DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons have done NBA History.
Detroit became the first team in the league to lose 27 straight games in a season, falling 118-112 to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.
The The Nets beat the Pistons Saturday in Brooklyn gave them their 26th straight loss, tying them with the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers for most consecutive losses in a season.
Detroit will no longer share a redundant tag.
Next up is the Philadelphia 76ers' 28-game losing streak from late in the 2014-15 season through early 2015-16.
At least the record can be matched in Thursday night's game against the NBA-leading Boston Celtics.
The game against Brooklyn, like the season, started with some hope.
Detroit led 9-1 and had a 14-point lead in the first quarter before poor shooting, defense and turnovers paved the way for Brooklyn to extend the Motor City's woes.
The Nets outscored the Pistons by 13 runs in the second quarter and took a 61-54 lead into halftime.
Cate Cunningham scored 18 of his 41 points in the third quarter and made a 3-pointer early in the fourth to give Detroit a 97-92 lead.
The Nets went on a 13-0 run just as the fans who nearly filled Little Caesars Arena began to cheer with a passion heard in a playoff game.
Cunningham did his part to lead the team to victory.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 23 points before fouling out, and after Cam Johnson hit a wide-open 3-pointer, Brooklyn took a six-point lead with 1:40 left. Jaden Ivy, taken 5th overall last year, missed 9 of 12 shots as the Nets welcomed him back to shoot guard.
At the last minute, “Sell the team! Sell the team!” Pistons owner Tom Kors wasn't in the building to hear it.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
