Kelly Olynyk tallied 25 points, and the undermanned Utah Jazz defeated Detroit 119-111 on Thursday night, marking the Pistons’ 25th consecutive loss – just shy of the NBA single-season record.”
The 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers hold the record at 26. The 76ers set the overall mark at 28, a streak that began in the 2014-15 season and extended into 2015-16.
“I have to be cautious with my words because this loss stings more than most,” first-year coach Monty Williams expressed. “A team that played last night capitalized with (50) points off turnovers and rebounds. It’s incredibly difficult to grasp how we can be outworked in those areas.”
The Pistons dropped to 2-26, with the crowd chanting “Trade the team! Trade the team!” at the conclusion, delivering a resounding message to owner Tom Gores and his Platinum Equity firm. Detroit will return to action on Saturday night in Brooklyn.
“We’re not playing at a 2-26 level – there’s just no chance we’re that poor,” said Cade Cunningham, who spearheaded Detroit with 28 points and 10 assists. “I believe we have the capability to reverse this. We can exhibit a vastly improved style of basketball.”
“Utah played without four of its top seven scorers – Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, Keyonte George, and Talen Horton-Tucker – on the second night of a back-to-back after losing at Cleveland on Wednesday.
“That’s an incredibly solid team win for us,” Jazz coach Will Hardy stated. “That’s a challenging game to play – second night of a back-to-back on the road with several guys sidelined.”
Collin Sexton contributed 19 points for Utah, and Ochai Agbaji scored 18. Jaden Ivey led Detroit with 24 points, followed by Marvin Bagley III with 22, but no one else scored more than eight.
Utah held a 90-88 lead going into the fourth quarter and capitalized on Detroit’s poor shooting, extending it to 100-93 with 7:40 remaining.
The Pistons missed their initial six three-point attempts in the fourth quarter, but Bojan Bogdanovic’s shot made it 104-100 with 4:40 left. Olynyk, playing against his former team, hit a three-pointer to give the Jazz a seven-point lead, and Sexton’s tip-in extended it to 115-106 with 1:37 to go.
“Rebounding has been a focus for us all season and is a significant part of our offensive identity,” Hardy commented, as his team secured 15 offensive rebounds.
Sexton sealed the game with two free throws, extending the lead to 11 points.
The Pistons went 1 for 10 on threes in the final quarter.
“We had an opportunity to secure the win in the closing moments, and we just weren’t solid enough,” Cunningham remarked. “This is a historical moment that no one desires to be associated with.
