Amid 28-game dropping streak, Detroit confirmed it may compete with NBA’s greatest. Now a win can be good.
BOSTON — Detroit coach Monty Williams has believed it for some time, and now he has proof: The Pistons can compete with anyone within the NBA.
And, he can solely hope, the wins will come quickly sufficient.
The Pistons opened a 21-point lead over the league-best Celtics on Thursday night time, forcing time beyond regulation earlier than Boston pulled out a 128-122 victory and despatched Detroit to an NBA record-tying twenty eighth loss in a row.
“As bad as they hurt right now, I hurt for them,” Williams stated. “But I told them: `If we bring that kind of toughness and execution – minus the turnovers – we’re not just going to win one game. We’re going to put something together.’”
It was the primary time all season the Pistons led by greater than 20 factors, and the primary time that they had gotten to time beyond regulation within the two months since their final win. Detroit has additionally misplaced to Miami by one level, Milwaukee by two and defending champion Denver by 4 factors this season.
“We’re on the same level as all these teams were playing against,” stated Detroit guard Cade Cunningham, who had 31 factors and 9 assists however missed a possible successful 3-pointer on the finish of regulation.
“There’s no team that I’ve ever come across in the NBA where I felt like I was going into a slaughterhouse. I’ve never felt like that in my life, going into a basketball game,” he stated. “So every game we should be able to fight teams and impose our will on them. We did that early on. We kind of let go of the rope a little bit in the third quarter. But there’s a lot of growth, and something we can learn from and definitely take to the next game.”
Detroit fell to 2-29 and matched the “Trust the Process” Philadelphia 76ers with the 28 consecutive losses; the Pistons want a victory at house in opposition to Toronto on Saturday night time to keep away from breaking the NBA document for longest dropping streak.
In main North American sports activities, solely the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals, who misplaced 29 straight from 1942-45, have had an extended dropping streak.
“I’m not interested in just winning one more game this year – you know what I mean? To stop this. That would be soft, in my opinion,” Cunningham stated. “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, to find our system, find what’s clicking and allow us to sustain winning. That’s all we’re looking for.”
Kristaps Porzingis had eight of his season-high 35 factors in a 10-0 run that turned a four-point deficit right into a 106-100 Boston lead within the last two minutes of regulation. Jaden Ivey scored six straight factors for Detroit to tie it.
Then, after Jayson Tatum was credited with a layup on a replay-confirmed goaltending name, Bojan Bogdanovic made a putback on Cunningham’s missed 3 to ship it to OT.
Derrick White scored 10 of his 23 factors within the further interval and Porzingis had six within the time beyond regulation – dunking after a full-court go from Tatum after which sinking a pair of free throws to make it 125-117.
Tatum had 31 factors and 10 assists for Boston, which received its fourth straight and its ninth within the final 10 video games. The Celtics, who have been with out Jaylen Brown, are 15-0 at house this season and have the league’s greatest document, 24-6.
The Pistons set the NBA document for many consecutive losses in a season Tuesday night time with their twenty seventh in a row, a 118-112 loss to Brooklyn. The Sixers’ streak stretched over two seasons, 2014-15 and 2015-16.
“I’m unbelievably proud of the group, the way they bring it,” Williams stated. “They’ve heard all the stuff about our team and they just keep bringing it. I know it’s going to pay off.”
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