Philadelphia 76ers Make History Lose to Rockets 116-114

All expectations were low as they could be heading into this game – and many were fully expecting the Sixers to lose their 27th game in a row. While this streak goes back to March 27, and technically started last season, it will still count as the longest losing streak in major league American sports.

First Quarter
Isaiah Canaan, Robert Covington, Jerami Grant, JaKarr Sampson, and Jahlil Okafor, were the starters for this game with Nerlens Noel ending up as a late scratch – out with knee soreness. The Rockets lead 30-19, shooting 59.1% percent, with James Harden leading both teams in scoring with 9 points, or what most people would have expected before the game.

Second Quarter
The Sixers entered halftime down just 56-49. There were three positives going into halftime. First the Sixers were actually more than covering the twelve points they were projected to lose by based on sportsline.com’s odds. Secondly, they had a better second quarter than the Eagles on Thanksgiving, who gave up 17 points on their way to giving Philadelphia another thing to not be thankful for. Thirdly, Robert Covington showcased one of his best performances of the season. He had 13 points, 3 three pointers, and 6 steals. The Sixers as a team were shooting 42.5% to the Rockets 52.4%, and Harden was having a great first half, his offensive output was up to 20 points. Okafor was having a modest game at this point with 9 points and 5 rebounds, but his accuracy was lower than his season, as he was shooting 33.3% from the floor.

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Third Quarter
Okafor struggled to score against Dwight Howard. I can’t recall Okafor ever getting a good post position. Covington scored 22 points shooting five of seven from three-point distance and Canaan scored 23 shooting four of nine from beyond the arc. James Harden appeared to be well on his way towards a triple double at this point with 36 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds. By the end of the third period, the Rockets lead the Sixers 91-80.

Fourth Quarter
The Sixers started the fourth quarter on fire cutting the Rockets lead to 93-91 with 10:11 seconds left in the game.
When the Sixers took a 102-97 lead with 7:00 left in the game, I thought the Sixers might actually manage to avoid history, but then Phil Pressey and Harden made sure that didn’t happen. The offense struggled when T.J. McConnell was subbed out for Pressey, and Harden simply erupted for 14 more points to close the Sixers chances at victory and seal their spot in history.

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Player of the Game

James Harden finished the game with 50 points, 8 assists, and 9 rebounds.

Best Player for the Sixers

Robert Covington showed he is over the rust and injury that plagued him previous games, with 28 points, 5 assists, 7 rebounds, and 8 steals.

The Sixers have now started the season 0-17 and set a record in professional American sports with 27 losses in a row. The record does not reflect the fact that these Sixers have held a lead deeply into the fourth quarter of each of the past four games.

The fact that Nerlens Noel was a last second scratch before the game taxed the Sixer defense, which visibly suffered from his absence. The Rockets also shot the three incredibly making 11-20. Okafor had one of his worse games in the season, with 4-12 shooting and only 27 minutes played.

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While a slow night was certainly understandable with so much news going on about Jahlil right now, I don’t believe it was Okafor’s new TMZ fame getting to him. I attribute his off-night from having to go against one of the best centers in the league in Dwight Howard. Hopefully the Sixers can avoid extending history with a win against the Memphis Grizzlies on November 29, at 6:00 pm.