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.

Carlos Carvalhal left Sheffield Wednesday on December 24, 2017 after two and a half years in charge at Hillsborough.

The Portuguese, who guided the Owls to the play-offs in his first two seasons at the helm, departed the Sky Bet Championship club by mutual consent on the back of a seven-game winless run.

His exit came just hours after chairman Dejphon Chansiri released a statement of support for his head coach after fans chanted for his dismissal in the wake of a 2-1 home defeat to Middlesbrough a day earlier.

Carvalhal said on Wednesday’s official website: “The chairman and myself talked after the game and we believed this was the correct timing to make this decision.

“Of course, I am very sad at this moment because I have enjoyed my two seasons and a half so much with Sheffield Wednesday.

“We had two fantastic seasons and two play-offs in a row but unfortunately we have not managed to replicate these positions this season.

“Now is the time to focus on the wonderful experiences I have enjoyed at Sheffield Wednesday and the friends I have made.”

Carvalhal’s exit came as something of a surprise given how quickly it followed an apparent vote of confidence from Chansiri.

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The Thai businessman, who appointed Carvalhal in 2015, added: “I would like to offer my sincere thanks to Carlos for the time, effort and commitment he has given Sheffield Wednesday over the last two and a half years.

“Both parties believe the time is right to go our separate ways. I maintain a huge amount of respect for Carlos as a coach and as a person and he will always be welcome at Hillsborough. I wish him every success in the future.”

Jos Luhukay was named the new Wednesday boss on January 5, 2018 and they finished 15th that season. They suffered relegation in 2020-21 but were promoted back to the Championship last season after a remarkable play-off semi-final comeback against Peterborough.

Carvalhal was quickly appointed by Swansea but failed to save them from Premier League relegation and left at the end of the season. He is currently manager of Greek side Olympiacos having been appointed earlier this month.

Auston Matthews continued a sizzling stretch with two more goals and an assist to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-1 victory Saturday over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Matthews has goals in seven straight games, with 12 goals and 16 points during that span. He leads the NHL with 28 goals.

He is the first player with 27 or more goals through the first 30 games of a season since Jaromir Jagr did it for Pittsburgh in 1996-97.

William Nylander had a short-handed goal and two assists to extend his point streak to 11 games, while John Tavares also scored and Mitch Marner added two assists.

Justin Danforth had the lone goal for the last-place Blue Jackets, who dropped their fourth straight at home.

Stars score 2 in final 15 seconds to stun Predators

Craig Smith and Jani Hakanpaa scored goals in the final 15 seconds to rally the Dallas Stars to a shocking 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators.

With goalie Scott Wedgewood pulled for an extra skater and Dallas trailing 2-1, Smith scored off a goalmouth scramble with 15 seconds to play.

Hakanpaa then scored his first goal of the season with four seconds left to make it 3-2.

The Stars improved to 5-0-1 in their last six games, and became the first team in NHL history to secure a victory after scoring a tying and go-ahead goal in the final 15 seconds of regulation.

MacKinnon extends point streak as Avalanche win

Nathan MacKinnon had an assist to extend his point streak to 18 games and Alexander Georgiev made 24 saves to lift the Colorado Avalanche to a 4-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes.

MacKinnon assisted on Valeri Nichushkin’s second-period goal to give him the second-longest point streak by a Colorado player, trailing only Paul Stastny’s 20-game run in 2006-07.

It was also MacKinnon’s 25th point in December. He’s three away from matching the franchise record for a single month set by Peter Stastny in February 1981 with the Quebec Nordiques.

The Detroit Pistons lost their 26th straight game Saturday, falling 126-115 to the Brooklyn Nets to match the NBA record for longest losing streak in a season.

The Pistons joined the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers to drop to 2-27 in their first season under Monty Williams.

These teams meet again Tuesday in Detroit, with the Pistons nearing the longest overall slide in league history. The 76ers dropped 28 in a row from late in the 2014-15 season through early 2015-16.

Mikal Bridges had 29 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Nets, who had seven players in double figures to snap their five-game skid.

Jaden Ivey scored 23 points and Cade Cunningham had 22 as Detroit remained winless since October 28.

Brooklyn put the game away with a 15-0 run in the third and fourth quarters to open a 21-point lead.

Streaking Bucks handle Knicks

Giannis Antetokoumpo tallied 28 points, seven assists and seven rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to their seventh straight win, 130-111 over the New York Knicks in the opener of a two-game series.

