The Pistons are knocking on the door of NBA history — and not the good kind.
Detroit showed some promise to start the 2023-24 season with wins over the Hornets and Bulls, but it has been almost two months since the Pistons last picked up a victory.
If that sounds like a lot of consecutive losses, it is.
The Pistons have now lost 28 games in a row, which is the most in a single season and ties the "Process" 76ers for the longest losing streak in NBA history.
If Detroit can't pick up a win over the Raptors on Saturday, Dec. 30, it will stand alone as the longest NBA losing streak of all time.
Here's everything you need to know about the Pistons' series of misfortunes.
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How Pistons can break NBA losing streak record
The Pistons have lost 28 games in a row, which is the longest single-season losing streak and ties longest losing streak in NBA history.
With Tuesday's loss to the Nets, the Pistons broke a tie with the 2010-11 Cavaliers and 2013-14 76ers for the longest single-season losing streak. With Thursday's overtime loss to the Celtics, they tied the 76ers, who lost 28 straight games between the end of the 2014-15 season and the start of the 2015-16 season.
Here are the longest losing streaks in NBA history:
| Rank | Team | Year | Losing streak |
| 1 | Philadelphia 76ers | 2015* | 28 |
| Detroit Pistons | 2023 | 28 | |
| 3 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 2010-11 | 26 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 2014 | 26 | |
| 5 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 1982* | 24 |
| 6 | Charlotte Bobcats | 2012 | 23 |
| Denver Nuggets | 1997-98 | 23 | |
| Vancouver Grizzlies | 1996 | 23 | |
| 9 | Detroit Pistons | 1980* | 21 |
| 10 | Houston Rockets | 2021 | 20 |
| LA Clippers | 1994* | 20 | |
| Dallas Mavericks | 1993 | 20 | |
| New York Knicks | 1985* | 20 | |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 1973 | 20 |
* Streak spanned over two seasons
Pistons schedule 2023-24
Following their loss to the Celtics on Friday, Detroit has one last chance to snap the streak against the Raptors on Saturday before they set the NBA's all-time record.
Here are the next five games on Detroit's schedule:
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| Dec. 30 | vs. Raptors | 6 p.m. | — |
| Jan. 1 | at Rockets | 8 p.m. | — |
| Jan. 3 | at Jazz | 9 p.m. | — |
| Jan. 5 | at Warriors | 10 p.m. | — |
| Jan. 7 | at Nuggets | 8 p.m. | — |
When did the Pistons' losing streak begin?
The first loss the Pistons suffered in this streak came on Oct. 30.
The Thunder defeated the Pistons by a final score of 124-112. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with a game-high 32 points while Jaden Ivey finished with a team-best 20 points in 19 minutes off the bench for Detroit.
During their losing streak, the Pistons have lost by an average of 13.5 points per game. They've struggled on both ends of the court, ranking 29th in offensive efficiency and 27th in defensive efficiency.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Streak |
| Oct. 30 | at Thunder | L, 124-112 | 1 |
| Nov. 1 | vs. Trail Blazers | L, 110-101 | 2 |
| Nov. 2 | at Pelicans | L, 125-116 | 3 |
| Nov. 5 | vs. Suns | L, 120-106 | 4 |
| Nov. 6 | vs. Warriors | L, 120-109 | 5 |
| Nov. 8 | at Bucks | L, 120-118 | 6 |
| Nov. 10 | vs. 76ers | L, 114-106 | 7 |
| Nov. 12 | at Bulls | L, 119-108 | 8 |
| Nov. 14 | vs. Hawks | L, 126-120 | 9 |
| Nov. 17 | at Cavaliers | L, 108-100 | 10 |
| Nov. 19 | at Raptors | L, 142-113 | 11 |
| Nov. 20 | vs. Nuggets | L, 107-103 | 12 |
| Nov. 24 | at Pacers | L, 136-113 | 13 |
| Nov. 27 | vs. Wizards | L, 126-107 | 14 |
| Nov. 29 | vs. Lakers | L, 133-107 | 15 |
| Nov. 30 | at Knicks | L, 118-112 | 16 |
| Dec. 2 | vs. Cavaliers | L, 110-101 | 17 |
| Dec. 6 | vs. Grizzlies | L, 116-102 | 18 |
| Dec. 8 | at Magic | L, 123-91 | 19 |
| Dec. 11 | vs. Pacers | L, 131-123 | 20 |
| Dec. 13 | vs. 76ers | L, 129-111 | 21 |
| Dec. 15 | at 76ers | L, 124-92 | 22 |
| Dec. 16 | at Bucks | L, 146-114 | 23 |
| Dec. 18 | at Hawks | L, 130-124 | 24 |
| Dec. 21 | vs. Jazz | L, 119-111 | 25 |
| Dec. 23 | at Nets | L, 126-115 | 26 |
| Dec. 26 | vs. Nets | L, 118-112 | 27 |
| Dec. 28 | at Celtics | L, 128-122 (OT) | 28 |
