Monty Williams slammed "the absolute worst call of the season" after the Detroit Pistons lost to the New York Knicks on Monday.

The Pistons lost 113-111 to the Knicks, in large part due to an obvious case of the officials missing a blatant foul with 8.5 seconds left, after Donte DiVincenzo barged into Ausar Thompson.

Referee James Williams subsequently admitted a mistake had been made.

And Williams was left seething.

"The absolute worst call of the season," Williams said.

"No call, and enough's enough. We've done it the right way. We've called the league. We've sent in clips. We're sick of hearing the same stuff over and over again.

"We had a chance to win the game, and a guy dove into Ausur's legs and there was a no-call. That's an abomination. You cannot miss that in an NBA game. Period. And I'm tired of talking about it. I'm tired of my guys asking, 'What more can we do, Coach?' That situation is Exhibit A to what we've been dealing with all season long, and enough's enough.

"You cannot dive into a guy's legs in a big-time game like that and there be a no-call," he continued. "It's ridiculous, and we're tired of it. We just want a fair game called. Period. And I've got nothing else to say. We want a fair game, and that was not fair."

The Pistons were also on the end of a controversial decision in their loss to the Orlando Magic on Saturday.

"I'd say livid," said Cade Cunningham, who scored 32 points and added five rebounds and five assists.

"That's the word of the day: livid."

Explaining his attempt to win the ball, DiVincenzo said: "I went for the ball. I didn't look at the play. You turn the ball over, the ball is in front of you, and you go after the ball. Like I said, I respect everyone's opinion. I can't speak on it until I look at the film."

The controversy came a day after LeBron James and Darvin Ham questioned the officials after the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Phoenix Suns.

Detroit sit bottom of the Eastern Conference, while the Knicks are in fourth.

Detroit Pistons coach Monty Williams was left unimpressed by the Phoenix Suns issuing a statement following Isaiah Stewart's arrest.

Pistons center Stewart was arrested after he punched Phoenix's Drew Eubanks before Wednesday's meeting between the Suns and Detroit.

Stewart, who was already out of the game due to an ankle injury, was issued with a citation and released, reported ESPN, citing Phoenix police.

Eubanks, meanwhile, helped the Suns win 116-100. The Phoenix center said the altercation with Stewart took place as he was coming into the arena, explaining an argument sparked before security intervened.

In a statement, the Suns said: "The attack on Drew Eubanks was unprovoked, and acts of violence such as this are unacceptable.

"We unequivocally support Drew, and will continue to work with local law enforcement and the NBA."

Williams, who was sacked by the Suns last season, questioned his former team, however.

"The thing is to get all of the information. The NBA will do an investigation," Williams said.

"For me to come here and make a statement would be a bit irresponsible. I know the Suns said it was unprovoked; I think that is irresponsible for sure. You really don't know.

"That did not need to happen. There is a time for the information to be gathered, and then you can make a statement."

A Pistons statement added: "We are in the process of gathering information about what happened and what provoked it, and responding to the NBA and local authorities."

Suns talisman Kevin Durant, who finished with 25 points, said: "Keep the game first. There's a lot of noise. 

"It's unfortunate what happened before the game, it's supposed to be a brotherhood. But I also understand, dudes get into stuff. We try to avoid that in this league, hopefully we can move on from it. We all support Drew."

Victor Wembanyama was delighted to make a "statement" with his first NBA triple-double on Wednesday, having helped the San Antonio Spurs past the Detroit Pistons with a dominant display.

Last year's number one draft pick finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists at Little Caesars Arena as the Spurs ended a five-game losing streak with a 130-108 win over their struggling opponents.

In doing so, Wembanyama – at the age of 20 years and six days – became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double with no turnovers since turnovers were first tracked in 1977-78, surpassing Andre Iguodala, who did so aged 21 years and 54 days in 2005.

Wembanyama's achievement was made all the more impressive by the fact he played just 21 minutes and two seconds overall, the second-fewest minutes needed for a triple-double in the shot-clock era (since 1954-55).