Bobby Portis had 23 points and 11 rebounds, Khris Middleton added 20 points and Damain Lillard contributed 19 points, nine boards and seven assists to help the Bucks win their ninth game in a row against the Knicks.

The teams will meet again on Monday in front of a national TV audience.

Jalen Brunson poured in 36 points for New York after he had 45 points in a loss to Milwaukee on November 3.

The Bucks essentially put the game out of reach with an 11-0 run early in the fourth quarter, turning an 11-point lead into a 114-92 cushion on Portis’ 3-pointer with 6:29 remaining.

Doncic stars in Mavericks’ win as Wembanyama sits

Luka Doncic had 39 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to power the Dallas Mavericks to a 144-119 rout of the San Antonio Spurs, who were without rookie Victor Wembanyama.

Doncic recorded his seventh triple-double of the season and 63rd of his career in just three quarters. It was his 36th triple-double with at least 30 points, one shy of LeBron James for third on the career list.

Wembanyama did not play after the rookie stepped on a ball boy’s foot after taking a few steps following a shot before the game.

The Spurs lost their fourth straight and have dropped 22 of their last 23 games.

The Buffalo Bills continued their late-season surge with a narrow 24-22 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Quarterback Josh Allen threw for 237 yards and a touchdown and added two more on the ground and kicker Tyler Bass made a 29-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining to seal a third-straight win for Buffalo.

Los Angeles had a chance to win at the death but were ultimately unable to move the sticks as the Bills kept their play-off hopes alive.

Their post-season hopes received an earlier boost when the Cincinnati Bengals were demolished by the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-11.

Wide receiver George Pickens set the pace for the Steelers early, breaking open for an 86-yard touchdown to start the first quarter.

Pittsburgh piled the pressure on throughout the second, pushing their advantage out to 24 points by half-time.

Cincinnati showed some fight out of the break through an 80-yard receiving touchdown to Tee Higgins, but Pickens nabbed his second long-range score of the game soon after to put the result out of reach.

Anthony Joshua delivered one of his best displays in recent memory with an impressive stoppage of Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia.

The 34-year-old made it three wins from three in 2023 after the fight was called off following a thunderous fifth round which left Wallin unable to continue.

Joshua, having already beaten Jermaine Franklin Jr by unanimous decision in April before sealing a seventh-round stoppage against Robert Helenius in August, cruised to a 27th professional career victory.

But the identity of his next opponent is unclear following Joseph Parker’s shock defeat of Deontay Wilder on the same card.

Joshua has recorded three career losses so far – beaten by Andy Ruiz in 2019 before Oleksandr Usyk defeated him twice – while the Swedish southpaw Wallin had only one career loss to date against Tyson Fury.

But Joshua came flying out of the blocks in Riyadh and inflicted damage on Wallin as early as the second round.

Joshua landed a left hook to Walin’s head, followed by a thunderous right cross and a second quick right which left Wallin frazzled and with blood leaking from his right nostril.

On to the third and Wallin’s patched-up nose was pouring again as Joshua landed another right. A strong left knocked Wallin off balance, and the former European champion was backed up on to the ropes and now with a cut to his right eye.

A steely-looking Joshua showed no sign of easing up in the fourth round as he landed a number of head and body shots on his opponent. A right hand skimmed the face of Wallin with Joshua looking comfortable and in control.

In the fifth, Joshua was throwing menacing, calculated punches with Wallin offering little to nothing in attack. Then with just over one minute of the round remaining, Joshua unleashed a superb left hook to leave Wallin stumbling towards the ropes.

Wallin managed to stay on his feet and see out the round, but the Swede’s corner said their fighter was unable to continue as Joshua celebrated a destructive win.

Earlier, Wilder, who has claimed 42 of his 43 victories by knockout, was the overwhelming favourite to beat Parker, but the New Zealander ripped up the script with a crushing victory.

Parker dominated Wilder, heavily regarded as one of the biggest punches the heavyweight division has ever seen, with a perfectly executed gameplan that left his American opponent bamboozled.

Parker was comfortably ahead on the scorecard heading into the eighth round where he delivered an overhand right and then a flurry of destructive punches as Wilder clung on.

Wilder was hurt and Parker went for the finish, but the Bronze Bomber, who last fought in October 2022 – a first-round knockout win over Robert Helenius – survived the round.

Parker landed another big left hand in the ninth, with Wilder looking increasingly vulnerable. Parker remained composed in the 10th and 11th before a desperate Wilder came out swinging in the final round looking for the knockout blow required.

