It was just last season that the Detroit Pistons had a 28-game losing streak. That is the longest in NBA history during a single season. Despite their ineptitude, Detroit had just one less win than the Washington Wizards. While the Pistons are now competing for playoff positioning, the Wizards struggles continue.
After Wednesday night, Washington is more than halfway to the Pistons record losing streak. With 36 games remaining, the Wizards are on track to be one of the worst teams in NBA history.
Wizards Trending Towards One Of Worst Seasons In NBA History
Wizards Have Now Lost 16 In A Row
The Wizards did what they do best on Wednesday, and that’s lose games. It was a 106-82 loss to the Toronto Raptors which now gives Washington 15 straight losses.
Remarkably, that isn’t their longest losing streak of the season. From November 2 until December 3, they lost 16 consecutive outings. That is tied for the longest in franchise history, also accomplished last season and in 2010.
The Wizards could tie their longest losing streak ever on Thursday at home against the Los Angeles Lakers. If they are defeated, they could set a new franchise record for futility on the road Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Worst Winning Percentages In NBA History
Wednesday’s loss dropped the Wizards record to 6-40 on the year. Last season’s 15-67 is the worst in franchise history. Not only is Washington certainly in line to do even worse than that, they have one of the worst winning percentages in NBA history (albeit with 36 games remaining).
Their 6-40 record gives the Wizards an atrocious .130 winning percentage on the season. That is currently the fifth-worst in NBA history. The worst comes courtesy of the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats who went 7-59 in a lockout-shortened season for a lowly .106 winning percentage. The worst record for an 82-game season comes from the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers who went 9-73.
In order for Washington to not finish with a worse winning percentage than the Bobcats, they will have to go 3-33. To finish with a better record than the 76ers, the Wizards will have to go 4-32. While that doesn’t sound like much of a challenge, the way Washington has played, it isn’t a foregone conclusion they finish better than both of them.
Constantly Getting Blown Out
The Wizards lost in blowout fashion on Wednesday which has been a common theme for them this season. It was the 17th time in which they lost by at least 20 points. Only five of their 40 defeats have come by single digits. Competitve games are not something Washington sees often.
Through 46 games, the Wizards are getting outscored on average by 14.74 points. That would be the second-worst point differential in NBA history. The only team that has a worse point margin is the 1992-93 Dallas Mavericks who were outscored on average by 15.2 points. Dallas went 11-71 that year. Even the 7-59 Bobcats had a better scoring margin than these Wizards at -13.91 points.
With the trade deadline just a week away, there’s a chance the Wizards could have even less talent. Players such as Kyle Kuzma and Jonas Valanciunas are heavily rumored to be dealt.
Photo credit: © Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
The post Wizards Trending Towards One Of Worst Seasons In NBA History appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.