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It is not a record they will thank anyone for mentioning but American basketball team the Philadelphia 76ers have entered the history books with their 116-114 loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday.

That defeat - their 27th successive loss across two seasons - means they are now on the longest losing streak in NBA history.

Not only that, it is the longest run of defeats across all the country's major professional sports, from major league baseball to American football, from ice hockey's NHL to soccer's MLS.

And more records may yet fall. While the 27-game run includes the tail end of last season, their 0-17 record this time round is now just one short of the worst start to an NBA season.

The 76ers looked like they might end the sequence when they recovered from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to lead by five points approaching the half-way point of that final quarter but then, in a dramatic finish, threw it away.

They have now overtaken their own joint record losing run from two seasons ago, which they held with the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers and NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Writing rather happier history are Golden State Warriors, who extended their record for the longest unbeaten start to an NBA season with victory over the Phoenix Suns.

Their 135-116 win on Friday took their perfect start to 17 straight wins.