Detroit Pistons End Losing Streak to 76ers' Division Rival
The streak is over.
As the Detroit Pistons went on a Philadelphia 76ers process-type run with a historical amount of consecutive losses, they finally broke the streak on Saturday night.
The team on the unfortunate side of the equation? The Sixers’ Atlantic Division rivals, the Toronto Raptors.
Once again, the Pistons got off to a strong start on Saturday. Holding the Raptors to just 34 percent from the field, the Pistons outscored Toronto 52-44 through the first two quarters.
While the Raptors went on an offensive tear in the third quarter, knocking down 80 percent of their shots to score over 40 points coming out of the half, the Pistons put up 38 points of their own to maintain a four-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The two teams engaged in another shootout during the fourth quarter. While the Raptors nearly completed the double-digit comeback, the Pistons did just enough to close out the matchup with a 129-127 victory.
Detroit’s Saturday night win was their first victory since their October 28 win over the Chicago Bulls. Since then, the Pistons have dropped 28 straight games.
When Detroit paid a visit to the Boston Celtics on Thursday night, they put up a notable fight against the Eastern Conference frontrunners. While they allowed the Celtics to climb back from a notable double-digit deficit in the second half, the Pistons forced overtime. Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t get past the Celtics with a win, as Boston came out on top 128-122.
The Celtics avoided becoming “that team” in the NBA.
The Raptors couldn’t do the same.
Fortunately for Toronto, they entered a critical transition phase on Saturday, which shook up their roster hours before tipping off against the Pistons.
In a Saturday afternoon blockbuster trade, the Raptors moved OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn to the New York Knicks. In return, the Raptors have acquired RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.
While the Raptors’ Saturday night matchup against the struggling Pistons was very much winnable, the sudden loss of a key two-way contributor could’ve been a critical factor in their inability to overcome becoming one of three teams to come up short against the Pistons.
As for the Pistons, they are uplifted with a win before the new year. While they remain at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 3-29 record, trailing the 6-25 Washington Wizards, ending the year on a win could be a huge morale boost moving forward.
