Finally ! The Detroit Pistons won their first game, Saturday night against the Toronto Raptors (129-127), after a series of 28 defeats, the longest in NBA history. They had not tasted victory since October 29, against the Chicago Bulls (118-102).
“I’ve been in a ton of locker rooms in my career, but this is a first for me to feel this type of relief,” said coach Monty Williams. It’s like we’re thanking God… The guys were screaming, and I had tears in my eyes.” The Pistons were notably able to count on their young star, leader Cade Cunningham, author of 30 points and 12 assists against Toronto. Detroit now has a record of 3 wins for 29 losses and remains last in the Eastern Conference.
Still in the East, the Indiana Pacers corrected the New York Knicks (140-126), in the wake of their maesto Tyrese Haliburton (22 pts, 23 assists). Basketball France can at least be happy to have seen Evan Fournier back on the floors. The Blues guard, put on the shelf by the Knicks, played his 2nd game of the season, compiling 10 pts, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 interceptions on 3/10 shots in 17 minutes.
The Chicago Bulls, for their part, defeated the Philadelphia Sixers (105-92) without MVP Joel Embiid, who was injured in the right ankle. The Miami Heat, 5th in the East, stumbled against the Utah Jazz (117-109). Miami star Jimmy Butler, who had missed the last 4 matches due to a calf problem, was again out with a foot injury.
In the West, the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers by a breath (108-106). Or rather a size. Three seconds from the end of the match, LeBron James thought he had equalized on a 3-point shot for the Lakers, but the referees judged that he had bitten the arc and therefore only awarded 2 pts for this shot. “It’s obvious that it’s a 3-point basket,” complained at the ESPN microphone after the match.
“After reviewing the image, it was not clear enough to go from a 2-point shot to a 3-point shot,” explained referee Tony Brothers. The Wolves of French Rudy Gobert (13 pts, 13 rebounds) and Anthony Edwards (31 pts) thus tamed Los Angeles despite a strong Anthony Davis (33 pts, 17 rebounds, 8 assists) to consolidate their place of N.1 in the West (24 victories, 7 defeats).
The Golden State Warriors, on the other hand, had no response to Luka Doncic, author of 39 pts, 10 rebounds and 8 assists to guide the Dallas Mavericks to victory (122-132). The Slovenian, candidate for the title of MVP, thus lifts Dallas to 6th place in the West. The Warriors (15 wins, 17 losses), champions in 2022, are in a disappointing 11th place.
