Another Embiid record extends Piston’s fall to 22 straight defeats

Joel Embiid led the way with 35 points, while Tyrese Maxey contributed 19 as the Philadelphia 76ers handed the Detroit Pistons their franchise-record 22nd consecutive loss with a convincing 124-92 victory on Friday night in the second game of a home-and-home series.

This defeat for the Pistons followed their 129-111 loss to Philly on Wednesday night in Detroit, surpassing the franchise record set at the end of the 1979-80 season and the start of 1980-81. The Detroit losing streak now stands as the sixth-longest single-season skid in NBA history.

The only teams with longer losing streaks in a single season are the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers (both lost 26 straight), along with the 1995-96 Vancouver Grizzlies, the 1997-98 Denver Nuggets, and the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats (all lost 23 in a row). The overall record for consecutive losses in a season belongs to Philadelphia at 28, set at the end of the 2014-15 season and the start of 2015-16.

Joel Embiid’s last 5 games:

-50 points
-38 points
-34 points (sat out of 4th q)
-41 points (sat out of 4th q)
-35 points (sat out of 4th q) pic.twitter.com/pk5x4pwwZB

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Embiid returns with 34 points to help 76ers beat Hornets 108-98

— Aidan LaPorta (@AidanLaPorta69) December 16, 2023

In addition to his 35-point performance, Joel Embiid, who scored 41 points on Wednesday, grabbed 13 rebounds for his ninth straight double-double. The victory marked the Sixers’ fifth straight win, and during this impressive stretch, Embiid has averaged 36.3 points and 12.1 rebounds.

Notably, he broke Wilt Chamberlain’s franchise record for the most consecutive games with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds. Furthermore, Embiid became the first NBA player since Chamberlain in 1964-65 to achieve at least 675 points and 200 rebounds in the first 20 games of a season.