A win this year remains elusive for the Philadelphia 76ers as they dropped their 16th consecutive game to begin the 2015–16 National Basketball Association (NBA) regular season.
The 76ers, who showed legitimate chance of capturing their first victory, collapsed late in their game last Wednesday to lose to the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden, 84–80.
The loss was the 26th straight for the 76ers dating back to last season and according to ESPN, now ties them with the longest losing streak in the history of major U.S. professional sports, sharing the record with the 1976–1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This was also the second consecutive season Philadelphia opened with a 0–16 record, two more losses and the team will tie the worst start in NBA history held by the then New Jersey Nets (0–18), the report added.
In the defeat to Boston, the 76ers competed and even had an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter, until the hosts rallied and made crucial plays in the dying moments of the game.
Philadelphia's third overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, center Jahlil Okafor, led his team with 19 points, nine rebounds, one assist, and four blocks.
Other starters who played well are point guard Isaiah Canaan and forward Robert Covington.
Canaan provided an all-around game, tallying 12 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal, with two blocks, while Covington had a double-double 11 points and 14 rebounds that came along with six steals and two blocks.
Guard Hollis Thompson provided scoring from the bench as he scored 15 points in a losing cause.
In ESPN's report, 76ers head coach Brett Brown said he has been part of streaks before and is "numb to it," while second-year forward Nerlens Noel stated it is hard, knowing that they were close to the win.
The 76ers will have the chance to win their first game of the season today, Friday, when they visit the struggling Houston Rockets.
