For several weeks, the NBA world has been trying to figure out when the Detroit Pistons would win another basketball game. It seems like a lifetime ago, but the Pistons did start the 2023-24 season with a 2-1 record. Since then, Detroit lost every game in November and another no-win month is very much in play in December. On Thursday evening, the Pistons had an appetizing chance to stop a 24-game losing streak when they hosted the injury-riddled Utah Jazz (playing on a back-to-back) at Little Caesars Arena. In fact, Detroit was the betting favorite by tip-off but, after a close-fought game, the Pistons fell by a final score of 119-111, extending the skid to 25 consecutive losses.
22-year-old Cade Cunningham is the face of the franchise for the Pistons and, while it certainly is not his fault that Detroit is in the muck to this extent, his postgame quotes on Thursday evening attracted attention. Cunningham led the team with 28 points and 10 assists in the loss to Utah and, after the game, he shared his belief that the Pistons are not, in fact, “2-26 bad.”
"Do you think this particular group can turn it around?"
Cade Cunningham: "Yeah, we're not 2-26 bad. No way are we that bad." pic.twitter.com/bxFLEVHuQa
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) December 22, 2023
Obviously, Cunningham’s position makes sense, even amid clear exasperation in his tone. For one, he’s on the team and would not want to consider that Detroit is actually as bad as the 2-26 record indicates. From there, he even has a reasonable point in that Detroit’s point differential, while terrible, is not as bad as a 2-26 record would indicate. It takes some bad luck to rack up 25 straight losses in any context, but that is especially true in a professional league and with the knowledge that Detroit was not even picked as the expected worst team in the league prior to the season.
Cunningham’s recent play is one of a few bright spots for Detroit, as he also scored 43 points on Monday in Atlanta and at least 20 points in six of the last seven games. Clearly, he’s not ready to pack up shop for the season before Christmas even arrives, but this stretch for the Pistons is rather dire and morale can’t be high in Detroit. The Pistons will resume their quest for a win on Saturday in Brooklyn, and Detroit will face the Nets in back-to-back games before a tough trip to Boston and a home game against Toronto to end 2023.
