ORLANDO, Fla. — Franz Wagner scored 27 points, Paolo Banchero added 24 and the Orlando Magic handed the Detroit Pistons their 19th straight loss, 123-91, on Friday night.
Detroit is 2-20, with the losing streak the longest in one season in franchise history and second longest overall behind a 21-game slide at the end of the 1979-80 season and the start of 1980-81.
“We lost back-to-back games and it didn’t feel good, so coming into this game we knew we had to take them seriously,” said Magic center Goga Bitadze, who had 13 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks. “I think we did a good job of that tonight and we got the win.”
The streak is the longest in the NBA since Houston lost 20 straight in 2020-21. The Philadelphia 76ers hold both NBA records, setting the single-season mark at 26 in a row in 2013-14 and the overall mark at 28 at the end of 2014-15 and start of 2015-16.
The Pistons are the first team to lose 20 of their first 22 games of a season since those 2015-16 76ers. Detroit is also the fifth team since 2000 to lose 20 of its first 22 games in a season with a point differential per game of minus-10.0 or worse, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 21 points, and Killian Hayes had 16 points and seven rebounds.
After making eight of their first 12 shots, the Pistons shot 26-for-69 (37.7%) for the rest of the game, failing to score 100 points for the first time this season.
“They’re a good defensive team but we missed a lot of open shots,” Pistons coach Monty Williams said. “They take away the paint, force you to play outside. We generated only 30 3s and just didn’t hit a good percentage (6 of 30). We just had a hard time putting the ball in the basket tonight.”
Cole Anthony added 16 points and six assists for the Magic. They shot 55.1% in winning for the 10th time in 12 games.
The Magic had a 14-0 run to take a 28-21 lead late in the first quarter. Gary Harris, starting for the injured Jalen Suggs, started the run with a steal and layup, and Joe Ingles finished it with a 3-pointer.
“I think that’s what makes us a good team, that if somebody’s out, the other guys can step up,” Wagner said. “Everybody stepped up and helped fill that void because Jalen is a big part of what we’re doing. I thought Goga played with great energy and we…
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