Pistons losing streak: How Detroit can break NBA record with 76ers, Cavaliers in sights

The Pistons are knocking on the door of NBA history — and not the good kind.

Detroit showed some promise to start the 2023-24 season with wins over the Hornets and Bulls, but it has since lost 26 straight games. It’s been almost two months since the Pistons last picked up a victory.

If that sounds like a lot of consecutive losses, it is. The Pistons are now tied for the longest single-season losing streak in NBA history. They’re an additional two losses away from breaking the all-time record, which spanned over two seasons.

Here’s everything you need to know about Detroit’s losing streak.

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How Pistons can break NBA losing streak recordThe Pistons have lost 26 games in a row, tying them with two other teams for the longest streak in NBA history.

The record belongs to the 76ers, who lost 28 straight games between the end of the 2014-15 season and the start of the 2015-16 season. The longest single-season losing streak is 26, shared by the 2010-11 Cavaliers, 2013-14 76ers and now this season’s Pistons.

Here are the longest losing streaks in NBA history:

Rank Team Year Losing streak 1 Philadelphia 76ers 2015* 28 2 Cleveland Cavaliers 2010-11 26   Philadelphia 76ers 2014 26   Detroit Pistons 2023 26 5 Cleveland Cavaliers 1982* 24 6 Charlotte Bobcats 2012 23   Denver Nuggets 1997-98 23   Vancouver Grizzlies 1996 23 9 Detroit Pistons 1980* 21 10 Houston Rockets 2021 20   LA Clippers 1994* 20   Dallas Mavericks 1993 20   New York Knicks 1985* 20   Philadelphia 76ers 1973 20* Streak spanned over two seasons

Pistons schedule 2023-24Following their loss to the Nets on Saturday, the Pistons face Brooklyn again on Tuesday before traveling to Boston to take on the Celtics. Another loss to the Nets would set Detroit up to tie the longest streak in NBA history when it travels to Boston on Dec. 28.

Here are the next four games on Detroit’s schedule:

Date Opponent Time (ET) TV channel Dec. 26 vs. Nets 7 p.m. — Dec. 28 at Celtics 7:30 p.m. NBA TV Dec. 30 vs. Raptors 6 p.m. — Jan. 1 at Rockets 8 p.m. —When did the Pistons’ losing streak begin?The first loss the Pistons suffered in this streak came on Oct. 30.

The Thunder defeated the Pistons by a final score of 124-112. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with a game-high 32 points while Jaden Ivey finished with a team-best 20 points in 19 minutes off the bench for Detroit.

During their losing streak, the Pistons have lost by an average of 14.2 points per game. They’ve struggled on both ends of the court, ranking 30th in offensive efficiency and 27th in defensive efficiency.

Date Opponent Result Streak Oct. 30 at Thunder L, 124-112 1 Nov. 1 vs. Trail Blazers L, 110-101 2 Nov. 2 at Pelicans L, 125-116 3 Nov. 5 vs. Suns L, 120-106 4 Nov. 6 vs. Warriors L, 120-109 5 Nov. 8 at Bucks L, 120-118 6 Nov. 10 vs. 76ers L, 114-106 7 Nov. 12 at Bulls L, 119-108 8 Nov. 14 vs. Hawks L, 126-120 9 Nov. 17 at Cavaliers L, 108-100 10 Nov. 19 at Raptors L, 142-113 11 Nov. 20 vs. Nuggets L, 107-103 12 Nov. 24 at Pacers L, 136-113 13 Nov. 27 vs. Wizards L, 126-107 14 Nov. 29 vs. Lakers L, 133-107 15 Nov. 30 at Knicks L, 118-112 16 Dec. 2 vs. Cavaliers L, 110-101 17 Dec. 6 vs. Grizzlies L, 116-102 18 Dec. 8 at Magic L, 123-91 19 Dec. 11 vs. Pacers L, 131-123 20 Dec. 13 vs. 76ers L, 129-111 21 Dec. 15 at 76ers L, 124-92 22 Dec. 16 at Bucks L, 146-114 23 Dec. 18 at Hawks L, 130-124 24 Dec. 21 vs. Jazz L, 119-111 25 Dec. 23 at Nets L, 126-115 26