But Parker never looked in danger of losing against the former WBC champion as he sealed a huge upset, with the judges scoring the most one-sided of bouts, 118-111, 118-110, 120-108 in the 31-year-old’s favour.

Ricky Evans pulled off a stunning straight-sets upset to knock out World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall in round two of the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.

Evans, ranked 53rd in the PDC Order of Merit, lost just two legs in the final evening session match-up and will take on Northern Ireland’s Daryl Gurney in the last-32 after Christmas.

Evans told Sky Sports: “Nathan is one of the best darts players in the world, and I’ve literally done a job on him there.

“I’m the weirdest, most loveable idiot in the world, and I’ve just beaten Nathan Aspinall!

“There’s a funny walk-on, there’s a funny me, but there’s a good dart player there and eventually it’ll come out.”

Stephen Bunting cruised into the third round with a 3-0 win over Ryan Joyce, averaging an impressive 107.28.

Bunting hit five 180s en route to victory and will next face Germany’s Florian Hempel.

Ryan Searle set up a meeting with Joe Cullen after beating Tomoya Goto 3-1.

He handily won the first two sets, but his Japanese opponent would not go down without a fight, rallying with a 97 checkout to claim the five-leg third set before he was swept away by the Englishman in the fourth.

Tournament debutant Berry van Peer, 107th in the PDC Order of Merit, extended his run of upsets, advancing with a 3-1 victory over Josh Rock after dumping out Luke Woodhouse in round one.

In the afternoon session, world number nine Jonny Clayton came from behind to begin his World Darts Championship campaign with a 3-1 win against Steve Lennon.

Lennon edged the opening set 3-2 to take an early lead, but two 140s helped Clayton draw level in the second set.

Another tight set followed in the third, where the ‘Ferret’ managed to clinch the fifth leg with a double five to take the lead and Lennon was left to rue his missed doubles as Clayton saw the match out with a clean sweep in the final set.

Daryl Gurney fended off a late comeback from Steve Beaton to win 3-1.

Gurney won the opening set in three straight legs, averaging 104 before taking the second, but an incredible third set saw Beaton fight back and throw back-to-back 180s to help him claw a set back.

The ‘Bronzed Adonis’ looked set to level but Gurney wrapped up victory with a 136 checkout.

Ricardo Pietreczko reached the third round on his Alexandra Palace debut after beating Callan Rydz 3-2 in a tight battle.

A shaky start saw Rydz fall behind in the opening set, but fought back in the second to draw level.

Rydz fell just short of a nine-darter in the third, allowing Pietreczko to swoop in to snatch the set and the Englishman threw 128 to take the contest to a decider, but ‘Pikachu’ earned a clean sweep in the fifth to earn his spot in the next round.

Richard Veenstra won his clash against Kim Huybrechts in style completing a whitewash over the Belgian.

Veenstra ran away with the contest, winning all nine legs with an average of 99.46 to cruise into the next round, where he will meet world number 2 Michael van Gerwen.

Mauricio Pochettino called on the Premier League to reassess the way it schedules fixtures over the Christmas period to even out the time that teams have to recover.

Chelsea face Wolves at Molineux on Christmas Eve before welcoming Crystal Palace to Stamford Bridge three days later.

Palace, by contrast, will have had double the recovery time having most recently played six days earlier on December 21 against Brighton.

Gary O’Neil’s side will also have enjoyed two extra recovery days compared with Pochettino’s team, with Chelsea having been in action against Newcastle in their Carabao Cup quarter-final on Tuesday.

The Blues will have played a total of eight games in December by the time they sign off 2023 with a game away at Luton on December 30.

Pochettino was asked whether he believed too much was expected of players over the festive period, but insisted that his priority was every team being given equitable time to recover between fixtures.

“The problem is the difference between the teams,” he said. “If we all play on the 24th or we all play on the 27th, we are in the same circumstance.

“But the problem is that one plays (on the 21st) another on the 27th. That is a big disadvantage or advantage. But I don’t complain.

“The problem is to organise the situation better, because it’s not fair. It’s not to make an excuse, not to open the umbrella before the rain.

“But come on, it’s a fact. It’s the reality.”

The manager reiterated his call for patience with summer signing Christopher Nkunku after he made a long-awaited debut during Tuesday’s quarter-final win.

The 26-year-old performed well on Chelsea’s pre-season United States tour before picking up a knee injury which required surgery.

