Basketball world champion Dennis Schröder suffered a bitter defeat with the Toronto Raptors against the worst team in the NBA.
The Canadians lost 127:129 to the Detroit Pistons, who stopped their horror series after 28 defeats in a row. Detroit had stopped the Philadelphia 76ers’ negative run two days earlier, and with their first success in more than two months, the Pistons now prevented the sole negative record.
Schröder, who started from the start, fought against bankruptcy with strong 30 points and nine assists. Only teammate Pascal Siakam was more successful than the German national team captain with 35 points. Nevertheless, the Raptors remained winless for the fifth time in the last six games.
On the Pistons’ side, playmaker Cade Cunningham in particular contributed to the liberating sense of success with a double-double of 30 points and twelve assists. “The boys were screaming, I was almost in tears,” said Detroit head coach Monty Williams: “I’m so happy for our boys, I’m happy for everyone in the locker room.”
“Thank God, finally”
It was “not a relief,” but “just a ‘thank God, finally’.” Williams, the 2022 NBA Coach of the Year, is now hoping for a turning point for the Michigan team.
Like Schröder, national player Isaiah Hartenstein also had to cope with a setback. With the New York Knicks, the center lost to the Indiana Pacers 126:140. In New York’s third loss in a row, Hartenstein had two points, six rebounds and nine assists as a starter.
On his 39th birthday, LeBron James also suffered a setback. The superstar and the Los Angeles Lakers narrowly lost to the best team in the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves, 106:108. James scored 26 points.