Wake Up With The Sixer Sense — Historic Saturday

Nov 27, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center

(15) shoots the ball over Philadelphia 76ers center

(L) during the first half at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Wake Up With The Sixer Sense — Historic Saturday

The old saying is close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, so the past four games which have each ended with the Philadelphia 76ers attaining a lead in the basketball game, only to succumb to the destiny of the longest losing streak in professional basketball, simply doesn’t count.  But what does count is getting you up to speed on the latest news about the Sixer universe.

So here you go:
The Sixers sit at 0-17  following their heartbreaking loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday night.  The game was decided in the first period, when the Houston Rockets assumed a commanding lead of 30-11.  In the game,  Jahlil Okafor was not his usual dominating offensive self, ending the game at just 11 points.   However, teammates did not let Okafor carry the burden.  Robert Covington, one of the few returning veterans, had an outstanding game in both offensive and defensive sides of the court.  He scored 28 points for the Sixers, while pulling down seven rebounds and generating eight steals in the game.  His 28 was not enough, and James Harden was on fire and hit 50 points to lead all scorers.  .   The continuing sage of Jahlil Okafor’s incident in Boston was addressed by Brett Brown and Jahlil Okafor before the game.  The Sixers ended last season on a ten game losing streak, which continued on with this season’s opening losing streak of 17 games to set the 27 game losing streak record.  The mounting losses continue to solidify the 76ers as the odds on favorite to win the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft.

Here’s all the Saturday morning news you need to know about the Sixers:

Okafor also involved in October nightclub incident – Keith Pompey, Philadelphia Inquirer

"HOUSTON — Already at age 19 the face of the 76ers, Jahlil Okafor said being heckled or approached disrespectfully in public doesn’t happen often – but we are finding out it does happen. At 6-foot-11 and 265 pounds, he’s usually not hard to spot. And that can lead to some uncomfortable situations for the rookie center, especially playing on a team that hasn’t won a game this season. According to five sources who spoke to The Inquirer independently on condition of anonymity, Thursday morning’s incident in Boston was not the first time Okafor has been in an altercation with a heckler while out and about.At a Philadelphia club in October, sources said that Okafor exchanged words with a heckler while with teammates. As he and his teammates left the club, a source said, the heckler pointed a gun to Okafor’s head outside the establishment.A source said the incident was witnessed by federal officers, but there is no known official report of the incident. Okafor did not want to speak about the situation.The October incident combined with Thursday morning’s fight outside a Boston nightclub shows a pattern that the Sixers and Okafor need to avoid.Both incidents involved Okafor being in establishments where alcohol was being served. He won’t legally be permitted to consume alcohol until he turns 21.“We can’t put our head under a rug, and play holier than thou,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said of the situation. “It’s all part of growing up. And it’s my job to help him. And that part of it, if it’s true, of course, it’s concerning.”"

Wrong side of history: Sixers set NBA record with 27th straight loss – Ben Golliver, Sports Illustrated

"The City of Brotherly Love is officially home to the biggest losers in NBA history.The Sixers suffered a 116–114 defeat to the Rockets in Houston on Friday, thereby setting a new NBA record by losing their 27th consecutive game. The loss dropped Philadelphia to a league-worst 0–17 on the season and extended a losing streak that dates back to the 2014–15 campaign. It also marks the longest losing streak ever in the four major American sports.There’s more history at stake. If the Sixers lose to the Grizzlies in Memphis on Sunday and the Lakers in Philadelphia on Tuesday, they will fall to 0–19, the worst in NBA history. The ’09-10 Nets opened the season with 18 consecutive losses.Friday’s loss snapped a three-way tie for the NBA’s longest losing streak. The ’10-11 Cavaliers and the ’13–14 Sixers both lost 26 consecutive games, and those two teams still share the record for most consecutive losses within a single season."

Boston police now investigating Jahlil Okafor’s role in fight – John Finger, CSNPhilly.com

"Police are now investigating the incident involving Sixers’ rookie Jahlil Okafor, according to a statement issued by the Boston police department on Friday.Okafor was shown on a video from TMZ.com punching and pushing a man outside of a Boston nightclub early Thursday morning. According to the police statement, a man filed a report Friday morning claiming he as the victim of an assault and battery at the Storyville club near the Copley Square area of the city.The report claims Okafor and another man approached a group and asked some of the women for their phone numbers. When the women declined, a verbal and physical altercation ensued. The alleged victim says in the claim that Okafor pushed him and punched him, knocking him to the ground and causing a cut over his eye that required stitches.No charges have been filed and the Boston police earlier said they would not investigate the incident unless an alleged victim of a crime filed a report.Okafor spoke about the incident after Friday’s shootaround at the Toyota Center before the game against the Houston Rockets.“It was definitely dumb on my part and something I’m embarrassed about,” Okafor said. “We’re still dealing with the league and with the team, but I’m not happy about it at all. We’re going through the whole process of what were going to do.”"

Jerami Grant scores 18 points, logs minutes at center – Rotoworld.com

"Jerami Grant matched his career-high 18 points against the Rockets on Friday, adding three rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block and three 3-pointers in 32 minutes.He logged some pretty heavy minutes at center tonight and actually won the jump ball over Dwight Howard to start the game. Grant should be looking at some extra minutes while Nerlens Noel (knee) is out, which is undetermined at this time. Grant has some nice upside, but he’s still just a fringe guy in standard leagues. You could do worse, though."

Nerlens Noel (sore right knee) scratched late – Rotoworld.com

"Nerlens Noel (sore right knee) was a late scratch vs. the Rockets on Friday.JaKarr Sampson will take his place in the starting lineup. Noel has been awful lately, including a 1-of-7 shooting game on Wednesday, and it sounds like he’s still struggling with what Brett Brown recently described as “knee problems with some tendinitis.” It makes sense for the winless 76ers to rest him until he’s completely recovered, but we’re considering him questionable to return vs. Memphis on Sunday."