The 76ers made history Thursday night by losing their 26th straight game. Their defeat in Houston tied the 2010-2011 Cleveland Cavaliers for the longest losing streak in NBA history. The Rockets blew past Philly in the 2nd half with help from James Harden's triple-double as the Sixers lost 120-98.
Philadelphia came out fighting and would not take the loss lying down. When it looked like the Rockets would run away with the game, Philly's recent signed Casper Ware made the steal and hit a half-court shot as the 1st quarter ended. The Sixers found themselves down by 7 after the first but a fancy layup from James Anderson knotted it up at 43 midway through the 2nd. But that's when the wheels fell off of Philly's offense. The Rockets closed out the half on a 20-6 run and held a 63-49 lead at intermission.
The 3rd quarter only held more trouble for the Sixers as they fell further behind. Philly's sloppy offense committed turnover after turnover, totaling 22 on the contest. Houston used the fast-break off the turnovers to their advantage, scoring an impressive 34 points in transition. James Anderson performed admirably against his former team, tacking on 30 points off 6 3-pointers, but it wasn't enough.
Thaddeus Young scored 15 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, but turned the ball over 6 times in the loss. Carter-Williams dished out 10 assists and recorded 2 steals but could not find his shot (2-11 FG) and scored only 4 points. Henry Sims continued his solid play as a starter, scoring 18 points and securing 6 boards and a block. The 76ers only shot 39% and were outrebounded 57-39.
James Harden scored 26 points and added 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4 steals in a dominating performance. Dwight Howard blocked 3 shots, grabbed 13 rebounds and scored 17 points. Jeremy Lin contributed 13 points and 7 assists off the bench. The Rockets scored 62 points in the paint.
The Sixers will look to avoid making more history on Saturday, hoping to avoid facing their 27th straight defeat at home against the Pistons.
By: Matt Ryan
The 3rd quarter only held more trouble for the Sixers as they fell further behind. Philly's sloppy offense committed turnover after turnover, totaling 22 on the contest. Houston used the fast-break off the turnovers to their advantage, scoring an impressive 34 points in transition. James Anderson performed admirably against his former team, tacking on 30 points off 6 3-pointers, but it wasn't enough.
Thaddeus Young scored 15 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, but turned the ball over 6 times in the loss. Carter-Williams dished out 10 assists and recorded 2 steals but could not find his shot (2-11 FG) and scored only 4 points. Henry Sims continued his solid play as a starter, scoring 18 points and securing 6 boards and a block. The 76ers only shot 39% and were outrebounded 57-39.
James Harden scored 26 points and added 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4 steals in a dominating performance. Dwight Howard blocked 3 shots, grabbed 13 rebounds and scored 17 points. Jeremy Lin contributed 13 points and 7 assists off the bench. The Rockets scored 62 points in the paint.
The Sixers will look to avoid making more history on Saturday, hoping to avoid facing their 27th straight defeat at home against the Pistons.
By: Matt Ryan