Despite the inevitability of the Detroit Pistons winning a game and closing the book on their record losing streak, the feelings of satisfaction and gratification were in no way diminished.
With their 129-127 home victory over the short-handed Toronto Raptors on Saturday, the Pistons snapped their 28-game skid and will enter the new year with, fittingly, a fresh start when they visit the Houston Rockets on Monday. The win marked the first for the Pistons in just over two months, dating back to their 118-102 home triumph over the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 28 that gave Detroit a 2-1 start to the season.
So much of what the Pistons endured during their losing streak represented a test of their endurance, both physical and mental. After coming so tantalizingly close to ending the streak two nights earlier in their overtime loss to the Boston Celtics, the Pistons somehow summoned the will to win even with the Raptors pushing them hard for 48 minutes and until the final buzzer.
“We just kept attacking,” Pistons coach Monty Williams said. “And I thought that was really important.”
Beyond their perseverance, the Pistons received confirmation that Cade Cunningham — the top overall pick of the 2021 draft — is indeed the foundation of their future. Cunningham paired 30 points with 12 assists against the Raptors and played exceptionally despite the accumulation of defeats, averaging 23.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and seven assists during the skid.
Cunningham deserved to fully savor and embrace the moment, no matter its eventuality.
“It’s been a long, long stretch,” Cunningham said. “I’m just happy to be a part of a group of guys that don’t quit and bring it every day and still stay positive and uplift each other. It’s been a long time coming.
“We had been pushing for it for so long and so to finally get over that hump, we’re not trying to go back. Now it really begins where we see who we’re going to be.”
The Rockets are attempting to navigate a rough patch, having lost six of eight games and four of five at home following an 11-game winning streak at Toyota Center. They failed to capitalize on the absence of the NBA’s leading scorer, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, on Friday in a 131-127 loss that highlighted the absences of starting forwards Dillon Brooks (oblique) and Jabari Smith Jr. (ankle).
Houston ranks 19th in 3-pointers made per game at 12.3, and hoisting more threes has become a talking point of late. The Rockets took three fewer 3-point attempts than the 76ers, and bypassing open perimeter looks has stalled the progress the Rockets have sought to make on offense.
“I felt we passed up some 3s,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Some guys traveled or passed them up and drove into a crowd. We’ve been emphasizing taking those shots when they’re open.
“You just have to be aggressive and confident and not pass up those shots. For us, like I say all the time, you’re going to get that first good look and you might not get another one. So we want guys to step up confidently and knock them down. Something we’ve been preaching is getting our numbers up from the 3-point line.”
–Field Level Media