Philadelphia 76ers News: Sixers Lose Again, Tying Longest Losing Streak in History of US Professional Sports
The Philadelphia 76ers is a team that looks like they've grown accustomed to losing. Blowing a five-point lead late in the fourth quarter in an 84-80 loss against the Boston Celtics, the franchise now holds the distinction of tying the longest losing streak in major professional sports history in the United States.
The loss Wednesday night also saw the Sixers losing 26th straight games since last season, not to mention they've lost 16 consecutive games to begin this season.
They're actually only three games away of surpassing the New Jersey Nets' record of 18 losses to start the season without a single victory.
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Philadelphia was very much in the game but showed zero poise in the last six minutes, wherein they only managed to score three points. They actually established an 11-point lead to start the fourth, but couldn't hang on to the lead.
Young Philly forward Nerlens Noel can't help but get disappointed by the last sequences of the game. "You're so close to getting that first W. There's couple of plays that you've got to sleep on," referring to his team's inability to close out games like the one Wednesday night.
Boston was led by Isaiah Thomas' 30 points and Evan Turner's 16. Rookie Jahlil Okafor paced the Sixers with 19 points and nine rebounds.
As for Celtics coach Brad Stevens, they too had to contain the pressure heading into the game, thinking that they wouldn't want to be known as the team that gave Philly its first win. "We were tight and we missed a lot of shots, and they were dominating us in the paint as far as blocking shots and at the rim and everything else," the young coach said.
Playing at home, the Celtics were even booed at one time by their own fans during some stretches in the fourth because they couldn't seem to take the lead against a team that does not own a win this season. In the third, the arena was intriguingly quiet, but eventually erupted when the home team eventually caught up with the visitors with less than six minutes remaining in the game.
