The Detroit Pistons are trying to avoid earning a place in the history books.
The team has lost a team-record 24 straight games and some less-than-desirable NBA records are well within reach.
Reporter Mike Curtis covers the Pistons for the Detroit News. He joined Michigan Radio Morning Edition host Doug Tribou to talk about the team's next (and perhaps best) chance to end the historic losing streak.
Thursday's game: Utah Jazz vs. Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena - 7:00 p.m.
Doug Tribou: You and I spoke about two weeks ago when the streak was at 17 straight losses. They've lost seven more since then. How is the team's mood right now?
Mike Curtis: I think some spirits are higher than others, but it's definitely a difficult environment for the Pistons. They want to get this losing streak over with. And it's interesting because (Pistons guard) Cade Cunningham, he scored a career high — 43 points — in Atlanta the other night and it still wasn't enough for them to break the streak. Even just scoring a career high, he wanted the win at the end of the day. So, I think it's taken a toll on some of the guys.
DT: Well, and there's that sense of added pressure, too, right? The players trying to do more, which can be a blessing and a curse.
MC: Yeah, absolutely. You got veteran shooters like Bojan Bogdanović. He's been playing well. He's still trying to get his legs underneath him after missing the first month of the season (with an injury). But guys like Alec Burks and Joe Harris — proven shooters — their shots are not going down. You got to wonder how that's affecting them mentally, since they've been shooters all their lives.
DT: What are some of the other core problems that are keeping the team from at least getting a few wins here and there?
MC: I think it starts with their starting center, Jalen Duren. He's missed the last couple of weeks due to (an) ankle injury, which he's had problems with in the past. And when you don't have a guy like that out there who can protect the rim, who's a lob threat, who opens a little space up for Cade Cunningham, I think that's just disrupting your entire offense.
That's the core reason why they've been struggling, just because they haven't had his presence out there, especially from a rebounding standpoint, as well. They've been getting bullied on the boards — specifically by the 76ers and the Milwaukee Bucks two or three games ago.
"No one wants to be the team that's going to lose to a Pistons team that's lost 24 straight games."Detroit News reporter Mike Curtis on how the Pistons' losing streak is motivating their NBA opponents
DT: The NBA record for a losing streak in a single season is 26 games. That's held by more than one team. And then there's the all-time record held by the Philadelphia 76ers, who lost 28 straight starting in the 2014-2015 season. That carried over into the next season.
You've been at all the games in this current Pistons streak, home and away. Is there a sense of reverse buzz about the Pistons right now? A sort of I-can't-look-away factor?
MC: People are tuning in now more than even at the beginning of the season when they were winning just because they want to see if this streak is going to keep going. They want to see if this team is going to make history. They also want to see which opponent it's going to be that's going to finally snap the streak. Who are they going to beat, and who's going to be labeled as a team that lost to the Pistons?
I think (Thursday's) game against the Jazz, this might be their best shot to get a victory before the end of the year. Utah is another struggling young team. If not, this streak could go on into the new year.
DT: Well, there's extra motivation for these other teams, as you point to. They don't want to be the team to lose to them. The Pistons lost to the Hawks (Monday) night. The Hawks are also having a terrible season. But Trae Young for the Hawks had a great game. And he said afterwards, "I was not going to let them break their streak against us." So this is going to be a problem for them, too — the motivation their streak is providing to their opponents.
MC: No one wants to be the team that's going to lose to a Pistons team that's lost 24 straight games. When you look at the San Antonio Spurs, who had the second-longest active losing streak behind the Pistons just a week ago — they lost 18 straight — and then that streak ended against the Los Angeles Lakers. And ever since, I think the Lakers have struggled a little bit and everyone's wondering what's going on with the Lakers.
Well, I think teams are pretty much treating the Pistons the same way. They don't want to be that team that gets the national headline and spotlight just because they lost to a team that's lost 24 straight.
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Further reading from Detroit News sports reporter Mike Curtis:
"'He's just growing': Cade Cunningham has career-best game, but Pistons' skid still the story"
"Pistons observations: Hawks' first quarter explosion too much to overcome"
Editor's notes: Quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity. You can listen to the full interview near the top of this page.
