Pistons overtake Sixers’ single-season losing streak record from ‘The Process’ years
They’re approaching the all-time record of 28 straight losses, which is another notch under that bygone era of Sixers futility.
With Tuesday’s 118-112 loss to the Nets, the Detroit Pistons dropped their 27th game in a row, overtaking the 2013-14 Sixers for longest single-season losing streak in NBA history. The Sixers shared that record with the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers.
On Thursday, the Pistons, with a loss to the Boston Celtics, can tie the Sixers’ 28-game losing streak from 2014-15 to 2015-16, the longest in NBA history. A loss to the Raptors on Saturday would break the record.
Detroit became the 13th team in NBA history to have a winless month after going 0-16 in November, and the first since the 2014-15 Sixers, who went winless in October, November, and April that season.
» READ MORE: Sixers have ‘a new challenge’ — proving they can win without Joel Embiid
The Sixers’ losing streaks came during the heart of “The Process,” when the team intentionally tanked for several seasons to collect talent like Joel Embiid, who won league MVP last season. The starters during the Sixers’ 28th straight loss in 2015 were Robert Covington, Jahlil Okafor, Isaiah Canaan, Jerami Grant, and JaKarr Sampson.
The Pistons won just 17 games in 2022-23 and had the best odds for generational talent Victor Wembanyama but did not earn the top pick and instead dropped to No. 5. Detroit earned the top pick in 2021 after a 20-win season and selected Cade Cunningham, one of the few bright spots on the current team. The Pistons haven’t won more than 23 games in a season since 2018-19 and have six lottery picks on their roster.
The Sixers have beaten the Pistons three times during their 27-game streak, first on Nov. 10 during the In-Season Tournament, then on Dec. 13 and Dec. 15.