Sports

Thunder roll past Celtics

Agence France-Presse

January 4, 2024 | 12:00am

How does obedience demonstrate your trust in God? In what areas of your life are you standing on the shifting sands of disobedience to Him? Thunder roll pasT CelTiCs Two teams are in the books for sharing the most consecutive losses in the NBA and one of them nearly shattered the tie to set a new ignominious record. Detroit compiled 28 losses in a row this season and broke the streak with a 129-127 decision over Toronto at home last Saturday. Another defeat would’ve put the Pistons in sole possession of the crown as the losingest NBA team ever. But Detroit’s 28 setbacks set a new record for most successive defeats within a season. The other team Philadelphia that co-holds the record of 28 straight losses did it over two seasons in 2014-15 and 2015-16. The Pistons actually had an auspicious start this campaign, winning two of their first three outings. Then came the horrendous tailspin from Oct. 30 to Dec. 28, a drought that should’ve kicked out head coach Monty Williams. Despite the win over Toronto, Detroit is in contention to surpass the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers’ record for most losses at 73 in a season, the 1947-48 Providence Steam Rollers’ mark for least wins at six in a season and the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats’ standard for worst winning percentage of .106. Although the Pistons couldn’t play any worse, their fans are keeping the faith for a recovery. Believe it or not, Detroit ranks No. 19 of 30 in average attendance with 17,915 hopeful souls watching one carnage after another. The Pistons are outselling Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Phoenix and eight other teams. With a fan base as loyal as Detroit’s, it’s criminal that the Pistons don’t repay them with more wins. The fans deserve a better team. “They (fans) show up proudly, with smiles and optimism,” wrote James Edwards in The Athletic. “Jerseys, hoodies, hats. Whatever they can get their hands on that flashes the Pistons logo, they wear it. When, at this point, they should be showing up with brown paper bags over their heads.” Detroit’s NBA franchise has a storybook history with championships in 1989, 1990 and 2004. Joe Dumars, Isiah Thomas, Dennis Rodman, John Salley, Bill Laimbeer and Vinnie Johnson led the Pistons to back-to-back titles while Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace were the anchors of the 2004 squad that stunned the LA Lakers with Shaq O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton and Karl Malone in the Finals. But the road has been rough for Detroit lately and the Pistons haven’t made the playoffs in 12 of the last 14 seasons with the two exceptions ending up in 4-0 first round sweeps. The problem is Williams doesn’t seem to be owning up to the downtrend. “As bad as they hurt, right now, I hurt for them,” said Williams, referring to the Pistons. But what about Williams himself? Is he laying the blame squarely on the players? In the PBA, Blackwater holds the record for most consecutive losses in a season at 21, 11 games in the 2021 Philippine Cup and 10 in the 2021 Governors Cup. Blackwater also owns the dubious mark of most losses in a row at 29 from the 2020 Philippine Cup to the 2021 Governors Cup. In the ongoing Commissioner’s Cup, Blackwater is on an eight-game losing streak. The Bossing welcomed new coach Jeff Cariaso this season but the change in fortunes is taking longer than expected. Jvee Casio is now in the injured reserve list while Rashawn McCarthy and Yousef Taha are in the unrestricted free agents pool with the right to receive a salary. Baser Amer has this conference to prove he still belongs. Pistons star Cade Cunningham said the losses aren’t breaking his back. “There’s no team that I’ve ever come across in the NBA where I felt like I was going into a slaughterhouse,” he said. “In every game, we should be able to fight teams and impose our will on them. We have what it takes to win a game. To put games together, to find our system, find what’s clicking and allow us to sustain winning, that’s all we’re looking for.” It’s that losers-can’t-be-weepers attitude that will bring Blackwater back on track. Losers can’t be weepers By JOAQUIN M. HENSON Sporting C hanCe Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stars as the Oklahoma City Thunder snap the Boston Celtics’ six-game run.

AFP

LOS ANGELES – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 36 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder snapped Boston’s six-game winning streak with a 127-123 victory on Tuesday.

A heavyweight clash between two of the league’s top teams lived up to its billing as Oklahoma City’s youthful line-up went toe-to-toe with the Celtics, who lead the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s points haul came from 14-of-22 shooting, with the talented point guard adding eight rebounds and six assists on a night when five Thunder players finished in double figures at Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center.

Australia’s Josh Giddey added 23 points while Jalen Williams scored 16 and Chet Holmgren 14. Isaiah Joe chipped in with 10 off the bench as the Thunder extended their own winning-streak to five games.

“Those guys have been to multiple conference finals, won plenty of basketball games and they have the best record in the league,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of Boston.

“We knew it was going to take a whole game if we wanted to beat them. No matter how big the lead, we knew they weren’t going to lie down.”

Boston led 61-58 at halftime but the game swung decisively in favor of Oklahoma City after a devastating third quarter in which they outscored the Celtics 40-25, with Gilgeous-Alexander pouring in 16 points.

Oklahoma City appeared to be cruising towards victory, opening up an 18-point lead midway through the fourth quarter. Boston, however, rallied bravely to cut the Thunder’s lead to just two points to set up a nervy finish.

Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey steadied the ship for the home team down the stretch, bagging clutch free throws in the dying seconds to give Oklahoma City the win.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault was satisfied with the victory but admitted his team had been “sloppy” after allowing Boston back in the game in the closing stages.

of the fourth quarter.