The Pelicans did something Thursday night that no NBA team had done in almost a year, and it's not something New Orleans will be proud of.
The Pelicans became the first team since Jan. 20 to lose a home game against the 76ers, as Philadelphia snapped a franchise-record-tying 23-game road losing streak with a 99-88 win at Smoothie King Center.
Even more embarrassing for the Pelicans, Thursday marked the first time since March 25, 2015 that the Sixers won a road game by double-digits.
"I think we got lucky," Pelicans swingman Solomon Hill told reporters following the loss. "They could have beaten us by an even bigger margin."
Philadelphia also snapped an eight-game losing streak overall, improving to 5-18 on the season, while New Orleans fell to 7-16.
After opening the season with eight straight losses, the Pelicans put together a 7-4 run - including a four-game winning streak when Jrue Holiday returned to the lineup - that seemingly revived their hopes of joining the Western Conference playoff race as the season rolled on.
Instead, the Pels have since dropped four straight - with Holiday missing the last two games due to a toe injury - and already sit 4.5 games out of eighth place, with games against the Clippers, Warriors, Rockets, and Spurs coming in the next 10 days.
It was more of the same frustration for Anthony Davis, as the All-Star big man had nowhere near enough help to supplement his 26-point, 11-rebound performance.
