Basketball: Sixers set record, Cavs rally to win

Cavs forward LeBron James drives to the hoop as Hornets guard Jeremy Lin looks to stay in front...
Cavs forward LeBron James drives to the hoop as Hornets guard Jeremy Lin looks to stay in front of him. Photo: Reuters

The Philadelphia 76ers etched their name into the records book on Friday when they suffered a 116-114 loss to the Houston Rockets for their 27th consecutive defeat - the worst losing streak in major North American sport.

The 76ers lost their final 10 games last season to finish 18-64 and have now dropped their first 17 games this season. They lost their first 17 games last season as well.

The 27-game overall losing streak not only is the worst in the National Basketball Association, but also the longest among the four major North American team sports.

The previous mark was 26 successive defeats by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (1976-77).

The Buccaneers streak, however, was somewhat mitigated in that it come at the very start of the franchise's existence.

The 76ers, on the other hand, are a storied franchise with three NBA championships to their name and a list of famous players including Charles Barkley, Moses Malone and Julius Irving.

But they have traded away some of their best players over the past few years while squirreling away future draft picks to rebuild the team.

Lebron double-doubles in Cavs win

LeBron James had 25 points and 13 rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled out a 95-90 victory over the Hornets.

The Cavs trailed by seven points in the fourth quarter but took the lead for good with a 14-4 run midway through the quarter.

Cavs forward Kevin Love added 18 points and 16 rebounds. Forward Richard Jefferson scored 13 points and JR Smith had 11.

Curry hits nine threes in win

Golden State guard Stephen Curry scored 41 points and made nine three-pointers as the Warriors extended their unbeaten streak this season to 17 games in a 135-116 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

Reserve guard Leandro Barbosa had 21 points and made all five of his three-point attempts for the Warriors (17-0), who set the record for consecutive victories at the start of the season in their previous game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Warriors forward Draymond Green had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season.

Celtics hammer Wizards

Jared Sullinger scored 18 points and matched a season high 15 rebounds, six offensively, as the Celtics hammered the Washington Wizards.

Guard Isaiah Thomas scored 21 points, forward Jae Crowder had 17, guard Avery Bradley added 16 points and forwards David Lee and Kelly Olynyk contributed 12 points each for the Celtics.

George leads Pacers to win

Forward Paul George scored 33 points, while guard CJ Miles scored 16 first-half points as the Indiana Pacers grabbed control early on their way to a 104-92 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Chicago led 7-2 in the opening three minutes before the Pacers countered with a 17-2 run that included seven from Miles.

Center Ian Mahinmi had 15 points and nine rebounds, guard Monta Ellis scored 14 points and Lavoy Allen had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana.

Nikola Mirotic led Chicago with 25 points.

Durant dominant as Thunder win

Kevin Durant scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 103-87 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

Kiwi big man Steven Adams had a productive night, scoring eight points to go with 13 rebounds a block and an assist.

Forward Serge Ibaka, center Enes Kanter and guard Russell Westbrook all scored 14 points each as the Thunder improved to 11-6 with their fourth successive win.

Forward Marcus Morris paced the Pistons with 17 points.

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