Detroit Pistons eager to begin new chapter after ending historic losing streak
Cade Cunningham couldn’t contain his wide grin as he sat down at the podium.
“Why am I smiling right now?” he said, with his hand over his mouth as he walked.
The Detroit Pistons had just won a game that had playoff energy at the end, but it was still Dec. 30. The Little Caesars Arena crowd gave the team a standing ovation as they prevailed over the Toronto Raptors, 129-127 — their first win in more than two months. Hugs were exchanged in the locker room. The sound of their cheers emanated through the hallway connecting their locker room to the court.
At last, the streak is over. The Pistons’ 28-game-losing streak, the longest single-season skid in NBA history and one of the longest in professional sports history, is over. The team had captured the attention of the nation, becoming a daily topic on NBA social media and talk radio, as well as the subject of countless disparaging memes.
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It’s all in the past. At 3-29 overall, the team is looking forward to concluding one of the most tumultuous years any franchise has ever endured. They conclude 2023 with just 10 wins over the entire calendar year, and only five since Feb. 10.
“I feel amazing,” Cunningham said. “This is my first time trying just to not be cheesing right now. It feels good. It’s been a long time coming. Don’t want to go back to where we were.”
It’s been a surreal chapter for the Pistons, who hit rock bottom early in the season despite a 2-1 start. They tied their franchise record with their 14th straight loss on Nov. 27 — more than a month ago — a 19-point home blowout to the Washington Wizards. A winless November nearly was followed by a winless December.
The team maintained that it felt like it was better than its record suggested. Yet, the losses continued to pile up. They suffered 32-point blowouts at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic, close heart-breakers on the road in Atlanta and at home against Indiana, not to mention injuries and illness and oh-so-much embarrassment.
It has been a massive shock for an organization that expected to take a leap in Year 4 of a rebuild. The Pistons started the season without key role players such as Bojan Bogdanovic, Isaiah Livers and Monte Morris. Alec Burks, Jalen Duren, Joe Harris, Killian Hayes and Isaiah Stewart have also all missed time with injuries. Poor shooting — and defense — made Detroit’s error for margin every night incredibly slim.
The end of the streak won’t instantly fix all of the issues that have plagued the team this season. But at least now, a collective weight has been lifted off of everyone’s shoulders.
“We knew coming into this season that we had to grow in a number of areas — our discipline, our habits, the way we practice,” head coach Monty Williams said. “We thought that we had really good practices. We just haven’t had the consistency in games to win. I don't think our practices are going to change, but I’d be lying if I said there won’t be relief in the building.”
It took another standout performance by Cade Cunningham, who finished Saturday with 30 points, 12 assists and no turnovers, for the Pistons to close out a win over a Toronto Raptors squad reeling from a big trade (sending starting wing O.G. Anunoby to New York) and a close loss in Boston the night prior.
The 2021 No. 1 overall pick entered the game averaging 33 points, 7.4 assist, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals on 56.9% shooting in his previous five games. He shook off a slow start, scoring 26 points in the second half to fend off a Raptors team that got big nights from Pascal Siakam (35 points) and Dennis Schroder (28 points).
But unlike in most of Detroit’s games during the streak, Cunningham received help from multiple teammates. Bogdanovic and Duren scored 18 points apiece, and Duren also grabbed 17 rebounds. Burks and Kevin Knox scored 16 and 17, respectively. Jaden Ivey scored 12 and secured four huge offensive rebounds that helped the Pistons finish with 12 second-chance points.
The Pistons were overdue for a collectively strong night. They led by 11, 110-99, midway through the fourth quarter and made 14 of 17 free throw attempts in the final quarter to fend off a late run.
Their next game will bring a new page, as they will tip off 2024 in Houston for a New Year’s Day match against the Rockets. There’s a significant hole the team will have to climb out of, but with 50 games remaining, there’s optimism that the season can still end on a good note.
“It’s been weighing on us heavy everywhere we go for two months,” Cunningham said. “Which is unreal for it to have been that long. It had been a long time coming. We had been pushing for it for so long. To finally get over that hump, we’re not trying to go back. Now it really begins where we see what we’re gonna be. We’re going to continue to play with that same fire we’ve been playing with, and we’re gonna continue to stay together and try to put more winning games together.”
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.
Check out "The Pistons Pulse", your go-to weekly Detroit Pistons podcast, co-hosted by Omari available anywhere you listen (Apple, Spotify).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons optimistic for 2024 now that losing streak is over
