The Detroit Pistons made history on Wednesday, but not for reasons anyone wanted — or expected — this season.
They lost their 15th game in a row in an 133-107 defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers at Little Caesars Arena, setting a new franchise record for an in-season losing streak. The Pistons had previously lost 14 straight three times, in 1979-80, 1993-94 and 2021-22. Those teams finished 16-66, 20-62 and 23-59 overall, respectively. The franchise record for consecutive losses in multiple seasons is 21 games, set when the 1980-81 squad lose seven straight to open that season.
The Pistons have now suffered their four worst defeats this season in their last five games, as they fell to the Toronto Raptors by 29 on Nov. 19, the Indiana Pacers by 23 last Saturday, and the Wizards by 23 on Monday. Their previous worst loss was a 14-point defeat to the Phoenix Suns that was competitive until the fourth quarter.
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The schedule won’t ease anytime soon, as they will fly to New York for a Thursday game against the Knicks (10-7) before returning home to host the 10-8 Cavaliers on Saturday. The Pistons (2-16 overall) have won just four games since Feb. 10, against 39 losses.
Nearly eight months after Troy Weaver penned a letter to fans after a 17-win season, the Pistons are on pace to win even fewer this season. Monty Williams went deep into his bench in search of a spark, as all 13 active players saw the floor. But the Lakers led by 31 by the time Kevin Knox, the last player to check in, entered midway through the fourth quarter.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis were both healthy and in the starting lineup for the Lakers, but D’Angelo Russell led the way for L.A. The point guard made all six of his shot attempts in the first quarter and scored 18 of his 35 points in the first half, on 8-for-10 shooting. He finished the night 13-for-17 overall and 5-for-7 from 3, with nine assists.
Russell’s performance spurred an all-around hot start for the Lakers, as they hit 11 of their first 14 shot attempts and finished the first quarter 13-for-21. A 3-pointer by Russell with 4:28 on the clock extended their lead to 28-14, and the deficit grew to 19 before the end of the quarter.
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It was a poor defensive start for the Pistons, as they committed seven personal fouls in the first quarter to give the Lakers an early 11-1 edge in free-throw attempts. Detroit entered halftime shooting 35.8% overall (19-for-53) and 35% from 3 (7-for-20). Jalen Duren was limited due to foul trouble, picking up his third with 4:18 remaining in the second quarter.
Russell stayed hot after halftime, and his 3-point play pushed the Lakers’ lead to 68-48. James (25 points, eight rebounds) and Davis (28 points, 16 rebounds) had big performances as well.
The Pistons were led by Cade Cunningham (15 points, five assists, 6-for-15 shooting) and Isaiah Livers (14 points). Ausar Thompson and Isaiah Stewart were the only other players to reach double figures, with 12 points apiece.
Poor shooting hurts Pistons, again
For the second game in a row, the Pistons struggled to score. Two days after shooting a season-low 42.2% overall and 21.1% from 3, Detroit hit a new low with an overall 41.2% clip.
Cunningham, who scored at least 25 in his previous three games, shot just 3-for-11 in the first half. Ivey also struggled, missing all four of his shot attempts. Detroit’s most consistent source of offense was Livers, who hit a season-high four 3-pointers.
Burks remains cold after strong start to season
For four games, Alec Burks looked like the 1B to Cunningham’s 1A. The veteran sharpshooter erupted for 24 points off of the bench to help the Pistons earn their first victory of the season, 111-99, in Charlotte. He followed that with 18 points in a 16-point blowout over the Chicago Bulls.
A forearm injury then cost him six games. He hasn’t been the same player since returning, despite posting 16 points in each of his first two games back. In his last seven, he’s shooting 31.1% overall and 28.2% from 3 — a long ways off from the 43.6%/41.4% splits he posted last season.
He missed his first five shots on Wednesday before knocking down a 3-pointer with 7:30 remaining in the game.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.