76ers Find New Ways To Lose

The 76ers lost to the Toronto Raptors, 128-123, in overtime on a day when they did not get a single individual rebound in the entire third quarter.

The Sixers lost on a day when Andre Iguodala and Jrue Holiday--their starting guards--combined to shoot 19-for-26 from the floor.

The Sixers lost on a day when neither starting forward--Elton Brand and Jason Kapono--had a rebound. For Brand, this was the first time in 713 career NBA games that he came up with a zero off the glass.

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The Sixers fell to 26-50, their first 50-loss season since 1997-98, Larry Brown's first season as the head coach, on a day when Iguodala scored a season-high 33 points and flirted with a triple-double, adding a season-high 11 assists and 8 rebounds. Iguodala, who has had foot problems, played 49:14 of a possible 53 minutes, while the rookie Holiday had a season-high 25 points and 7 assists in 42:41. Iguodala and Holiday also combined for seven of the Sixers' 13 steals and had just 4 turnovers between them.

But the most bizarre statistic of the day came in the rebounding department, where they went a stretch of 14:49--counting the last 2:14 of the second quarter and the first 35 seconds of the fourth--without an individual rebound.

Sixers coach Eddie Jordan said he was not aware of the rebounding situation until he was told about it afterward.

''I don't know if I've seen that (before) or not,'' he said.

Brand, the starting power forward, came to the Sixers last season with career averages of 20 points and 10 rebounds.

''I couldn't put my finger on it,'' Jordan said of Brand's zero. "I don't want to be negative or assume anything. You have to ask him.''

Brand has had three career games in which he has had one rebound. Neither Brand nor Kapono played in the fourth quarter.

If all of that wasn't enough, Iguodala took an ill-advised quick three-pointer with 26.9 seconds remaining and the Sixers down 126-123.

The shot missed, and the Sixers did not score the rest of the way.

''Bosh (Raptor forward Chris Bosh) was guarding me throughout the whole overtime and he really would not let me catch the ball,'' Iguodala said. ''We were having trouble inbounding the ball. I got a catch and he gave me an inch, and I just wanted to make a play. It just came up short.''

It clearly was not the play Jordan wanted.

''Not a quick three, no,'' Jordan said. ''(We wanted) a quick two or a diagrammed three . . . We all sometimes in life have those moments. It wasn't necessarily what we wanted.''

The Raptors' Antoine Wright said ''I don't know what he was thinking. He's a great player. He did everything he could tonight, but I think maybe he just rushed his shot. He had a matchup that favored them and I think he just got a little ahead of himself.''

Iguodala said "I think to be one of the elite players, you have to have that confidence in yourself no matter what situation, whether you are making shots or not. You go through those moments, whether you make them or miss them, you have to have that confidence in yourself.''

Bosh, by the way, also flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 28 pointd, 12 rebounds and 7 assists in 46:03