The streak is officially over. After losing 20 consecutive games starting on February 4, the Houston Rockets finally won again after defeating the Toronto Raptors 117-99. All five Houston starters scored in double digits, and Jae’Sean Tate led the way with 22 points for the Rockets.
Houston started its hot post-James Harden era, but after Christian Wood sprained his ankle, the attack lost any chance of consistency. Wood was injured in the February 4 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, but ended up losing the next 17 games. Those were the first 17 games in the losing streak. On Sunday, with Wood back in action, the Rockets took possession before beating Thunder on the buzzer and ending the streak. They finished work against Toronto on Monday and with Wood back on the roster, Houston should be able to at least play moderately competitive basketball later on.
Now, it is the Raptors who have taken the baton as the NBA team with the longest losing streak. After returning to 0.500 before the All-Star break, they lost nine in a row to drop to 17-26. A coronavirus outbreak is partly responsible for these struggles, but with more than half of the season already counted, Toronto has to rely on the fact that it is in 11th place in the Eastern Conference and 2.5 games outside of even a play-in appearance.
In a historical sense, consecutive losses from 20 games are not as rare as they seem. Before the Rockets, 13 other teams had lost 20 consecutive games. The NBA record is 28 straight losses to the Philadelphia 76ers over two seasons. The record for a single season? The 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers reached 26. Fortunately for Houston, these are milestones that they no longer have to worry about.