The Detroit Pistons have tied the Philadelphia 76ers for the longest losing streak in NBA history, after throwing away a halftime 19-point lead to Boston.
Detroit, a 16.5-point underdog after losing 27 consecutive games, found itself leading Boston — the NBA’s best team with a perfect 14-0 record at TD Garden — by 19 points. But they failed again.
The Celtic rallied and by the end of the third quarter, they had erased that halftime deficit.
The Pistons rallied to try and get the win and even forced the game into overtime. But the Celtics took the cake.
With the defeat, the Pistons tied the 76ers for the longest overall losing streak, which Philadelphia set across the end of the 2014-15 season and the beginning of the 2015-16 campaign with 28 consecutive losses.
“I just told them that it takes a lot of character and integrity to do what they’re doing,” Pistons coach Monty Williams said.
“I’ve been in the league for a while, and I’ve seen teams give into circumstances that are less than what we’re dealing with. That was admirable. Obviously, we had a tough third quarter, and the ability to fight back and have it even in the fourth was tremendous.
“I hurt for them. We feel like we’re just getting so close to not just winning one game but winning a lot of games if we play that way.”
Detroit would be hoping not to set a new record when they face the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.
During the game, the Pistons tried their best to win. They made more 3-pointers (14) than the Celtics (11).
The Pistons had 31 second-chance points and repeatedly fought for extra shots. Detroit got strong performances from Cade Cunningham (31 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists) and Jaden Ivey (22 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists before fouling out in overtime).
“That’s what we’re going for, man,” Cunningham said. “I’m not interested in just winning one more game this year, to stop this. That would be soft, in my opinion. I think our goals are a lot higher than that. We have what it takes to win a game. That’s nothing. But to put games together and to find our system, find what’s clicking and allow us to sustain winning … that’s what we’re looking for right now.”
