Pistons end 28-game losing streak to avoid another record

MIAMI (AFP) — The Detroit Pistons avoided an unwanted record when they ended their 28-game losing streak with a 129-127 win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, Dec. 30.

The Pistons had equaled the record losing streak of the Philadelphia 76ers with their loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday.

The 76ers had a 28-game skid spanning the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.

Detroit’s dismal run was the longest single-season losing streak in NBA history but a first win since October ensured the Pistons avoided another miserable milestone.

Cade Cunningham’s 30 points and 12 assists helped Detroit recapture the winning feeling and although a three pointer from Gary Trent with a second remaining narrowed the deficit it was too late for a Raptors comeback.

Pistons head coach Monty Williams said the scenes in the locker-room after the win had been special.

“Guys were screaming, I was almost in tears. I’m just so happy for our guys, I’m happy for everybody in the locker-room,” he said.

“I’ve been in a ton of locker rooms my whole life and that’s a first for me to have that kind of, it wasn’t relief, it was just like, ‘Thank God, finally’,” added Williams.

Williams, the 2022 NBA Coach of the Year, said he hoped the win would prove to be a turning point for his team.

“Sometimes it just takes a win like that to get things started and I just have so much respect for our team.

“I think people may have thought that they were okay with losing. But they came in every day with a great spirit, and they wanted answers. They came in wanting to learn and try to get better.

“So I just respect the heck out of our guys. Really happy that we finally got a win because it’s so hard to win in this league,” he said.

LeBron James suffered defeat on his 39th birthday as the Los Angeles Lakers were beaten 108-106 at the Minnesota Timberwolves.

James, who was on court for 39 minutes, put up 26 points on 10 of 21 shooting from the field with Anthony Davis top scoring for the Lakers with 33 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists.

With 3.1 seconds remaining, James thought he had tied the game at 107-107 with a three point throw right on the line of the arc but to his frustration the referee ruled it to be only a two point effort.

Anthony Edwards, who top scored for Minnesota with 31 points, added a point from the free throw line before James was off-target with an attempted buzzer beater.

Four-game winning streak

The Miami Heat’s four-game winning streak came to an end with a 117-109 defeat at the Utah Jazz with star Jimmy Butler suffering another injury setback.

Butler had missed all four of Miami’s recent wins with a calf injury but on his return to action he was unable to complete the game, leaving with a foot injury in the third quarter after making eight points.

Collin Sexton top scored for the Jazz with 22 points and Keyonte George contributed 21 points as the Jazz (14-19) pulled off the win against the 19-13 Heat.

Although Utah pulled away late in the game, outscoring Miami 29-21 in the fourth quarter, it had been a close contest with 25 lead changes and 12 ties.

While Bam Adebayo delivered for the Heat, with 28 points and 16 rebounds, Miami’s supporting cast failed to step up when Butler was forced out — Miami made just one field goal in the last 5:57.

The Heat did reduce Utah’s lead to two points with 2:41 remaining but the Jazz responded strongly to see out the game.

“Second half, we were just never able to contain them off the bounce, regardless of what the action was,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

With MVP Joel Embiid still missing with an ankle injury, Philadelphia, third in the East, suffered a 105-92 loss at the Chicago Bulls to slip to 22-10 on the season. DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points and Coby White 20 for the Bulls.

Luka Doncic returned to the Dallas Mavericks line-up, after missing Thursday’s game at Minnesota, and scored 39 points, 25 of them in the second half as his team beat the Golden State Warriors 132-122.

Doncic added ten assists and eight rebounds as Dallas moved to 19-14 on the season and handed the Warriors (15-17) their third straight loss.

The Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks 140-126 with 22 points and a franchise record equaling 23 assists from Tyrese Haliburton.