Pistons losing streak: 10 ways sports world has changed in nearly two months since Detroit’s last win

The Detroit Pistons extended their historic losing streak to 26 games on Saturday with a loss to the Brooklyn Nets, and are now tied with the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2014-15 Philadelphia 76ers for the most consecutive defeats in a single NBA season. Furthermore, they are just two losses from matching the all-time streak of 28 games, set by the Sixers on either side of the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.
Ironically, the Pistons actually started the season well. They lost by just one point to the Miami Heat on opening night, then beat the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls, suggesting that perhaps this would be the season that this young roster showed its promise. Instead, it has spiraled out of control, and they’re now 2-27.
As their losing streak nears the all-time mark and two full calendar months, here’s a look at what has happened in the world of sports since the Pistons last won a game on Oct. 28.
1. Ja returns from suspension, already has more wins than Pistons
The NBA suspended Grizzlies star Ja Morant for the first 25 games of the season after he flashed a gun on Instagram multiple times earlier this year. His first game back was on Dec. 19, when he hit a game-winner at the buzzer to beat the Pelicans. Since then, he’s gone on to lead the Grizzlies to wins over the Pacers and Hawks. The Grizzlies are 3-0 with Morant in the lineup, and have more wins with him than the PIstons have all season.
2. Draymond drama
Green is currently suspended indefinitely after hitting Suns big man Jusuf Nurkic in the face during their Dec. 12 meeting. That was the third time that the Warriors star has been ejected this season for violent acts and the second time he’s been suspended. Previously, he had been tossed for, in part, shoving Donovan Mitchell into the stands on Nov. 11, and for putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold on Nov. 15. He was suspended five games after the Gobert incident. For the season, Green has more ejections than the Pistons have wins.
3. KD moves up multiple spots on scoring list
Kevin Durant began the season in 13th place on the all-time scoring list, and passed Hakeem Olajuwon in the Suns’ second game of the season. That was actually on Oct. 26, just prior to the Pistons’ most recent win. However, Durant hasn’t stopped there. Since then he has moved up two more spots into 10th, passing Elvin Hayes and Moses Malone in the process. For the season, he’s moved up more spots than the PIstons have wins.
4. The entire In-Season Tournament
The NBA’s inaugural IST began on Nov. 3 with the first day of group stage games, and concluded on Dec. 9 with the Lakers’ win over the Pacers in the championship game in Las Vegas. The Pistons, of course, did not manage a win during that entire five-week stretch and were 0-4 in their IST with a point differential of minus-45.
5. The Detroit Lions have won five games
Detroit’s sporting history is unfortunately littered with ignominious records, including the Lions’ 0-16 season in 2008, which remains the only time an NFL team has gone winless since the schedule was expanded to 16 games. The Lions, though, are no longer the city’s black sheep. They are in first place in the NFC North at 10-4, and on pace to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Five of those wins have come since the last Pistons’ win, which, of course, is incredible since they only play once a week.
6. The Rangers won their final three World Series games
Shifting to baseball, the Rangers won their first championship in franchise history last season, defeating the Diamondbacks in five games. Their final three wins in the World Series came on Oct. 30, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Thus, not only have the Rangers won a game more recently than the Pistons despite their season ending 53 days ago, they have more wins in that span than the Pistons have all season.
7. The Dodgers have spent over $1 billion in free agency
The Pistons’ losing streak has been going on so long that baseball has shifted from the World Series to free agency. The latter has been highlighted by the Dodgers’ unfathomable spending spree, which has surpassed the $1 billion mark with historic deals for Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
8. Caitlin Clark has scored 397 points
The 2023-24 NCAA college basketball season didn’t tip-off until Nov. 6, nine days after the Pistons won their last game. Since then, Iowa star Caitlin Clark, the reigning Naismith Player of the Year, has poured in 397 points over 13 games to move up to seventh place on the all-time scoring list. She’s recorded two triple-doubles along the way, giving her as many triple-doubles as the Pistons have wins this season.
9. 17 college football bowl games have been played
The last time the Pistons won a game, it was still the middle of college football’s regular season. Since Oct. 28, the regular season has come and went, conference championship games were played, the Heisman Trophy was handed out to LSU’s Jayden Daniels and bowl season has kicked off. To this point there have been 17 bowl games played, with 25 still to come, including the national championship on Jan. 8. How many will be completed before the Pistons win again?
10. Connor Bedard has scored 10 goals
Bedard was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and entered the league with immense hype that he has thus far lived up to for the Blackhawks. He has 30 points in 33 games to lead all rookies, including 10 goals since the Pistons’ last win. The most impressive of which came on Saturday, when he scored a lacrosse-style goal from behind the net while the Pistons were losing to the Nets.