The day Detroit has been waiting for has arrived. The Pistons have finally won a basketball game. They did it against the Toronto Raptors, on a night where he shone again Cade Cunningham with 30 points and 12 assists. And the city of Michigan celebrates breaking the longest streak in NBA history, after 28 consecutive losses, since October 28. They were just one defeat away from having a complete month of November and December without wins, but they were able to solve it in the last opportunity of the year. And the Pistons who begin 2024 with a positive streak after 63 days of uninterrupted losses. Although the 29th was close.
Because with 1:35 left they dominated by 9 points and had the game under control, but Toronto, which arrived without OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn, all of them transferred to New York, and still without the new faces, literally fought until the last second. I scored Scottie Barnes to reduce the difference, although the Pistons did not fail from the free throw line. A global defensive error by the Canadians left the duel at eight points in the last minute (118-110), but There were still 28 points left to be scored in a game ending that seemed eternal, and Toronto only added three points at a time. Barnes and Schröder they achieved a 2+1 and the game was now at five points. Toronto didn’t want to be that team that lost to the Pistons, the one that ended the streak.
But there wasn’t going to be time. A desperate triple by Gary Trent left the game at two points, but the party continued the same. The fans that almost filled Little Caesars Arena for the last home game of the year and the second home win in 16 games. One that prevents the Pistons from having the worst losing streak in NBA history alone, a record still shared with the Sixers between 2014 and 2015. “It feels incredible. We continue to fight in the tough moments, it has been difficult, but “I feel happy to be part of a group that does not give up” he said. Cunningham after the victory. He was the hero again, although he was not alone.
Five other players surpassed a dozen points, with Jalen Duren signing 18 points and 17 rebounds, in addition to being part of the carousel of free throws in the final seconds. Kevin Knox, once again a starter, he scored 17 and the three shooters, Bogdanovic (19), Ivey (12) y Alec Burks (16) From the bench they responded to Monty Williams’ call. In a game that was very similar to Thursday’s in Boston, with the maximum advantage arriving before halftime and the rival tying the game in the third period. The difference is that this time they knew how to respond to the 35 points from Pascal Siakam or 30 from Dennis Schröder. Between the two of them, Scottie Barnes and Gary Trent scored 111 of the 127 that Toronto ended up scoring.
And the question is where to go after such a tough defeat. Pascal Siakam proved to be affected by the transfer that was leaked hours before the gamewith the loss of Anunoby, the teammate with whom he has played the most minutes in the current squad. And the Cameroonian could be the next to leave, with the aim of getting something profitable in exchange for a player whose contract expires on June 30. Because in Toronto he will not be able to continue competing for the ring.
Results of the night
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Miami Heat 109-117 Utah Jazz
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Toronto Raptors 127-129 Detroit Pistons
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New York Knicks 126-140 Indiana Pacers
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Philadelphia 76ers 92-105 Chicago Bulls
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Los Angeles Lakers 106-108 Minnesota Timberwolves
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Dallas Mavericks 132-122 Golden State Warriors
THE REST OF THE DAY
Haliburton and LeBron, protagonists
Tyrese Haliburton is back. Second consecutive game for the Pacers point guard with at least 20 points and 20 assists, where he went to 23. Highest in his career and in the history of the Pacers, who added a key victory against a depleted Knicks, between casualties and absences due to the transfer. Four Indiana players scored at least 20 points, although the top scorer was a Donte DiVincenzo who as a starter went to 38 points and 7 triples.
HISTORIC NIGHT FOR TYRESE HALIBURTON 😱
📊 22 PTS, 23 AST (career-high)
👀 Most 20 AST games in Pacers history
3⃣ Third player ever with back-to-back 20-PT, 20-AST games, joining John Stockton and Magic Johnson pic.twitter.com/GxnbZdBKGx— NBA (@NBA) December 31, 2023
Miami and Philadelphia lost. The Heat opened the day in Utah, on the return of Jimmy Butler on the court, although he lasted only two and a half quarters, leaving the game due to a foot injury.and. The Jazz ended Miami’s four-game winning streak, which had 40 free throws (14/20 for Bam Adebayo), but saw seven Jazz players score in double figures. Rookie Keynote George, the most outstanding with 21, 17 in the second half. Also on the road, in Chicago, Philly lost on their second night of back-to-back play. Without Joel Embiid still, alone Tyrese Maxey It reached 20 points. And the Sixers, who are already three games away from the top of the East after seeing how DeRozan and Coby White destroyed Nick Nurse’s defense. And Drummond once again had 23 rebounds.
Not Minnesota, LeBron was about to celebrate his birthday with a clutch display, but he stepped on the three-point line. With three down, James He scored a shot to tie the game, but the referees marked it as a two-point shot. A party that LeBron and Davis dominated in the individual aspect, but where the Timberwolves were better. AD’s 33 points and Edwards’ 31 added excitement to the duelbut the Lakers have only 3 wins since the In-Season Tournament, and fall to ninth position. LeBron finished with 26 points and 6 assists.
And Dallas closed the night by attacking San Francisco. The Warriors lost at home again with the return of Luka Dončić, who was two rebounds away from the triple-double: 38 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds. They dominated from the start, with a +8 at the end of the first quarter, and the maximum reached 16. At times, the individual talent of Chris Paul o Andrew Wiggins I pushed the scoreboard, but I didn’t even Stephon his big night with 25 points and 6 triples, did damage. Once again the impact of Dereck Lively II fHe was key on both sides of the court, with 12 points and 14 rebounds, and five other Dallas players finished in double figures. And the Mavs who return to sixth and move Golden State a little further away from the playoff.
Sports journalist covering the NBA from Toronto. Leaving from Barcelona, he has lived in Boston, Sydney and Bogotá before staying in Canada to bring the best basketball league on the planet. All NBA, a little basketball, because he grew up with Tracy McGrady and Pau Gasol, but also with Sarunas Jasikevicius and Arvydas Macijauskas. He studied journalism in Barcelona, where he worked for various media and radio stations, and currently also collaborates with Gigantes del Basket and NBA Spain. He was in the NBA Finals where Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka and Sergio Scariolo got their first ring. If you don’t see him here, he’s probably on Twitter. …
2023-12-31 06:45:30
#biggest #disaster #NBA #history #Pistons #win #losses