The Frenchman was under a minute away from the outright record, with Russell Westbrook having recorded a triple-double in 20 minutes and 17 seconds for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2014, against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Speaking after the win, Wembanyama said of his landmark performance: "Doing it in a win is everything, of course. I didn't know it was the second-fastest in NBA history. 

"It matters to me. I'm not the type to talk for nothing. This is the kind of statement we want to make as a team, and this is the type of statement I want to make as a player."

The Pistons were one of the teams who had hoped to recruit Wembanyama, with Detroit having failed to secure the first overall draft pick despite finishing with the league's worst record last year.

Asked about Detroit's previous interest in him, Wembanyama said: "It's weird to imagine a different future and what could have been."

Detroit also have the worst record in the NBA this season, sitting at 3-35 after losing six straight games. Their current losing run started after a win over the Toronto Raptors in late December, which itself halted a joint-record 28-game losing streak.

Pistons coach Monty Williams was unimpressed after a poor first quarter set the tone for another disappointing outing, saying: "The focus and discipline wasn't there.

"There's nobody to look at other than me, not having guys ready to play."

Detroit Pistons coach Monty Williams was "almost in tears" after Saturday's 129-127 win over the Toronto Raptors, which saw his team avoid setting a new record for most consecutive NBA losses.

Detroit matched the longest losing run in NBA history on Thursday, when they blew a 21-point lead against the Boston Celtics to equal the Philadelphia 76ers' record of 28 straight losses covering the end of 2014-15 and the start of 2015-16.

The Pistons – who were on the worst single-season losing streak in league history – could have taken that unwanted record outright when they welcomed Toronto to Little Caesars Arena, but Cade Cunningham starred as they avoided doing so.

The third-year guard had 30 points and 12 assists as the Pistons clinched victory over their short-handed opponents by going 11 for 12 from the free throw line in the final minute.

Asked about the mood in the Detroit camp after the team's first win since October 28, Williams said: "I've been a ton of locker rooms my whole life, and that's a first for me, to have that. 

"It wasn't relief, it was like: 'Thank God'. Guys were screaming. I was almost in tears. I'm just so happy for our guys. I'm happy for everybody.

"Sometimes it just takes a win like that to get things started. I just have so much respect for our team."

Cunningham, who hit back-to-back three-pointers in a crucial fourth-quarter stretch to pull Detroit clear, added: "I feel amazing.

"We just kept battling. It's been a long stretch, all these losses, but I'm just happy to be part of a group of guys who don't quit."

Pascal Siakam scored 35 points and Dennis Schroder added 28 for the 12-20 Raptors, who traded O.G. Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn to the New York Knicks earlier on Saturday and were unable to field new arrivals RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.

They sit 12th in the Eastern Conference after losing five of their last six games, while the last-place Pistons are at 3-29 ahead of a four-game road stretch starting against the Houston Rockets on Monday.

Coach Monty Williams was bullish about the Detroit Pistons' future despite the team matching the longest losing streak in NBA history on Thursday, when an improved performance was not enough to get them over the line against the Boston Celtics. 

The Pistons opened a 21-point lead in the first half as they went in search of a first win since October 28, but Jayson Tatum had 31 points for Boston as they turned things around to lead in the fourth quarter.

Bojan Bogdanovic made a putback with 4.6 seconds left to force overtime, but it was not to be for Detroit as Derrick White scored 10 of his 23 points in the extra period, helping the Celtics to a 128-122 success. 

Detroit have now lost their last 28 games, matching the Philadelphia 76ers' record losing run across the end of the 2014-15 season and the start of 2015-16.

They could take that unwanted record outright when they face the Toronto Raptors next time out, but an improved showing against the league's best side offered Williams encouragement.

"I'm unbelievably proud of the group, the way they bring it," Williams said after seeing his team slip to 2-29.

"They've heard all the stuff about our team and they just keep bringing it. I know it's going to pay off.

