The Detroit Pistons have had to endure a lot of malice after their record defeat in the best basketball league in the world. “It’s ridiculous,” commented the newspaper “The Detroit News” after the 112:118 (54:61) on Tuesday (local time) against the Brooklyn Nets – it was the 27th defeat in a row, no NBA team has ever conceded before such a negative series in a single season. The crowd at Little Caesars Arena loudly chanted, “Sell the team.”
“Nobody wants something like that attached to them,” Pistons coach Monty Williams said after the game. “It’s probably more about me than anything else. The players do their best, I have to put them in a position where they don’t feel cramped or heavy. But that’s what it looks like, that’s the reality.” Williams’ most accurate player was Cade Cunningham with a strong 41 points, but that didn’t help either.
“It stresses us every day”
The Pistons, most recently NBA champions in 2004 and currently last in the Eastern Conference, have been waiting for a win since the end of October. “You can’t walk away from it,” Cunningham said. “It weighs on us every day.” Detroit is still one defeat away from the Philadelphia 76ers’ negative record – the 76ers had lost 28 games in a row, albeit across seasons in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons.
An outstanding Franz Wagner led the Orlando Magic to victory over the Washington Wizards. The basketball world champion was the top scorer in the North American professional league NBA on Tuesday (local time) with 28 points in his team’s 127:119 (63:60) win in the US capital. The 22-year-old also had eight rebounds and nine assists.
Jürgen Kalwa, New York Published/Updated: Recommendations: 3 Jürgen Kalwa, New York Published/Updated: Recommendations: 5 Jürgen Kalwa, New York Published/Updated: Recommendations: 8 Johannes Thiemann Published/Updated: Recommendations: 7
With their second win in a row, the Magic have finally overcome the negative series of four defeats in a row and are still on course for the playoffs in the East. “When we let the ball run, we usually win and have the most fun,” said Berlin-born Wagner. Brother Moritz got eleven points.
The Los Angeles Clippers with national team center Daniel Theis were also able to win again after two defeats. The playoff contender won against the Charlotte Hornets 113:104 (55:50). Theis scored ten points for the team from California.
