The Detroit Pistons made unwanted NBA history with a record 27th consecutive defeat against the Brooklyn Nets at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday.
Monty Williams's whipping boys had already equalled the longest single-season streak of defeats against the Nets at Barclays Center over the weekend, which was their 26th loss on the bounce.
The Cleveland Cavaliers (2010-11) and Philadelphia 76ers (2013-14) had previously shared the record for the longest sequence of defeats in a single campaign, but the Pistons now stand alone in that undesirable category.
The Detroit outfit edged the first and third quarters against the Nets but still slumped to a 112-118 beating, meaning that Williams's side have now lost more consecutive games in a single NBA season than any other team.
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons charge with a remarkable 41 points, but the 22-year-old's efforts were in vain, and he has now become the first player to lose his first 10 games in which he has amassed at least 30 points.
The Pistons are also just one defeat from away from equalling the all-time record of 28, set by the 76ers across the 2014-15 and 2015-16 campaigns, and their record in Williams's debut campaign now reads a horrendous 2-28.
"Again, when you look at records, you think of coaches, but I'm sure the players don't want that attached to the name on the jersey," ESPN quotes Williams as saying after his side's historic defeat.
"Was it heavy? It's been heavy for a while. That's just the nature of this kind of losing streak and it's not gonna change because we're grading the level of it, we've got to do what we've got to do to change it."
The Pistons' most recent triumph came against the Chicago Bulls on October 28, and a trip to Eastern Conference leaders Boston Celtics on Thursday is next on the agenda for the Central Division cellar dwellers.
Ben Knapton
