Cade Cunningham can hide his face in his hands, his Pistons have indeed recorded a 27th defeat in a row last night, beaten 118-112 by the Nets! This is the absolute record in a season, and Monty Williams' players erase from the shelves the 26 defeats in a row of the Cavaliers of 2010/11 and the Sixers of 2013/14.
However, they had had their best start to the match of the season. Aggressive, they get into the Nets' bacon, and Bojan Bogdanovic is unstoppable. The Croatian is at the end of the counter-attacks, he hits from afar, and goes for the And-1. After six minutes, Detroit leads 21-7! But now, the Pistons relax their defense, and above all, they lose an incalculable number of balls. Like this pass from Alec Burks to the head of Isaiah Stewart…
Without being great, the Nets are eating up their delay, and it is Mikal Bridges, then Royce O'Neale who put Brooklyn in front (42-38). On the other side of the field, Nic Claxton covers a dunk attempt from Bogdanovic, before flying into the alley-oop on the counterattack. At the break, the Nets are in front: 61-54.
Exceptional Cunningham. For nothing…
And then, Cunningham wakes up. When he returns from the locker room, he takes the match into his own hands. Shoulder forward, he attacks the Nets defense, and while the Pistons were 11 points behind (71-60), they brought them back to -3 at the end of the 3rd quarter. Better, he puts them in front (97-92) eight minutes from the end, and the public finally wakes up. The fans believe it, and they are even standing after two 3-pointers in a row from Bogdanovic and Cunningham.
Except that Mikal Bridges cuts up the defense, and lets his technique speak. In his wake, the Nets took back control. Cunningham, who delivers the best half of his career, goes for a complicated lay-up, with the foul. The Pistons still believe in it (109-106). And it's him again, one minute from the end, who reduces the gap to two units (112-110). But it wasn't enough, and a handful of spectators chanted the now famous “Sell the team”, while the Nets won 118-112.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– An absolute record over a season. The Pistons have not won since October 28, and they now alone have the record for consecutive defeats in a season. But the record for defeats in a row is still 28 in a row. It is held by the Sixers, spanning two seasons in 2015. The Pistons could match it on Thursday with the trip to Boston, leader of the NBA.
– Cunningham's improbable series. Author of 41 points, including 37 in the second half, Cunningham reached the 30-point mark for the 10th time in his career. Each time, the Pistons lost, and according to ESPN statisticians, this is unheard of…
THE REACTIONS
Monty Williams : “When you look at NBA records, I'm sure players don't want that associated with their name on the jersey. Is it heavy to carry? Yes, and it has been for some time. It's inherent to losing streaks, and it's not going to change because we've reached this threshold. We must do what is necessary to change that. »
Cade Cunningham : “There is nothing positive about the situation we are in now, and that is why we have to hang on to get through it. We can't get away from it. It weighs on us every day, I mean all the time. This weighs on us. We must not leave the ship, and we must stay united.”
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