"As bad as they hurt right now, I hurt for them. But I told them; if we bring that kind of toughness and execution — minus the turnovers — we're not just going to win one game. 

"We're going to put something together."

Guard Cade Cunningham finished with 31 points, 22 of which came in the first half, though he missed a potential game-winning three-pointer with seven seconds remaining in regulation.

Like his coach, Cunningham said Detroit were not interested in winning purely to stop the rot, but as a platform for a lasting improvement.

"I'm not interested in just winning one more game this year to stop this, you know what I mean? That would be soft in my opinion," Cunningham said.

"Our goals are a lot higher than that. We have what it takes to win a game, that's nothing. 

"But to put games together, to find our system, find what's clicking and allow us to sustain winning…. That's all we're looking for.

"We're on the same level as all these teams we're playing against. There's no team that I've ever come across in the NBA where I felt like I was going into a slaughterhouse. I’ve never felt like that in my life, going into a basketball game.

"Every game, we should be able to fight teams and impose our will on them. We did that early on. 

"We let go of the rope a little bit in the third quarter. But there's a lot of growth, something we can learn from and definitely take to the next game."

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham said the team cannot keep doing the same things and expect different results after they tied the record for worst single-season losing streak in NBA history.

The Pistons suffered their 26th straight defeat on Saturday, losing 126-115 to the Brooklyn Nets in the first game of a home-and-away double-header either side of Christmas.

That saw them join the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers in losing 26 successive games within a single campaign. 

They are just two defeats away from matching the worst overall losing streak in NBA history, with the Sixers having lost 28 in a row across the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.

The Pistons were in the game until the second half, when a 15-0 run from the Nets ended it as a contest. Cunningham, who finished with 22 points, said a new plan may be needed for Detroit to halt their historic slide. 

"Everybody wants to win, everybody hates losing, so it's hard," Cunningham said. "We've got to be realistic as well. 

"We can't just keep saying the same things over and over, like we'll get the next one. There has to be like a plan of action, so we're just trying to figure that out."

The defeat dropped Detroit to 2-27 with three games remaining in 2023. They will round off a miserable year against the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors after Tuesday's rematch against Brooklyn.

Head coach Monty Williams, meanwhile, is trying to remain upbeat, praising his players' resilience and outlining his confidence that an elusive win is not far away.

"Losing is awful in this league and we've had a lot of it," Williams told reporters. "I'm proud of the way they just keep battling every night.

"You have to allow people to be human but the way they come back the next day is something I am blown away at.

"I've been around a lot of teams and not many teams have that type of resiliency. 

"Our guys don't want to be a part of any kind of losing streak whatsoever, but every day they come back with focus and drive and grit trying to win a game."

The Nets improved to 14-15 with Saturday's win, with Mikal Bridges finishing with 29 points as one of seven players in double figures as they snapped their own five-game losing streak.

Cade Cunningham has faith the Detroit Pistons can turn their form around after a 25th successive loss saw them close in on an unwanted NBA record.

The Pistons went down 119-111 to the short-handed Utah Jazz on Thursday.

That means Detroit are just one defeat away from matching the single-season record for consecutive losses, which is shared by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers, while the latter hold the outright record for successive defeats, having lost 28 straight games across the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.

Cunningham, though, believes the Pistons still have the quality to turn matters around.

"We're not 2-26 bad, no way are we that bad," said Cunningham, who finished with a double-double of 28 points and 10 assists.

"I think we can turn this around. We can play a much better brand of basketball.

"We had a chance to win it down the stretch, and we just weren't solid enough.

"This is history no one wants to be a part of."

While Cunningham was upbeat ahead of Saturday's meeting with the Brooklyn Nets, coach Monty Williams had to hold his tongue.

"I want to be careful with my words, because this one hurts more than most of them," Williams said.

"A team that played last night got [50] points off turnovers and rebounds. It is unbelievably hard to understand how we can get outworked in those categories."

