Mikal Bridges scored 29 points and the Brooklyn Nets earned a 126-115 victory over the Detroit Pistons, who tied an NBA record with their 26th straight loss Saturday night in New York.
The Pistons became the third team to lose 26 straight in a season, joining the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers. Detroit scored the game’s first six points but never regained the lead after falling behind 16-15 with a little more than five minutes left in the first quarter.
Bridges helped the Nets end a season-high five-game losing streak by making 9 of 17 shots for his sixth game with at least 25 points this season. He also sank all 10 of his free-throw attempts, handed out seven of Brooklyn’s 32 assists and grabbed six rebounds.
Cam Thomas added 20 points as the Nets shot 52.3 percent and scored 62 points in the paint. Cameron Johnson contributed 18 points while Spencer Dinwiddie chipped in 14 points and seven assists as Brooklyn beat the Pistons for the 13th time in the past 16 meetings.
Jaden Ivey led the Pistons with 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Cade Cunningham added 22 points and Isaiah Stewart contributed 20 points as Detroit shot 49.4 percent and hit 15 3-pointers.
Bridges scored 14 points in the first quarter as the Nets outscored the Pistons 20-6 over the final six-plus minutes for a 32-21 lead after the opening period. Bridges capped a 19-point opening half by hitting a 10-footer with 4.1 seconds left to help the Nets take a 65-56 lead by halftime.
The Pistons nearly took the lead in the third, getting within 77-75 on a basket by Ivey with 6:58 left. Brooklyn responded by outscoring Detroit 21-7 the rest of the quarter and ended it by scoring 10 straight points for a 98-82 lead.
A three-point play by Thomas opened a 103-82 lead a little over a minute into the fourth but the Nets struggled to shake the Pistons. Ivey’s 3-pointer made it 106-94 with 7:56 left and he made two of three free throws to make it 116-106 with 4:03 remaining.
The Nets clinched it with a 9-2 spurt to take a 125-108 lead on Johnson’s dunk with 80 seconds left.
–Field Level Media
