The Detroit Pistons have finally ended their losing streak, beating the Toronto Raptors to secure a first victory in 29 NBA matches after more than two months of waiting.
Detroit had not won since October 28, and the 28-game skid was already an NBA record for a single season.
Defeat on Saturday night would have condemned the team to the longest losing streak in league history.
But the Pistons triumphed 129-127 against the Raptors to take their record for the season to 3-29.
Remarkably, Detroit won two of its first three matches of the season. But following the 118-102 victory over the Chicago Bulls on October 28, Pistons fans had to wait until December 30 to celebrate another win.
The Detroit Pistons have finally ended their losing streak by beating the Toronto Raptors
The Pistons triumphed 129-127 against the Raptors to take their record for the season to 3-29
Jalen Duren amassed 18 points and 17 rebounds for the Pistons in Saturday night’s game
Detroit had matched the Philadelphia 76ers’ record of 28 consecutive defeats, split over the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.
The Pistons halted their streak one loss shy of the record across the four major American and Canadian leagues, set by the Chicago Cardinals during the Second World War.
‘I’ve been in a ton of locker rooms my whole life, and that was a first to me. It wasn’t relief. It was more like: “Thank God! Finally”,’ head coach Monty Williams said.
‘I just have so much respect for our team, how they come in every day. I think people thought they were OK with losing, but no they came in with a great spirit and ready to learn.’
He added: ‘There was a sense of relief, for sure. But there wasn’t the proverbial exhale. We know we have a lot of basketball left to play.’
Pistons Owner Tom Gores also praised the character of his team. ‘I’m proud of how our guys have continued to gift through adversity,’ he said.
‘I know it’s been hard, but they’ve kept their heads up and showed real character. The streak is over, but the hard work continues.’
Detroit had previously matched the Philadelphia 76ers’ record of 28 consecutive defeats
Duran celebrates the win which ensured Detroit avoided two consecutive winless months
Cade Cunningham scored 30 points and dished out 12 assists as the Pistons avoided two consecutive winless months, while Bojan Bogdanovic contributed 19 points, Jalen Duran had 18 points and 17 rebounds and Kevin Knox II added 17 points.
Pascal Siakam led Toronto with 35 points. Dennis Schroder supplied 30 points and nine assists, and Gary Trent Jr. had 24 points. Scottie Barnes added 22 points and nine rebounds.
The Raptors were playing the second game of a back-to-back set. They lost by two points on Friday to the host Boston Celtics, who defeated Detroit in overtime on Thursday.
Toronto was also short-handed after making a trade with the New York Knicks earlier in the day, dealing away starting forward OG Anunoby and two reserves.
The Pistons led by 10 points in the second quarter and held a 52-44 halftime lead. Trent kept the Raptors close with his outside shooting in the third quarter. He knocked down a trio of 3-pointers in the first six minutes of the second half.
Bojan Bogdanovic contributed 19 points as the Pistons triumphed at Little Caesars Arena
Siakam tied it at 70 on a layup with 5:30 left in the quarter. Cunningham had 12 points and six assists in the third period before picking up his fourth foul. Siakam was even better, pouring in 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting during the third.
Bogdanovic made the final shot of the quarter, a 3-pointer, to give Detroit a 90-86 lead entering the fourth. Clinging to a 99-97 lead, the Pistons went on an 11-2 run. Cunningham got it going with a layup. He also knocked down a 3-pointer and set up Jaden Ivey for another long ball.
Barnes scored eight consecutive Toronto points for his club to make it 112-107 with 3:59 to go. That was as close as Toronto would come until the final minute. Siakam hit a corner 3-pointer with 17 seconds left to cut Detroit’s lead to 126-122.
The Pistons subsequently sank three free throws and the Raptors made two. Trent hit a 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left, but Bogdanovic caught the inbounds pass to end the game.