Someone is going to be the unfortunate first team to lose to the winless Philadelphia 76ers. It could be the Houston Rockets in the next game. Or the Memphis Grizzlies in the game after that.
But the Boston Celtics wanted to make sure it was not them, sending the Sixers into the history books with a stunning late comeback and an 84-80 victory on Wednesday.
"You guys know how much of a disappointment it would have been," Jae Crowder said after his second three-pointer of the comeback gave the Celtics the lead with 38.5 seconds left.
"Very, very, very disappointing to all of us, coaches and players."
The Celtics, down by 11 midway through the fourth quarter with their home fans booing, used an 18-3 charge in the final 6:02 for the win.
Philadelphia (0-16) dropped their 26th straight game, dating back to last season, to match the record for consecutive losses by a North American pro sports team.
The Sixers also have a shot at the all-time record of 18 consecutive losses at the start of an NBA season, set by the 2009 New Jersey Nets.
Crowder, one of nine from the floor before hitting the big baskets, missed two free throws with 4:32 left but came right back with the first three-pointer.
"I think it's fair to say he's got shooter's amnesia and he's not afraid to take the next one," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said.
The Sixers turned the ball over after falling behind for the first time since 26-24, but Boston guard Avery Bradley turned it right back and Philly called time with 11 seconds left.
Phil Pressey then missed a jumper, Boston guard Isaiah Thomas grabbed the rebound and salted it away with two free throws with 1.4 seconds left.
The Sixers lost 26 in a row in 2013-14, starting 0-17, one shy of the record set by the 2009 Nets. The 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers also dropped 26 straight, as did the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL in 1976-77.
The only Philadelphia points in the final 6:18 came on an old-fashioned three-point play by rookie center Jahlil Okafor that gave the Sixers an 80-75 lead with 2:51 left.
The Celtics (8-7) then scored the last nine points of the game - and Philly finished with 19 turnovers.
"There's no excuse for that," Pressey said.
Thomas led all scorers with 30 points and added six assists and four rebounds. Evan Turner scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half and had nine rebounds.
Celtics forward Jared Sullinger matched his season high with 15 rebounds to go with nine points. Bradley, who had 10 points, was just four of 15 from the floor but made key defensive plays down the stretch.
The Celtics, blown out in Atlanta on Tuesday (local time), had been in deep talks to try to shake the mini-losing streak, with Crowder saying, "Togetherness. We've splintered in past times when the going gets tough, and the going was definitely tough there."
Okafor led the Sixers with 19 points and nine rebounds and guard Isaiah Canaan had 12 points and five rebounds. Forward Robert Covington grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds in the loss.
"We had four in our final six possessions, I believe," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "We know where our bread is buttered. We know Jahlil needs the ball, but so does the rest of the league. So when they front and wrestle with it and we play tentative, it can be a negative."
Durant scores 30 in Thunder win
Kevin Durant scored 30 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 110-99 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Durant shot 11 of 18 from the field to go along with five assists and six rebounds in his second game back from a hamstring strain. Russell Westbrook added 27 points, 13 assists and six rebounds as the Thunder won their third straight game to improve to 10-6.
Kiwi centre Steven Adams scored four points, while adding four rebounds, two blocks, a steal and an assist.
Leonard guides Spurs to win
Kawhi Leonard poured in 26 points, including the clinching three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining, as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Dallas Mavericks 88-83.
Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki hit a jumper with 2:15 to play, cutting San Antonio's lead to 82-80, and Dallas had a chance to tie the game on its next possession. Guard Deron Williams badly missed a jumper.
Raptors defeath Cavs
Kyle Lowry scored 27 points as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-99 with a strong fourth quarter.
It was the third win in a row for the Raptors (10-6) and ended a three-game winning streak by the Cavaliers (11-4).
The Raptors led 82-80 after three quarters and pulled away in the fourth.
Hornets win with late run
Nicholas Batum scored 16 points and had 11 assists, and the Charlotte Hornets used a big fourth-quarter run to beat the Washington Wizards 101-87.
Jeremy Lamb and Kemba Walker added 18 and 16 points, while Cody Zeller scored 11 as Charlotte outscored the Wizards 25-2 over the final eight minutes to win their fourth straight.
Oladipo leads Magic to win over Knicks
Victor Oladipo lost his starting job butstill scored a season-high 24 points to lead the Orlando Magic to a 100-91 victory over the New York Knicks.
Oladipo, who started 83 of his previous 84 games with the Magic, was benched in favour of Channing Frye.
"I'm going to embrace it," Oladipo said before the game. "Whatever it takes to win, that's what I'm going to do."
