"It hurts like you can't believe," said Monty Williams: the Pistons’ losing streak has reached 20 games.
Detroit remains winless since before Halloween as the Pacers, fresh off a loss in the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament final, came into Little Caesars Arena Monday night and beat the Pistons 131-123.
The Pistons are now just one loss shy of tying the franchise’s all-time losing streak. While the single-season record was passed two weeks ago, the Pistons lost 21 in a row between the end of the 1979-80 season and the start of the next season — one that would lead to the team drafting Isiah Thomas second overall.
Cade Cunningham had 23 points Monday, but struggled from 3-point range, going just 1-for-6. Ausar Thompson had 20, while Jaden Ivey scored 18 off the bench. Williams said the Pistons' offense is "built to generate shots" after the team missed a number of open looks against the Pacers. The Pistons went 10-29 from three and rank 27th in the NBA this season from behind the arc.
"When you have guys that can attack the paint and roll and put pressure on the rim, you’re going to generate a lot of shots. We just have to get in the gym and see the net move and have the confidence to knock those shots down," said Williams. "It’s hard to coach shooting when you’re getting open shots. I just want to encourage our guys to keep letting it go and have confidence."
Williams added that he was encouraged by some offensive tweaks Monday, like getting Ivey in more "live-ball situations where he can flow and attack" and having Thompson set screens before "diving to the basket."
"We’re starting to figure that we can score if we space the floor properly," he said. "We’re learning, I’m learning, how to use certain guys on the team."
Bennedict Mathurin scored 30 points off the bench for Indiana, while Tyrese Haliburton — a player many wanted the Pistons to target in the 2020 NBA Draft over Killian Hayes — put up 14 points and 16 assists. Williams was encouraged
The Pistons were within five points in the fourth quarter, but again couldn't finish the job. Williams said that "young teams learn over time" what it takes to close out games in the NBA "and we’re learning it the hard way."
"As much as this losing hurts all of us, it hurts like you can’t believe, I still see a lot of growth and I'm encouraged by some of the things I saw tonight," said Williams. "Now we gotta try to build on this and get to a place where we can have the lead, keep the lead and close."
As the streak stretches into a sixth week, the Pistons will look to put an end to the futility Wednesday when they host the 76ers, followed by a trip to Philly on Friday. It's the longest skid in the NBA since the Rockets eclipsed the 20-loss mark in the 2020-21 season.