November 20, 2015
Bob Leverone/AP
Charlotte Hornets' Kemba Walker (15) slips past Philadelphia 76ers' Jerami Grant.
With each mounting loss, the Philadelphia 76ers inch closer to carving out a spot in the NBA record books.
Friday night's 113-88 loss to the Charlotte Hornets was their thirteenth in a row to start the season, four games shy of the franchise record of 17, which was set -- you guessed it -- last season. The NBA record for losses to start a season belongs to the 2009 New Jersey Nets, who lost their first 18 games.
If the Sixers make it that far in this current losing streak, they'll also set another NBA record -- the one for most consecutive losses. The Sixers have now lost 23 straight games, dating back to March of last season.
76ers down by 21 at start of 3rd quarter. They've lost 22 in row (4 shy of matching NBA record)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 21, 2015
That's just three games shy of the record 26 losses in a row, which was first set by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers. Last year, the Sixers became the second NBA team to lose 26-straight, a mark they'll have a chance to top next week in Houston -- assuming they lose to Miami, Minnesota and Boston in the meantime.
So get ready, Sixers fans, because the next week is likely going to be full of headlines you're not going to want to read.
That being said, it wasn't all bad for Brett Brown's team in Charlotte, although the final score may suggest otherwise. Here are some observations from the game:
• Nerlens Noel came off the bench for the first time this season. Brown elected to play the matchup game and only start one of his centers, rookie Jahlil Okafor. In my opinion, it didn't really work. During the first half, in which the Sixers were outscored by 21, they looked their best, especially defensively, during the six-plus minutes the two big men were on the court together in the second quarter. It may be true that it complicates things offensively, but as T.J. McConnell continues to grow and develop with his teammates, the floor should open up a little. And if Nik Stauskas and Robert Covington can start hitting threes -- they were 3-for-11 combined Friday -- that will open it up even more.
Noel played well off the bench. He finished with a team-high 16 points (7-of-9) and nine rebounds in 27 minutes. Okafor, on the other hand, didn't have his best night, finishing with 10 points (4-of-12) and seven rebounds in 30 minutes. Stauskas finished second on the team in scoring with 15 points.
• Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker torched the Sixers. They combined for 46 points on 18-of-31 shooting. Jefferson finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds while Walker had 20 points and seven assists. Okafor was the only Sixer who even looked half-competent in defense of Jefferson. He pretty much did whatever he wanted for most of the night, with the exception of a few nice defensive stops by the Sixers rookie.
If you want a silver lining out of this -- and I guess I owe you one after that downer of an intro -- it's this: Jefferson had 14 of his 26 points in the first quarter. And in the second quarter, Okafor did a real nice job holding him to 1-of-4 shooting over the span of a few minutes.
• The Sixers turned the ball over 18 times, which is an improvement after 58 in their last two games combined. In fact, eight of those came in the fourth quarter when the game started to get out of hand.
The night didn't start well, as the Sixers turned the ball over on their very first possession of the game. But they cleaned it up and finished the first half with just eight turnovers. Unfortunately, the Hornets shot 63 percent in the half and led by 21 points. The second half opened with turnovers on each of the first two Sixers' possessions. But then, the team went the next 12-plus minutes without turning it over. You'll never guess what happened...
• The Sixers went on a 24-9 run in the third to cut the Hornets' lead to 11 points with a minute and half remaining in the quarter. That came during what I can only imagine was a season-high 12 minutes of turnover-free basketball. In addition to the watchable basketball the Sixers provided for a quarter, it was nice to see that they didn't quit despite being down 26 points early in the second half.
• A game after turning the ball over a team-high five times, point guard T.J. McConnell turned the ball over just once. He didn't have his best night shooting -- he scored a career-high 16 points on Wednesday -- and finished with just five points on 2-of-8 shooting. He did, however, add seven rebounds, six assists and a steal.
• Former Sixer Spencer Hawes finished with just four points on 1-of-6 shooting (0-for-4 from three).
The Sixers continue their six-game road trip Saturday night against the Miami Heat. Here's a look at the rest of their trip:
• Mon, Nov. 23 @ Timberwolves, 8 p.m.
• Wed, Nov. 25 @ Celtics, 7:30 p.m.
• Fri, Nov. 27 @ Rockets, 8 p.m.
• Sun, Nov. 29 @ Grizzlies, 6 p.m.
Will their first win come before they return home in December, or will their next game in Philly be a chance at extending the record for the longest losing streak in the history of the NBA?
Follow Matt on Twitter: @matt_mullin
