It was almost a cinematic moment.
The worst team in the NBA, which has lost 27 games in a row, takes on the best team in the NBA on its home court, a place where it hasn't lost all season, and slays the dragon, both figuratively and in the literal sense.
It would have been an inspiring film for eternity.
Instead, Detroit, the worst team in the NBA, found itself in another horror movie, but this one had a twist.
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How the Pistons, one of the NBA's most storied franchises, cratered
The Pistons lost to the Celtics 128-122 in overtime on Thursday night after leading by 19 points at halftime. The franchise now has the longest losing streak in NBA history (spanning two seasons) at 28. Detroit didn't do anything special in the first 24 minutes. Cade Cunningham was making shots like he always does, the defense was fine, and the Pistons still turned the ball over way too often. However, Boston shot a terrible 39 percent from the field and 17 percent from three while turning the ball over 10 times. It was the first time in a long time that it felt like an opposing team shot poorly against Detroit.
After the Celtics tied the game at the end of the third quarter, it was a back-and-forth battle the rest of the way. The Pistons briefly trailed by six points late in the fourth quarter, but showed some composure toward the end of the game to avoid collapsing in crucial time, as they have done most of the season.
Detroit had several opportunities to take the lead with seconds left in the fourth quarter, but veterans Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks – both of whom shot better than 38 percent from three in their careers – missed several open goals.
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The Celtics had a two-point lead with 4.8 seconds left when Bogdanovic drained a missed 3-point attempt by Cunningham. Tatum missed a shot at the end of regulation time, which led to overtime.
In overtime, Boston looked like a team that had previously played with intensity, making shots and playing error-free. The Pistons shot less than 40 percent from the field and were 1 of 6 from 3.
Detroit faces the Raptors at home on Saturday looking to avoid loss No. 29.
Required reading
(Photo: Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)