On Friday, the Pistons somehow added another embarrassing moment to a brutal 2023-24 season.
During the first quarter of a 112-110 loss to the Rockets, Detroit point guard Killian Hayes attempted to inbound the ball to center Isaiah Stewart following a Houston free throw, but Stewart tipped the ball wide. He carried it and then threw the ball back to Hayes. Prompt the referee to whistle for a turnover.
Perhaps Stewart thought Hayes was trying to inbound the ball to him and didn't realize he was already out of the court, but on the Pistons bench, one coach said what was going on. He put his hands on his head in disbelief, unable to understand. .
“This is one of the reasons…the Pistons are 3-35,” Rockets anchor Craig Ackerman said.
A turnover in the first quarter during a 112-110 loss to the Rockets. Screenshot via Twitter/@BleacherReport
The Rockets jumped out to an early 15-9 lead on a shot by Alperen Sengan after a turnover, while the Pistons eventually led by 12 points with 4:47 left in the first half, but by halftime it was all over. The clouds disappeared.
If anything, the Hayes-Stewart miss was a worthy addition to the highlights and lowlights of the Pistons' 2023-24 season. The season already included an NBA record-tying 28 straight losing streaks, which ended with a win on December 30th. Raptors game.
And Killian Hayes committed the crime on Friday. Screenshot via Twitter/@BleacherReport
Detroit started the season 2-1, with a loss to the reigning Eastern Conference champion Heat and two wins against the Hornets and Bulls.
However, the losing streak continued after that, and the lineup featuring Cade Cunningham, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey was unable to stop the winning streak until a matchup against Toronto.
“I feel great,” Cunningham told reporters after the stunning win against the Raptors, according to the Associated Press. “We just kept fighting. It's been a long road with all the losses, but I'm so happy to be part of a group of guys who don't give up.”
In Friday's loss, former Knick Kevin Knox II led the Pistons with 19 points, and Ivey added 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
Stewart added 16 points and seven rebounds.