Jazz coach Will Hardy, meanwhile, hailed a big win for his team, who were without four of their top seven scorers.

Hardy said: "That's a really, really good team win for us. That's a hard game to play, second night of a back-to-back on the road with a bunch of guys out." 

Monty Williams wants to see more anger in the Detroit Pistons locker room after the team tied their franchise-record losing streak by suffering a 21st straight loss against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The NBA's worst team slumped to 2-22 with a 129-111 defeat at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday as reigning MVP Joel Embiid finished with 41 points for the Sixers, for whom Tobias Harris added 21.

The Pistons' 21st successive defeat saw them match the worst losing run in their history, which came between the end of the 1979-80 season and the start of 1980-81.

Their current run is also the sixth-longest single-season losing streak in NBA history, and things could get worse before they get better when they travel to Philadelphia for a rematch on Friday.

Detroit were on the back foot from the start as they were outscored 39-26 in the first quarter, leading head coach Williams to demand more aggression from his team.

"I don't want anyone to be happy in this situation," Williams said. 

"I want to see an ornery locker room that's tired, not just of losing, but tired of missing shots and tired of giving up 39-point quarters."

The record for the worst single-season losing streak in NBA history is held jointly by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2013-14 Sixers, both of whom lost 26 games in a row. Philadelphia also hold the overall record of 28 successive losses, set between the end of 2014-15 and start of 2015-16.

Williams was also less-than-impressed with the Pistons being outrebounded 52-35 across the course of the game, adding: "Rebounding has been a point of emphasis for 24 games… even back in the preseason.

"We have to be able to be a team that can finish a play."

While Detroit are in a rut, center James Wiseman suggested there was little they could do to stop Embiid in his current form, with the Sixers star averaging 40.8 points over his last four games.

"We tried our best," Wiseman said. "I took on the challenge and tried to contain him. We didn't back down from him."

Victor Wembanyama vowed the San Antonio Spurs will continue looking for "a good recipe" after his historic performance failed to prevent his team matching their franchise-record losing run.

At 19 years and 38 days old, the first overall draft pick became the youngest player in NBA history to post a 20-20 game, managing 21 points and 20 assists at home to the Chicago Bulls on Friday.

However, that performance was not enough to prevent a 121-112 defeat as the Bulls rallied after the interval, with Patrick Williams, Demar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Coby White all managing 20 points or more for Chicago.

San Antonio has now tied their all-time record losing streak of 16 games, while their 3-18 record is the worst they have ever managed through 21 games of a season.

Wembanyama – whose 20-20 game came when he was four days younger than previous record holder Dwight Howard – says it is still a case of trial and error after he starred from the center position against the Bulls.

"Experimenting in different areas of the game is always something important and interesting to me," Wembanyama said. 

"Every game is different, but we're going to see and try until we find a good recipe.

"When our opponents are down at half, of course they're going to try and have a reaction. We've got to expect that every time, because our first half was pretty solid, especially defensively. 

"There are ups and downs during the game, but we've got to get our downs less and less."

San Antonio's losing steak still stands three games short of that being endured by the Detroit Pistons, who are 2-20 after going down by a 123-91 scoreline against the Orlando Magic, their 19th straight loss.

Franz Wagner scored 27 points and Paolo Banchero added 24 for Orlando, with the Pistons now enduring the longest single-season losing streak in their franchise history and their second-longest overall.

Detroit previously lost 21 in a row across the end of the 1979-80 season and the start of 1980-81.

Though Pistons coach Monty Williams acknowledged the 15-7 Magic are a tough nut to crack defensively, he wasn't happy with his team's offensive efforts.

"They're a good defensive team but we missed a lot of open shots," Williams said after the defeat. 

"They take away the paint, force you to play outside. We generated only 30 threes and just didn't hit a good percentage. We just had a hard time putting the ball in the basket tonight."

The Detroit Pistons have some positives to build off following their loss to the New York Knicks, but Monty Williams is not a fan of "moral victories".

