Pistons' losing streak reaches 18 games after loss to Grizzlies: When will they break it?
The Detroit Pistons are going through it.
Specifically, they are going through a losing streak that reached 18 games on Wednesday, the NBA's longest losing streak since the Houston Rockets dropped 20 consecutive games in the 2020-21 season. Detroit has not posted a win since its third game of the season, a 118-102 win over the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 28.
The Pistons' record now lies at 2-19, with their only wins over a 7-14 team (the Bulls) and a 6-12 team (the Charlotte Hornets). Their losing streak has already spanned the entire month of November.
Wednesday's game represented the Pistons' best chance to snap that streak, as they lost 116-102 to the now 6-14 Memphis Grizzlies. Detroit entered the fourth quarter with a two-point lead at home, but watched its best chance at a win in weeks slip away via a 12-2 run to open the frame.
Obviously, the Pistons could have really used that win. Any team on a double-digit losing skid could use one. But what made Wednesday particularly disastrous for the Pistons is that it left them staring at a particularly difficult stretch of their schedule.
The Pistons' losing streak might be about to challenge record territory
Barring a miracle, the Pistons' losing streak is about to get very bad. We don't know if it will reach true record territory — the "Process"-era Philadelphia 76ers still hold the NBA record at 28 games split across two seasons — but Detroit is going to need a significant upset to just avoid entering a tie for the all-time top five.
Here is every team the Pistons will face for the rest of 2023 and their record as of Wednesday, and coincidentally every game the team would need to lose to break the Sixers' record. You might notice that the first five are entirely against teams currently in the top six in the East:
Dec. 8: at Orlando Magic (14-7)
Dec. 11: Indiana Pacers (11-8)
Dec. 13: Philadelphia 76ers (13-7)
Dec. 15: at Philadelphia 76ers (13-7)
Dec. 16: at Milwaukee Bucks (15-6)
Dec. 18: at Atlanta Hawks (9-11)
Dec. 21: Utah Jazz: (7-14)
Dec. 23: at Brooklyn Nets (11-9)
Dec. 26: Brooklyn Nets (11-9)
Dec. 28: at Boston Celtics (15-5)
Dec. 30: Toronto Raptors (9-12)
The Hawks represent relative refuge after the Bucks, but that game will also be the Pistons' third in four nights and their fifth in eight nights. Then come a stretch of relatively mediocre teams, plus the Boston Celtics.
If you're looking for a win earlier than, you know, New Year's Eve, you might also wonder if the Pistons could benefit from a back-to-back at some point. There is some good news there, but you might have to come to terms with the idea of the losing streak hitting at least 23 games, or maybe 24.
Each of the Pistons' next six games are against teams playing on at least one night's rest, with the Bucks and possibly the Pacers (depending on how the NBA in-season tournament plays out) playing three days after their last game.
The Pistons' best chance at snapping the streak now seems to be the Jazz, who will have played the Cleveland Cavaliers the night before in Cleveland. The first Nets game and the Raptors game will also be against teams on back-to-backs.
Of course, it's not like the Pistons are automatically losing these games. The beauty of sports is anything really can happen when the teams are actually playing, even if it just hasn't over the last month-plus for Detroit. Avoiding infamous history is a fine enough motivation, but the Pistons' real priority will be figuring out how to steer a young team that should theoretically be talented, but just hasn't looked the part this season.
