76ers lose 27th successive game, worst in North American sport

The Philadelphia 76ers etched their name into the records book on Friday when they suffered a 116-114 loss to the Houston Rockets for their 27th consecutive defeat -- the worst losing streak in major North American sport.

The 76ers lost their final 10 games last season to finish 18-64 and have now dropped their first 17 games this season. They lost their first 17 games last season as well.
The 27-game overall losing streak not only is the worst in the National Basketball Association, but also the longest among the four major North American team sports.
The previous mark was 26 successive defeats by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (1976-77).

The Sixers looking for their 1^st win of the season took the game to the Houston rockets but James Harden took over scoring 50 points 9 rebounds and 8 assists to clinch a hard fought victory of Rockets 116 - 114 Sixers on Friday evening.

Harden was 14 for 28 from the field and 16 for 20 at the line in his third career game with 50 or more points. He is averaging 36.2 points in his last five games. Nothing is stopping this guy.

Facing an 11-point deficit to start the fourth quarter, the 76ers opened the period on a 24-8 run to take a five-point lead.

''In past situations this year, we didn't handle those situations well,'' Rockets coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. ''There's a growing belief in that locker room that they can do the things needed to win.''

Down by two with less than 3 seconds remaining, Covington intentionally missed a free throw that was rebounded by Houston's Dwight Howard.

Harden led the Rockets to one of their best shooting performances of the season, helping Houston win for just the second time in its last nine games.

The Rockets shot 52 percent from the field, including an 11-for-20 night from beyond the arc. Howard added 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Philadelphia scored 100 points for the first time in nearly three weeks and just the fourth time all season. Isaiah Canaan had 23 points, and Jerami Grant scored 18.

''A time's going to come where we finally put everything together and come up with a victory,'' Covington said.

Sixers coach Brett Brown praised the 6-foot-11 Okafor for selflessly asking him to keep the small lineup in the game as they rallied.

''It wasn't some perfect, pretty offense - it was organized streetball,'' Brown said. ''And it got us back in it. It's a tremendous example for the whole room to look around, and you just never know who's going to be there at the end of games to make it happen.''

TIP-INS

76ers: C Nerlens Noel was a late scratch with right knee soreness. ... SG Nik Stauskas returned from a one-game absence after suffering a knee contusion in Monday's loss to Minnesota. ... Canaan got his fifth start of the season over regular starter T.J. McConnell.

Rockets: Houston improved to 68-68 all-time against Philadelphia. ... The Rockets had a season-high 35 third-quarter points. ... PG Patrick Beverley received a technical foul in the second quarter after throwing an elbow near the face of Phil Pressey.

UP NEXT

76ers: Visit Memphis on Sunday.