Since then, the team have signed Cole Palmer from Manchester City, who can occupy similar positions in the final third of the pitch as Nkunku, whilst Pochettino has also gained more of a sense of his favoured starting XI and style.

“I don’t see him in a different way, only that after his injury he is a different player than before, because of the form today,” said the manager.

“Maybe in some positions it’s going to be tough for him to cope with the demands. You will see in the future.

“I’m not going to put pressure on him. I’m so happy that he made his debut against Newcastle. We’re going to push him, to help him to perform better every day.

“He needs to be clever also to understand that he needs to push himself. He needs to make a double effort, double in everything. He needs to make an impact.

“In the long term, he’s going to be important for the club and for the team.”

Serie A leaders Inter Milan earned their fourth straight league win after beating Lecce 2-0 at San Siro, ensuring they would remain four points clear of Juventus until after Christmas.

The hosts had plenty of chances to go in front in the first half and Yann Aurel Bisseck finally made the breakthrough just before half-time.

Hamza Rafia had a header saved as Lecce searched for an equaliser, but Nicolo Barella doubled Inter’s lead and the visitors were reduced to 10 in the final stages when Lameck Banda was sent off.

Juventus kept pace thanks to substitute Dusan Vlahovic’s towering header in the 81st minute to hand the visitors a 2-1 victory over Frosinone.

Juve teenager Kenan Yildiz had opened the scoring 12 minutes into his full Serie A debut, but saw it cancelled out by Jaime Baez six minutes into the second half.

Roma moved up to sixth with a 2-0 victory over nine-man Napoli, who dropped to seventh after a nightmare second half saw them concede goals to Lorenzo Pellegrini and Romelu Lukaku as well as having Matteo Politano and Victor Osimhen – on the day it was announced he had signed a new deal tying him to the reigning Serie A champions until 2026 – sent off.

Bologna returned to the top four with a 1-0 victory over Atalanta, Lewis Ferguson becoming Scotland’s all time top-scorer in Serie A with his 11th goal in the competition.

Cagliari remain in the relegation zone after Antoine Makoumbou saw red in the 51st minute at Verona, where the hosts took advantage of his dismissal to secure a 2-0 victory with goals from Cyril Ngonge and Milan Duric.

Udinese’s trip to Torino looked to be headed toward a goalless draw until Oier Zarraga scored in the 81st minute only to see his late opener cancelled out by home midfielder Ivan Ilic seven minutes later.

In LaLiga, half-time substitute Marcos Llorente made an instant impact and restored Atletico Madrid to third spot with a 1-0 win over Sevilla in Saturday’s only fixture.

The contest, initially set to be played in September but postponed due to weather, remained goalless until after the break when Diego Simeone – celebrating his 12th anniversary as Atletico boss – swapped Nahuel Molina for Llorente.

His side were ahead barely a minute into the second half after Llorente, who initially saw a cross blocked by Sergio Ramos, benefitted when the interception’s rebound favourably landed at his feet at the edge of the six-yard box and he fired into the far corner.

Fellow replacement Caglar Soyuncu was sent off following a VAR check just four minutes after his 66th-minute introduction for a tackle on Lucas Ocampos, but Atletico nevertheless managed to nullify the visitors’ threat and cling onto victory, leaving them level on 38 points with fourth-placed Barcelona but with the advantage on goal difference.

There was no action in the Bundesliga or Ligue 1, which both resume their campaigns in 2024.

Lorenzo Pellegrini and Romelu Lukaku steered Roma to a 2-0 win against nine-man Napoli in an ill-tempered Serie A clash at the Stadio Olimpico.

Matteo Politano saw red for Napoli shortly after the hour mark, with substitute Pellegrini putting the home side ahead 10 minutes later.

The visitors then lost Victor Osimhen after he was shown a second yellow card, with Lukaku sealing the win for Roma in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Roma move ahead of Napoli and into sixth place.

Both sides had a point to prove following recent disappointing defeats – Roma suffering a 2-0 loss at Bologna last weekend, while Napoli were dumped out of the Coppa Italia earlier this week following a 4-0 thrashing at home to Frosinone.

Following nine changes for their Coppa Italia exit, defending champions Napoli were back to full strength for their visit to the Italian capital, with marksman Osimhen leading the line.

Roma manager Jose Mourinho was able to call on Lukaku with the on-loan Chelsea forward returning from a ban after he was sent off in his side’s 1-1 draw against Fiorentina a fortnight ago.

