5 longest losing streaks in NBA history
The 2023-24 NBA season has been a tough one for the Detroit Pistons as they took their 28th straight loss. Their 128-122 OT loss against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday came as a dampener, especially after they took a 21-point lead in the game and blew it.
With the defeat, the Pistons are 2-29 in the East and have the worst record in the league. The Pistons now hold the record for most consecutive losses in one season.
Detroit started the 2023 season 2-1, with wins against the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls, but has lost its next 25 games. At this rate, Detroit is on course to surpass the Cavaliers, but is it the longest in NBA history?
On that note, let's take a look at the five longest-losing streaks in the league over the years.
Most consecutive losses in NBA history
Here are the top five teams with the longest losing streaks in NBA history:
#5 Vancouver Grizzlies - 23
The Vancouver Grizzlies had the misfortune of having two 20-game losing streaks in the same season. They started the 1995-96 run with two wins and lost 19 games soon after. Post the All-Star break, they dropped 23 in a row to end the season 15-67. It was their first season in the NBA and certainly not a memorable one.
The Grizzlies were led by Greg Anthony, Byron Scott and Gerald Wilkins that season.
#4 Cleveland Cavaliers - 24
The 1982-83 season saw the Cleveland Cavaliers start their losing streak in March and stay that way until November. The year prior, the Cavaliers had the worst record in the league at 15-67. The Cavaliers finished the 1982-83 season with a 23-59 record despite their losing streak.
According to Sports Illustrated, that team had four coaches: Don Delaney (4-11), Bob Kloppenburg (0-3), Chuck Daly (9-32) and Bill Musselman (2-21). They are widely considered one of the worst teams of all time in NBA history.
#3 Cleveland Cavaliers - 26
The Cavaliers made the list of the longest losing streaks in the league the season after LeBron James headed to the Miami Heat in 2010-11. Soon after his departure, they dropped 26 games in a row to set an infamous record. It marked the second time a franchise dropped 20+ games in NBA history.
The Cavaliers were nowhere close to a competent force without LeBron until he returned in 2014. They made the finals four times in a row in his second stint before he departed again, this time, to join the LA Lakers.
#2 Philadelphia 76ers - 28
Apart from setting an NBA record, the 28-game losing streak by the Philadelphia 76ers is tied for the longest recorded in any of North America's four major professional sports leagues — NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB. The streak carried over from the 2014-15 season and well into the 2015-16 one.
The Sixers saw lottery picks Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons both miss their rookie seasons. The former even missed his sophomore year before making his NBA debut two years after getting drafted. The Sixers have been one of the most winning teams since the 2016-17 season.
#1 Detroit Pistons - 28
The Pistons have now eclipsed the record for most consecutive losses in a single season in NBA history. Detroit has dropped to 2-29 on the year, and things aren't looking smooth at all for Monty Williams' team. The Pistons need to shake things up from the coaching staff to their player transactions.
Their schedule isn't getting any easier, either. They face the league-best record holders Boston Celtics next. A 29th consecutive loss is looming for Detroit based on the circumstances it's in right now.