Hapless 76ers tie record for futility

The Philadelphia 76ers found a way to tie the longest losing streak in major US professional sports history.

By blowing a late five-point lead in an 84-80 loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, the 76ers tumbled to their 26th straight loss and 16th in a row to start the season.

Philadelphia tied the major US pro sports futility mark set by the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1976-77 and matched by the 76ers in 2013-14. They are two losses away from tying the then-New Jersey Nets' NBA-worst mark of 18 losses to open a season.