Detroit Pistons head coach Monty Williams. Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

Losing ways help Pistons and Spurs make dubious history

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 12/13/23

Both the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs have struggled this season. However, their poor play has reached historic levels beyond the hardwood.

According to OptaStats, the Pistons and Spurs are the first teams in the history of the four major sports (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL) to go on losing streaks of 18-plus games simultaneously.

While they still have a ways to go, both are within striking distance of challenging the all-time record for futility held by the Philadelphia 76ers, who lost 28 straight games during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.

The Spurs came oh-so close to putting the streak behind them on Wednesday night, falling to the Los Angeles Lakers 122-119. The loss drove their losing streak to 18 games, having recently surpassed the franchise mark of 16 set in 2022-23.

At least the Spurs have a generational talent in Victor Wembanyama, who stuffed the stat sheet with 30 points, 13 rebounds, six blocks, two assists and two steals on Wednesday.

As for the Pistons, they've dropped an astounding 21 games in a row following a 129-111 loss to the 76ers.

The frustration level in Detroit has boiled over. During Wednesday's blowout loss to Philly, fans at Little Caesars Arena serenaded team owner Tom Gores with chants of "sell the team."

It's 116-86, and the first "Sell The Team" chant has broken out.

This is my 35th season covering the #Pistons, and this crowd is as disgusted as any I can remember.
— Dave Hogg ✨ (@stareagle) December 14, 2023

They say it's usually never as bad as it looks. However, in the case of the Spurs and Pistons, they may be bucking the trend.

Unsurprisingly, both teams rank near the bottom in nearly every meaningful statistic. The Spurs are 26th in field-goal percentage (45 percent) and points per game (108.7), and the Pistons rank 22nd (46 percent) and 28th (108.7). Furthermore, they also have trouble defending. Opponents are shooting 48 percent against the Spurs and the Pistons, tied for 23rd in the NBA. Meanwhile, the Spurs give up the 27th-most points (121.4), while the Pistons are 23rd (118.8) in points against per game.

The question is, can it get worse? We'll have to wait and see.

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