Detroit went down 118-112 to the Knicks on Thursday, marking their 16th straight defeat. 

They are 2-17 for the season and the first team since the Philadelphia 76ers in 2015-16 to lose every game in a calendar month.

Williams saw some bright sparks from his team, though he is looking for actual wins rather than moral boosts.

"I saw the fight and resiliency that we can build on," Williams said. "That's a game that we can build on.

"I'm not into moral victories. I don't know where that came from. Doesn't make sense.

"But that was something - that game, that output, that energy, production from our group - [that] is something that I'm proud of.

"That's the kind of competitive edge that we have to play with every single night.

"When you lose this many games, you got to make changes. We're not going to leave any stone unturned. We're going to look at every lineup possible to give ourselves a chance to win games and grow as a team.

"And so there may be more changes. We're just going to do everything we can to put the guys in the position to win."

Cade Cunningham echoed Williams' thoughts, adding: "Yeah, I think it's something we could definitely build off of. That's got to be our baseline, our minimum, and we can build off of that."

Detroit Pistons head coach Monty Williams hit out at his team's lack of fight and said they were failing to honour the franchise's jersey after they slipped to a 14th consecutive defeat on Monday.

The Pistons suffered another heavy loss at Little Caesars Arena as the Washington Wizards claimed a 126-107 win, Kyle Kuzma leading the way with 32 points and 12 rebounds.

While Washington ended their own nine-game losing streak, Detroit now have the worst record in the league after slipping to 2-15, losing three of their last four games by at least 19 points.

In a post-game media appearance lasting just one minute, Williams accused his team of failing to compete while acknowledging he is ultimately responsible for turning things around.

"That wasn't fight on the floor. That wasn't Pistons basketball by any stretch of the imagination," Williams said. 

"That's what this is, we have to have people that honour the organisation and the jersey by competing at a high level every night. I'm not talking about execution, just competing. That wasn't it, and that's on me."

Asked what needs to improve as the Pistons prepare to face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, Williams added: "It's just a level of growing up on this team, maturity, understanding what game-plan discipline is. All the stuff we talk about all the time. It's enough talking."

Guard Cade Cunningham echoed his coach's thoughts, saying the team needed to improve physically. 

"We all want to win really bad," Cunningham said. "Everybody's doing it out of the spirit of that; wanting to win, wanting to do what's best for the team.

"I think we need more aggressive mess-ups. Where we're struggling right now is slip-ups where we're not physical enough or not aggressive enough. That's what we need to lean towards instead of trying not to press.

"We play great stretches, and then we've had crazy bad stretches where we dig ourselves in too deep of a hole. 

"That's it right there, it's just holding each other accountable and when we do feel it start to slip, having the mental stamina to stay together, stay connected."

The Phoenix Suns are finalising an agreement with former NBA champion coach Frank Vogel to become their next head coach, according to multiple reports.

Vogel, who guided the Los Angeles Lakers to an NBA title during the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season, takes over a talent-laden Suns team that has compiled a 160-76 record over the last three regular seasons - the highest winning percentage in the league over that period - but still seeks the first championship of the franchise's 55-year existence.

The 49-year-old replaces Monty Williams, who was fired shortly after the Suns were ousted by the Denver Nuggets in six games in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Williams was hired as the Detroit Pistons' head coach earlier this week. The 2021-22 NBA Coach of the Year went 194-115 over four seasons in Phoenix and led the Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals.

Vogel owns a 431-389 overall record over 11 seasons with three different teams along with a career 49-39 playoff record. His greatest success came during his first season in Los Angeles, where a Lakers team led by superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis went 52-19 before winning four playoff series in the Orlando bubble to earn the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

The Lakers failed to follow up on that success, however, losing to the Suns in the first round the following season. Vogel was then fired after the 2021-22 campaign in which Los Angeles went a disappointing 33-49 and missed the playoffs. 

