NEW YORK (AP) — The Detroit Pistons were off to a promising start, a recent Coach of the Year leading a team that appeared full of hope.
Now they are on the verge of matching the most hopeless teams in NBA history.
The Pistons have lost 25 straight games, needing a victory Saturday in Brooklyn to avoid equaling the longest losing streak within one season. They haven’t won in almost two months.
The 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers both dropped 26 in a row.
“That’s history that nobody wants to be a part of,” guard Cade Cunningham said.
“We’re trying to build something that’s sustainable. It’s not like we’re trying to just go out there and win one game. We want to win multiple games. But to be on the wrong side of history, I mean, nobody wants to be there, so that is definitely an extra edge that we have to have.”
It’s been a rocket trip to rock bottom for the Pistons, who were a basket away from a 3-0 start in their first season under Monty Williams. They dropped their opener by one point at defending Eastern Conference champion Miami, then bounced back with consecutive victories.
The losing started on Oct. 30 and it hasn’t stopped. Routed recently by Philadelphia and Milwaukee, the Pistons had a chance to pull out a victory at home Thursday against a short-handed Utah team, but committed 21 turnovers that led to 27 points in a 119-111 loss.
Williams, frustrated by…
