Detroit is inching closer and closer to the wrong side of history
• 2 min read
The NBA record for most consecutive losses could be broken this year. For the past several weeks, Detroit and San Antonio hadn’t secured a win in over a month. Mercifully, the Spurs earned a marquee victory over LeBron James and the Lakers last Friday to put an end to their franchise-record 18-game losing streak. The Pistons, however, keep tumbling down — it’s now 24 consecutive losses after dropping Monday evening’s contest to the Hawks, despite Cade Cunningham scoring a career-high 43 points. As it stands, they are dangerously close to matching the league’s futility mark of 28 straight regular-season defeats, a string owned by the 76ers over the 2014-15 and 2015-16 campaigns.
The 76ers also own the record for most consecutive losses in one season with 26 in 2013-14, matching only the 2010-11 Cavaliers.
This season, the Pistons have the league’s worst record at 2-25 and are currently on the aforementioned 24-game losing streak. While they’ve amassed a talented group of lottery picks in recent years, they’ve struggled to smooth out their offensive struggles.
Longest losing streaks in NBA history
|
Streak |
Team |
Streak Started |
Streak Ended |
|
28 |
Philadelphia 76ers^ |
March 27, 2015 |
Dec. 1, 2015 |
|
26 |
Cleveland Cavaliers |
Dec. 20, 2010 |
Feb. 11, 2011 |
|
26 |
Philadelphia 76ers |
Jan. 31, 2014 |
March 29, 2014 |
|
24 |
Cleveland Cavaliers^ |
March 19, 1982 |
Nov. 10, 1982 |
|
24 |
Detroit Pistons |
Oct. 30, 2023 |
? |
|
23 |
Vancouver Grizzlies |
Feb. 16, 1996 |
April 3, 1996 |
|
23 |
Denver Nuggets |
Dec. 9, 1997 |
Jan. 24, 1998 |
|
23 |
Charlotte Bobcats |
March 19, 2012 |
Nov. 2, 2012 |
|
21 |
Detroit Pistons^ |
March 7, 1980 |
Oct. 25, 1980 |
|
20 |
Philadelphia 76ers |
Jan. 9, 1973 |
Feb. 14, 1973 |
|
20 |
March 23, 1985 |
Nov. 12, 1985 |
|
|
20 |
Nov. 13, 1993 |
Dec. 23, 1993 |
|
|
20 |
April 18, 1994 |
Dec. 7, 1994 |
|
|
20 |
Feb. 6, 2021 |
March 22, 2021 |
|
|
19 |
Philadelphia 76ers^ |
March 21, 1972 |
Nov. 11, 1972 |
|
19 |
San Diego Clippers |
March 11, 1982 |
April 15, 1982 |
|
19 |
Los Angeles Clippers |
Dec. 30, 1988 |
Feb. 8, 1989 |
|
19 |
Dallas Mavericks |
Feb. 6, 1993 |
March 17, 1993 |
|
19 |
Vancouver Grizzlies |
Nov. 7, 1995 |
Dec. 15, 1995 |
|
19 |
Oct. 30, 2003 |
Dec. 8, 2003 |
|
|
19 |
New Jersey Nets^ |
April 15, 2009 |
Dec. 4, 2009 |
|
19 |
Memphis Grizzlies |
Jan. 31, 2018 |
March 17, 2018 |
|
18 |
Feb. 24, 1982 |
April 2, 1982 |
|
|
18 |
Jan. 7, 2007 |
Feb. 14, 2007 |
|
|
18 |
March 13, 2011 |
Jan. 1, 2012 |
|
|
18 |
Charlotte Bobcats |
Nov. 26, 2012 |
Dec. 31, 2012 |
|
18 |
New York Knicks |
Jan. 4, 2019 |
Feb. 16, 2019 |
|
18 |
San Antonio Spurs* |
Nov. 5, 2023 |
Dec. 15, 2023 |
(^ Denotes streaks that spanned over two seasons)
(* Denotes streak that happened during 2023-24 season)
(Active streak)
When could the record be broken?
Let’s face it, when you’re 2-25, every opponent might seem like the 2015-16 Warriors, but that aside, the Pistons best chance to end the slide might come this week. Despite losing on Monday, they’ll have two days off before hosting the 9-17 Jazz, who’ll be on the second night of a back-to-back after coming in from Cleveland. But if the Pistons can’t stop the bleeding then, they’re likely in trouble as their next three games are against the 13-13 Nets and the 20-5 Celtics. Lose those five straight and it’ll be Pistons hosting the Raptors on Dec. 30 for sole possession of a record that no club wants to own.
Pistons’ upcoming schedule
- Thursday, Dec. 21 vs. Jazz
- Saturday, Dec. 23 @ Nets
- Tuesday, Dec. 26 vs. Nets
- Thursday, Dec 28 @ Celtics
- Saturday, Dec. 30 vs. Raptors
