On December 27, Beijing time, in the NBA regular season, the Nets defeated the Pistons 118-112 away. After losing this game, the Pistons suffered a 27-game losing streak, setting a league record for consecutive losses in a single season.
The Pistons had 41 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists, Duren 12 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, Stewart 7 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists, Bogdanovic 23 points, Burks 15 points and 5 rebounds, and the Nets Bridges 21 points, Johnson 24 points, Claxton 11 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks, Thomas 17 points, Smith 11 points, Sharpe 11 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks.
In the first quarter of the game, Stewart made a layup, Duren contributed a dunk, Bogdanovic continued to steal points under the basket, and the Pistons got off to a dream start 9-1. Duren made a successful layup, and then his mid-range jumper also scored, Bogdanovic scored five points in a row with a mid-to-long-range projection, Duren added a dunk, and the Pistons continued their good form to continue to widen the gap at 22-8. Sharpe made an easy layup, Smith made a jumper from the free throw line, Thomas made a successful throw, Smith made an open three-pointer, and Thomas kept hitting the basket and scored six points in a row. At the end of the quarter, the Pistons led 31-25.
In the second quarter of the game, Smith turned over to the free throw line and made a jumper, O'Neal hit a long-range shot, Claxton and O'Neal both made easy layups, Bridges made a step-back jumper, and the Nets played well to overtake the score 51-50. Claxton hit a dunk, Johnson hit a three-pointer on the left side, and then his mid-range added as the Nets battled to end the half with a 61-54 lead.
In the third quarter, Claxton made an easy layup, Dinwiddie threw a shot to grab points, Claxton scored a hook hand under the basket, and the Pistons took a 10-point advantage at 67-57. Bogdanovic made a three-pointer, Cunningham's mid-range projection scored five points in a row, Allen contributed a dunk, Cunningham's mid-range also scored, and the Pistons tied the score at 71. Johnson's shooting showed power to score five straight points, Sharpe made an easy layup, Cunningham hit a mid-range shot, Duren forced a layup and gave the Pistons a 77-76 lead. Sharpe catches the ball for a layup, Thomas hit a mid-range shot, Thomas makes a low-handed layup, and the Pistons lead 86-78. Cunningham scored on a jumper and Burks hit a three-pointer to chase down. At the end of the quarter, the Nets led 88-85.
In the final quarter of the game, Ivey hit a mid-range shot, Bogdanovic scored five points in a row with a burst shot, Cunningham hit a three-point shot at the top of the arc, Bridges made a rebound, Bridges scored a jumper from the free throw line, and the two teams were deadlocked on the court until 97. Sharpe hit a basket, Bridges broke through and Smith hit a three-pointer to give the Nets a 105-97 lead. Cunningham made a step-back jumper, then he hit another three-pointer and made it 2+1 to make it 106-109 for the Pistons. Johnson hit a three-pointer from the bottom corner, Cunningham was in excellent shape to steal back-to-back points, and the Pistons trailed 110-112. Smith hit a key three-pointer to seal the win with the Nets leading 115-110. In the next game, the Nets successfully maintained their advantage to win the game.
Starting lineup
Pistons: Bogdanovic, Stewart, Duren, Ivey, Cunningham
Nets: Bridges, Johnson, Claxton, Thomas, Dinwiddie