After a prolonged stretch of bitter defeats, the Detroit Pistons finally halted their losing streak on Saturday night, narrowly avoiding setting a new NBA record for the longest consecutive losses.
Facing the Toronto Raptors at home in Little Caesars Arena, the Pistons secured a 129-127 victory, preventing them from surpassing the previous 28-game losing streak set by the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. The Pistons had equaled the 76ers' record just two days earlier.
In a post-game press conference, Pistons coach Monty Williams expressed his amazement at the team's jubilation.
"It wasn't relief; it was just like, 'thank God, finally.' And guys were screaming. I was almost in tears. And I'm just so happy for our guys, happy for everybody in the locker room," Williams said.
He commended the players for their unwavering determination to improve despite the string of losses.
"I think people may have thought they were OK with losing, but they came in every day with a great spirit, and they wanted answers, and they came in wanting to learn," he said.
Had the Pistons lost, they would have been on par with the Chicago Cardinals, who currently hold the longest losing streak across all four major North American professional sports leagues, with 29 consecutive losses from 1942 to 1945.
The victory against the Raptors marked only the third win for the Detroit team in the 2023-24 season, making them one of the youngest teams in the NBA, with the majority of players under 25.
The Pistons' series of losses reached a historic low after falling to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, becoming the first team in the NBA to lose 27 consecutive games in a single season. Then, on Thursday, they suffered their 28th loss against the Boston Celtics in a closely contested game with a score of 128-122.
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