Lukaku was involved in the first real chance of the game when his hold-up play allow allowed Edoardo Bove to strike at the Napoli goal, but the young midfielder’s dipping effort clipped the bar.

Bove was in the thick of it moments later when his shot was superbly charged down by Napoli stopper Alex Meret.

Then came a flurry of bookings with Mourinho not far from the action. The former Chelsea and Manchester United manager was involved in a touchline spat with Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and even found himself in referee Andrea Colombo’s book.

Following the break, Napoli started to grow into the game but their bid for victory was derailed when Politano was shown a straight red card with 66 minutes gone.

As Napoli looked to hit Roma on the counter-attack, Nicola Zalewski pulled Politano’s shirt and the winger kicked out in frustration at his opponent. Colombo did not hesitate in showing Zalewski a yellow card before pulling out a red for a stunned Politano.

The visitors were suddenly on the backfoot and Roma’s breakthrough quickly arrived.

Pellegrini, introduced by Mourinho only five minutes earlier, took advantage of a fluffed shot by Stephan El Shaarawy to score on the turn with virtually his first kick of the game.

Napoli were then reduced to nine men after Osimhen was shown a second yellow card with four minutes of normal time remaining before Lukaku got on the scoresheet with the last kick of the night.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was bemused as to why his side did not get a penalty for Martin Odegaard’s handball in the first half of their 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Anfield.

VAR ruled referee Chris Kavanagh had not made a clear and obvious error in not penalising the Gunners captain after his low hand prevented Mohamed Salah getting past him.

Klopp disagreed, telling BBC Sport: “The penalty situation is a weird situation, I don’t know if the ref can see it, but you look at it and I’m not sure how you can say it’s not a penalty.”

In his post-match press conference the Liverpool manager added: “I didn’t see it in the game, I saw it after and I think we all agree it was handball.

“But I always wait until Mr Dermot (Gallagher) explains it the next day (in his role as a TV analyst) what’s really the case.

“He will find a way to explain to me why it was not handball. For me it’s a clear handball. I have no idea if it would have influenced the result.”

Gabriel’s early header was cancelled out by a brilliant goal by Salah to earn a point and leave the two teams first and second in the table at Christmas.

However, the hard-earned point was not without cost as Klopp has a big problem at left-back now as Kostas Tsimikas, deputising for Andy Robertson who has been out since October with a dislocated shoulder, broke his collarbone in a collision which also floored his manager after being pushed by Bukayo Saka.

“The problem I had in that moment, I thought, ‘OK, I am fine,’ so I was assuming that Kostas was fine as well and he’s actually obviously not fine,” said Klopp, who is hopeful a knee injury to Luis Diaz is only minor.

“He’s broken his collarbone at least. It’s really bad for us. I cannot say anything about that (Saka challenge). You have to judge that, not me.”

Mikel Arteta, who played in the last Arsenal team to win at Anfield in the league in September 2012, is hopeful the experience of being in a title race last season will stand his side in good stead as they hold top spot on Christmas Day.

That will be particularly important as three of the last six occasions a team top on December 25 did not go on to win the league involved the Gunners.

“They are certainly more experienced. What they have done today on this pitch, in this stadium, with the atmosphere they created as well, that was something else,” he said.

“The maturity and the courage that we showed I think we should be really proud of our players. We have experience of being where we are today.

“We should be really happy because that shows a lot of consistency for this new group in the best league in the world to lead two years in a row.

“But that’s it. We are where we want to be right now, both in the Premier League and the Champions League.

“Of course there are things that we have to improve, especially killing games. With the amount of dominance we are showing, some of the games are too close.”

The Jacksonville Jaguars will have their starting quarterback under center Sunday when they visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Trevor Lawrence was cleared from the NFL’s concussion protocol, multiple media outlets reported Saturday, and will travel with his teammates as the Jaguars (8-6) look to snap a three-game slide.

Lawrence has yet to miss a start since being drafted first overall in 2021.

Lawrence reported symptoms after Jacksonville’s 23-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

The Jaguars believe Lawrence suffered a concussion on the team’s final drive of the game. He completed just one of his final eight pass attempts.

Lawrence has completed 65.9 percent of his passes this season for 3,525 yards with 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Jacksonville’s current slump has dropped them from contention for a first-round play-off bye into a three-way tie atop the AFC South with the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans.

The Jaguars will be without left tackle Cam Robinson (knee) and wide receivers Christian Kirk (groin) and Zay Jones (knee/hamstring) when they face the Buccaneers (7-7).