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Where do Pistons rank among NBA's longest losing streaks ever? And when could this sad record be broken? – CBS Sports
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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 on Friday night to put an end to their franchise-record 18-game losing streak. The Pistons, however, keep tumbling down — it’s now 23 consecutive losses after being manhandled by Joel Embiid and the 76ers on Friday — and 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 2-24 and are currently on the aforementioned 23-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.
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
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
23
Detroit Pistons
Oct. 30, 2023
?
21
Detroit Pistons^
March 7, 1980
Oct. 25, 1980
20
Philadelphia 76ers
Jan. 9, 1973
Feb. 14, 1973
20
New York Knicks^
March 23, 1985
Nov. 12, 1985
20
Dallas Mavericks
Nov. 13, 1993
Dec. 23, 1993
20
Los Angeles Clippers^
April 18, 1994
Dec. 7, 1994
20
Houston Rockets
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
Orlando Magic
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
Utah Jazz
Feb. 24, 1982
April 2, 1982
18
Boston Celtics
Jan. 7, 2007
Feb. 14, 2007
18
Minnesota Timberwolves^
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)
Let’s face it, when you’re 2-24 every opponent might seem like the 2015-16 Warriors, but that aside, the Pistons best chance to end the slide might come this week. They travel to Atlanta to face the 10-15 Hawks on Monday and then have two days off before hosting the 9-16 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 13-11 Nets and the 19-5 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.
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