quarters again, either. Can the Pistons win? The stars shine bright, late at night, deep in the heart of Texas … butthe Pistons may be completely out of stars by mid-April.
April 14: At San Antonio Spurs (16-56)
The buzz: Will rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama (20.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.4 blocks per game) play in this one with his occasionally balky ankle? Not if the Spurs are remotely close to needing a loss to stay in the top three of the draft lottery. Can the Pistons win? We'd neer use the T-word — tanking — but never underestimate Gregg Popovich’s ability to pull out a loss at lottery time. (Remember the double-OT battle in February 2023?)
The verdict
Look, it’s the NBA and weird, unexpected stuff happens every night. Just on Monday, the Spurs sat Wembanyama, then beat the Phoenix Suns, and the Hawks, as noted, rallied against the Celtics after trailing by 30 with 28:13 left to play. But it’s pretty tough to see more than three wins remaining on the Pistons’ schedule without some injury help from the other guys here and there.
Contact Ryan Ford at rford@freepress.com. Follow him on X (which used to be Twitter, y’know?) @theford.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons need 4 wins to avoid franchise infamy. Can they do it?
