Nets defeat Pistons for Detroit's NBA-record 27th loss in row
Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic, left, and Nets center Day'Ron Sharpe scramble for the ball during the first half of an NBA game Tuesday in Detroit. Credit: AP/Duane Burleson
DETROIT — Jacque Vaughn said he didn’t sleep well Monday night. The Nets coach and his team faced the Pistons Tuesday for the second time in four days and he knew it’d be tougher this time.
The Pistons didn’t want to make history with their two-month losing streak. But the Nets, despite being pushed all game, made them stand alone in futility after their 118-112 win at Little Caesar’s Arena.
It was the Pistons’ 27th consecutive loss in a row, a new NBA in-season record that passed the 2010-11 Cavaliers and 2013-14 76ers. Fans chanted “Sell the Team,” a chant they’ve done before out of frustration.
Next up? The NBA’s all-time losing streak of 28 games, set over two seasons by the 2014-15 and 2015-16 76ers.
“They’re going to win one game but yeah, it wasn’t us,” Dorian Finney-Smith said. “They’re going to win one soon but we just trying to get back streaking too
The Nets (15-15) won’t worry about that. They won their second consecutive game despite missing 16 free throws, giving up 16 offensive rebounds and 24 fast break points.
The Pistons (2-28) didn’t make it easy thanks, in part, to Cade Cunningham’s 41 points. Jalen Duren, who didn’t play Saturday when the Nets defeated the Pistons, had 12 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
“They had some guys that were healthy,” Vaughn said. “Duren being able to help them down in the middle. It was going to be a tall task for us and anytime you playing a team back-to-back like that, [it’s] really tough to do,”
The Nets led 90-85 early in the fourth quarter but the Pistons roared back with a 12-2 run. Cunningham’s three-pointer gave the Pistons a 97-92 lead with 8:10 left.
But Mikal Bridges scored the next four points to tie the score. It kicked off a 16-3 Nets run, including Day’Ron Sharpe giving the Nets a 100-97 with a put-back and free throw.
The Pistons closed within 112-110 but Dorian Finney-Smith silenced the crowd with a corner three-pointer. He gestured at his wrist to several fans courtside as if say he had ice-cold water in his veins.
It was part of the Nets’ collective help that finished the game. Bridges had 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. Johnson finished with a season-high 24 points. Sharpe had five of his 11 rebounds in the period and added 11 points for his fifth double-double.
“I’m just out here playing hard. And I just didn’t want them to win, for real. I’m so serious,” Sharpe said. “I didn’t want them to get their first win on us. So when I’m in the game, I’m playing 110%”
The group effort, especially from the bench, was needed after another slow start. The Pistons came with urgency and led 22-8 perhaps giving more evidence for Vaughn saying pregame that he’s thinking of changing the starting lineup in the beginning of the new year.
Things changed once Sharpe, Finney-Smith and Dennis Smith Jr checked in with 6:22 left. The Nets’ trio spearheaded an 11-2 run in the first and Royce O’Neale kept the bench energy going with an eight-point second quarter.
Nic Claxton, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds, had a thrilling two-way sequence in the period when he blocked Kevin Knox II trying to dunk on him then raced up the court for an alley-oop dunk from Spencer Dinwiddie.
But it was the Nets’ second unit that gave a lift. Finney-Smith finished with 11 points and played the entire fourth quarter. Sharpe played seven minutes, longer than Vaughn usually plays him.
Cam Thomas finished with 17 points despite not playing the fourth quarter.
Vaughn said he tinkered with different lineup combinations after the slow start. But he also trusted his team’s poise to finish when the Pistons made their run.
With another close win, it’s another growing moment for a team still learning its best fit.
“After our start that could make you relent, we didn’t,” Vaughn said. “For us to stay together, for as many guys that stepped up throughout the course of the night across the board, I think that’s a huge win.”
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
