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A16 SPORTS
Wednesday 20 december 2023

Long losing streaks are uncomfortable for NBA players

By PAT GRAHAM around our team, they’re
AP Sports Writer not laughing, giggling and
Victor Wembanyama has having a ball. They hate it,”
adjusted to many things Williams recently said of the
food, culture, double losing. “But when we show
teams since the top pick’s up in the gym the next day,
arrival with the San Antonio the guys are wide-eyed.
Spurs. They’re looking at me for
There’s just no getting ac- answers. They come in and
customed to all the losing. work hard.
Pick an NBA player’s name, “We’ve just hit an unbeliev-
any name, and they’re not ably tough stretch of bas-
hard-wired for skids. Players ketball.”
like Wembanyama have Anthony knows the feeling.
typically always been on He was once in the middle
winning teams before com- of an historical skid, too.
ing to the league, not ones This after winning a nation-
that stack up defeats at his- al championship at UNLV.
toric rates. For Wembanya- This after helping New York
ma, along with youngsters Knicks to the 1994 NBA Fi-
like Cade Cunningham nals, where they lost in
and Ausar Thompson in seven games to Hakeem
Detroit and Bilal Coulibaly Olajuwon and the Rockets.
of Washington, losing has Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham fouls Milwaukee Bucks’ MarJon Beauchamp during the first As part of the 1995 expan-
become part of their NBA half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, in Milwaukee. sion draft, Anthony was
education. Associated Press picked by the Vancouver
Misery does love company, Grizzlies (now Memphis).
and the Pistons, who lost 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers, same. Detroit has an array said. “And typically, most That first season, Anthony
their 24th straight game who both dropped 26 con- of first-round talent, and the guys have been on good experienced a losing streak
Monday night, have some secutive games. The 76ers Spurs boast Wembanyama teams where if you do that started with a loss on
in the Spurs and Wizards. also had a 28-game losing (he’s averaging 19 points certain things, well, you’re Feb. 16, 1996, to Atlanta,
Despite the presence of streak that started in the and 11 rebounds). Wash- going to have a chance and didn’t end until the
Wembanyama, the Spurs 2014-15 season and carried ington, meanwhile, is gen- to win. But when you get Grizzlies knocked off Kevin
have dropped 19 of 20, over to 2015-16. erating headlines as much in those kinds of situations, Garnett and the Minnesota

while the Wizards are in the “It’s just a miserable exis- for its moves off the court where you don’t have con- Timberwolves on April 23.
midst of losing 17 of 19. tence,” said NBA on TNT possibly relocating out of trol over your own destiny “In a weird way, that was
“Sometimes, you’ll be in analyst analyst Greg An- the District of Columbia as in a specific game, that like winning a playoff
a game and maybe think thony, who was a member the mounting losses. On the can really try you and chal- game,” Anthony recalled.
about the losing streak and of the 1995-96 Vancouver floor, the Wizards are trying lenge you, and everybody “It was a really, really big
causes you to do a little Grizzlies team that dropped to build around Coulibaly, involved. It can just be a deal. You can’t even de-
extra or just do something 23 straight contests. “Your Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuz- really ... poisonous exis- scribe the relief that one
you wouldn’t normally do,” food doesn’t taste as ma, the veteran forward tence.” feels having gone through
Thompson recently said. good. You don’t sleep as who won an NBA title with The Pistons had all the signs that.”
“Panic a little bit.” well. There’s a lot of stress James and the Lakers. of a team prepared to im- Wembanyama almost felt
Thompson’s certainly not and anxiety. It wears on Other single-digit win teams prove on their 17-65 mark like the weight had been
used to this. He won a state you, because everybody include Portland (6-19), from a season ago. Cun- lifted when the Spurs saw
title in high school, along in your world knows you’re Memphis (6-19, but Ja Mo- ningham was back from their 18-game losing streak
with two titles with Over- going through it. rant returns Tuesday after a shin surgery, they landed end with a win over LeBron
time Elite, a professional “The city knows it, the 25-game suspension ) and Thompson and Marcus James and the Lakers last
basketball league based country knows it, the en- Charlotte (7-18). Sasser in the most recent Friday. On Sunday, though,
in Atlanta that’s opening tire league. You’re the butt It’s a race to the bottom draft and had a year of they lost 146-110 to New Or-
another door to the pros for of jokes. As a competitor, right now, with Detroit in growth from Jaden Ivey, leans.
talented young players. that is a really difficult ex- the driver’s seat and no the 2022 fifth overall pick The Spurs are young and
Now, he’s trying to help a perience to have to go Wembanyama awaiting in out of Purdue. They also bumps are part of the jour-
struggling Pistons team. The through.” the 2024 draft. brought in veteran coach ney.
record for the longest losing The Pistons (2-25), Wizards “Your whole career, your Monty Williams. “It might explain it but it
streak within a single sea- (4-22) and Spurs (4-21) may whole life as an athlete, Instead, it’s been loss after doesn’t mean it’s OK,”
son is shared by the 2010-11 have scuffling in common. you’re always in the mind- loss after loss after loss, etc. Wembanyama said.q
Cleveland Cavaliers and But not all rebuilds are the set of winning,” Anthony “You talk to people that are