The Detroit Pistons broke the record for the longest losing run in an NBA season as they fell to a 27th straight defeat against the Brooklyn Nets.
Having won two of their first three matches this season, the Pistons continued their losing run on Boxing Day as they went down 118-112.
They will match the overall record of 28 defeats – set by the Philadelphia 76ers across two seasons in 2015 – if they lose at the Boston Celtics, who have the NBA’s best record, on Thursday.
Beleagured Pistons fans, who have repeatedly called on owner Tom Gores to sell the team, were given hope of ending the run as they opened a 14-point lead in the first quarter.
Having surrendered that advantage to trail 61-54 at half-time, they hit back to lead 97-92 in the fourth quarter as Cade Cunningham scored 41 points.
Thirteen straight points from the Nets swung the game their way and secured the Pistons an unwanted place in the record books.
The Pistons have long been aware of how close they were to breaking the record, and head coach Monty Williams believes that the magnitude of Tuesday’s game was a distraction for them.
“I’m sure it was,” Williams told reporters. “When you look at records, you think of coaches. I’m sure players don’t want that attached to the name on the jersey. It’s been heavy for a while. That’s the nature of this kind of losing streak.”
