Celtics Beat Winless 76ers 84-80
BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics sent the Philadelphia 76ers into the record books with a major closing comeback on Wednesday night.
The Celtics, down by 11 points midway through the third quarter with their home fans booing, ended their two-game losing streak with a stunning 84-80 win over the winless Sixers.
Philadelphia (0-16) dropped its 26th straight game, dating to last season, to match the record for consecutive losses by a North American pro sports team.
The Sixers now 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.
Forward Jae Crowder's 3-pointer with 38.5 seconds left highlighted an 18-3 finish for Boston. It was the second 3-pointer down the stretch for Crowder, who was 1 of 9 from the floor and just missed two free throws.
The Sixers turned the ball over after the big basket, but Boston guard Avery Bradley turned it right back and Philly called time with 11 seconds left. Former Celtics guard 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 Crowder basket gave Boston (8-7) its first lead since 28-26 in the second quarter.
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 3-point play by center Jahlil Okafor that gave the Sixers an 80-75 lead with 2:51 left. The Celtics then scored the last nine points of the game.
Thomas led all scorers with 30 points and added six assists and four rebounds. Swingman 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 4 of 15 from the floor but made key defensive plays down the stretch.
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.
Being ahead (47-40) at the half and late was nothing new to the Sixers, who led 47-32 at Miami and 52-46 at Minnesota in the two previous games, losing both by five points. After falling behind 12-2 early, the visitors fought back and led 24-22 with 1:48 left in the first quarter.
Boston led by two after the quarter but didn't score for almost five minutes in the second quarter as the Sixers reeled off 10 straight. They led by eight three times.
It was 44-36 with 2:38 left when Bradley missed a fast-break layup that would have cut it to two, but Canaan, who scored his team's last seven points of the half, drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer and it was 47-40 as the local crowd booed.
Thomas and Turner led the Celtics back to as close as two points, but the third quarter ended with Philly still ahead by five.
NOTES: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost 26 in a row in 1976 and 1977, leading to the infamous quote from coach John McKay. Asked about his team's execution, McKay said, "I'm in favor of it." ... Philadelphia's first win last year was on Dec. 3 and its final victory on March 25. Both games were on the road. ... The Sixers were missing F Nik Stauskas, who is expected to be out a week with a bruised knee. ... Boston G Marcus Smart, who missed his third straight game with a knee injury, was wearing a leg brace and was on crutches at TD Garden Wednesday night. Coach Brad Stevens said the original prognosis of two weeks was "more of a minimum." ... The Celtics opened the season with a 112-95 home victory over the Sixers. ... The Celtics host the Washington Wizards, a team they beat by 20 in Boston last month, on Friday night. ... Boston F Jae Crowder took the microphone and wished the crowd a Happy Thanksgiving before the game.
