The Spurs and Pistons have a chance to make history - and not the good kind. Detroit and San Antonio have lost 20 and 17 straight games, respectively, and sit in last place in their respective conferences. The Pistons have the league's worst record at 2-20, and the Spurs are tied for the second worst at 3-18.
Longest losing streaks in NBA history
| Team | Year | Consecutive losses |
|---|---|---|
| Sixers | 2015 | 28 |
| Cavaliers | 2010-11 | 26 |
| Sixers | 2014 | 26 |
| Cavaliers | 1982 | 24 |
| Charlotte Bobcats | 2012 | 23 |
| Nuggets | 1997-98 | 23 |
| Vancouver Grizzlies | 1996 | 23 |
| Pistons | 1980 | 21 |
It's hard to imagine anyone surpassing the Sixers' record of 28 games, a team openly attempting to assemble the worst possible roster. (Hey, trust the process!) Or even the Cavaliers who were reeling from LeBron James' departure during the 2010-11 season. But the Pistons are close, and with one more loss, they'll tie their 43-year-old franchise record for most consecutive defeats and move into eighth on an all-time list no franchise ever dreams of being on.
This wasn't exactly the season the Pistons were hoping for given their plethora of potential young building blocks and a veteran coach with a history of developing players and a culture. No one thought this was a playoff team, but a step in the right direction was a reasonable goal. Instead, they're taking leaps backward.
They had the second-worst preseason win total at 26 wins. The Wizards' win total was 24, and they only have one more win than the Pistons. Detroit will land way under its total after winning just 17 games last season, by far the fewest in the league.
It hasn't been much prettier in San Antonio. The Spurs hit the jackpot by winning the draft lottery and drafting a generational prospect in Victor Wembanyama.
It's not fair to evaluate whether he's lived up to the hype at the one-quarter mark of his rookie season because the expectations were so astronomically high that they were practically unattainable.
The Frenchman is averaging 18.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks while playing 30 minutes per contest. His 3-ball is the primary area of disappointment; he's connecting on just 25% of his attempts while shooting five a game.
The Spurs issue, though, isn't Wembanyama but his lackluster supporting cast. Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, and Keldon Johnson are all nice pieces but wouldn't play 30 minutes a night on winning teams. San Antonio doesn't have a true point guard Gregg Popovich trusts, which hurts the team and Wembanyama in particular.
Drafting the 7-foot-4 unicorn was the first step in a long journey toward contention. The Spurs' 29.5-win total projection proves there were never any real aspirations in Wembanyama's first year.
It's hard to build - or rebuild, in the Spurs' case - a winning culture while losing as much as these two teams are. Eventually, wins have to start flowing, but how long will it be until that happens?
Oddsmakers at theScore Bet have priced the Spurs at +14000 (6% implied probability) and the Pistons at +800 (11% implied probability) to not win in December.
It's easy to see why oddsmakers expect the Spurs' skid to end earlier when looking at the team's upcoming schedules.
Spurs' next 10 games
| Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
| 12/13 | vs. Lakers |
| 12/15 | vs. Lakers |
| 12/17 | vs. Pelicans |
| 12/19 | @ Bucks |
| 12/21 | @ Bulls |
| 12/23 | @ Mavericks |
| 12/26 | vs. Jazz |
| 12/28 | @ Blazers |
| 12/29 | @ Blazers |
| 12/31 | vs. Celtics |
Pistons' next 10 games
| Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
| 12/13 | vs. Sixers |
| 12/15 | @ Sixers |
| 12/16 | @ Bucks |
| 12/18 | @ Hawks |
| 12/21 | vs. Jazz |
| 12/23 | @ Nets |
| 12/26 | vs. Nets |
| 12/28 | @ Celtics |
| 12/30 | vs. Raptors |
| 1/1 | @ Rockets |
The Pistons' schedule is significantly more demanding. Seven of their next 10 games are against teams with winning records compared to six of the Spurs' next 10.
However, the Spurs could steal some wins during a run of games toward the end of December. San Antonio has a five-game stretch that includes matchups against the Bulls, Jazz, and Trail Blazers twice. Portland is in a similar spot to the Spurs and Pistons; although they haven't lost as many consecutive games, they have the NBA's fourth-worst record.
Star players for opposing teams could get injured or sit out games, but the Pistons should be underdogs in all of their next 10 games. The Spurs will likely be favorites in two or three of their next 10.
Anything can happen on any given night in the Association, but there's a chance the Pistons won't just break their franchise record but contend for the Sixers' record. If they don't win a game in December, they'd etch their name in history with the longest losing streak ever.
Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @soshtry for more betting coverage.