Regarded as a defensive specialist, Vogel previously directed the Indiana Pacers to five playoff appearances - including two trips to the Eastern Conference finals - over a six-year stretch from 2010-16. He also served as the Orlando Magic's head coach from 2016-18.

Vogel will again be taking over a team with two bona fide stars in Phoenix with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker locked into long-term deals, though the Suns do have offseason decisions to make on two other key players. Veteran point guard Chris Paul turned 38 in May and has a partially guaranteed contract for next season, while center Deandre Ayton struggled in the playoff series against the Nuggets and sat out Denver's clinching victory with a rib injury. 

Monty Williams will be named the next coach of the Detroit Pistons and is expected to sign a six-year, $78.5 million contract, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Pistons will give Williams the largest coaching deal in NBA history to replace Dwane Casey, who stepped down as Detroit’s coach in April to move into a front-office role.

The Athletic reported that there are team options for the seventh and eighth year, and incentives that could increase the deal to $100 million.

Williams was fired by the Phoenix Suns on May 13 after four seasons with the team, including a trip to the 2021 NBA Finals. He won 63 percent of his games with the Suns and was named the NBA Coach of the Year in May 2022 after leading Phoenix to a franchise-record 64 wins.

The Suns, however, had huge losses in elimination games in the playoffs in consecutive seasons and that ultimately led to Williams’ firing.

Casey went 121-263 in five seasons with Detroit and the team made the playoffs only once under his guidance.

The Pistons finished an NBA-worst 17-65 in 2022-23 for their seventh straight losing season. They haven’t won a playoff round since 2007-08.

Monty Williams has enjoyed a good run of success as coach of the Phoenix Suns but his inability to lead the team to a championship has cost him his job.

The Suns fired Williams on Saturday, two days after they were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

"I take that personally, not having our team ready to play in the biggest game of the year," Williams said following the loss.

"That’s something that I pride myself on and it just didn’t happen. That’s something I have to take a deep look at, everything I’m doing."

Williams just completed his fourth season as Phoenix’s coach, finishing his tenure with a 194-115 record, including a trip to the 2021 NBA Finals, which the Suns lost to the Milwaukee Bucks.

He was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2022 after guiding the Suns to a league-best 64-18 record.

A second straight blowout loss at home in an elimination game was likely the biggest factor in Phoenix’s decision.

Last season, the Suns lost 123-90 to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 of the conference finals and were routed by the Nuggets 125-100 in Game 6 again on Thursday. Phoenix trailed by 30 at the half in both games.

The Suns join the Toronto Raptors and Bucks as teams currently without head coaches. Toronto fired Nick Nurse after he won the 2019 NBA title and Milwaukee fired Mike Budenholzer, the coach who beat the Suns in the 2021 finals.

Devin Booker was lauded for his incredible 47-point performance against the Los Angeles Clippers but acknowledged the Phoenix Suns would take "a good lesson" from their series-clinching win.

The Suns wrapped up a 4-1 series victory with a 136-130 success on Tuesday in which Booker tied his playoff career high. He scored 25 points in the third quarter alone, another high mark in any single quarter.

That display epitomised a sensational series for Booker, who averaged 37.2 points, shooting 60.2 per cent from the field and 85.7 per cent from the foul line.

Only Michael Jordan, in the first round in 1992, had previously averaged 35 or more points on 60 per cent shooting from the field and 80 per cent shooting from the line.

Reflecting on the third quarter, team-mate Kevin Durant said: "It was spiritual.

"I don't scream too much in games as I get older, but when he hit that three at the top of the key, I felt that energy, and I know everyone in the crowd felt it. We feed off his aggression."

Coach Monty Williams added: "When he's going like that, we're not calling any plays."

The fourth quarter was a different story, however.

Booker had only six points as the Clippers, still without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, outscored the Suns by 11 to threaten a fightback.

"I think it's a good lesson for us moving forward," Booker said. "Don't play with your food. Finish out as strong as you can. Keep playing all the way until the whistle blows."