The Knicks erased much of a 26-point, third-quarter deficit Wednesday night but could not complete the comeback against the visiting Philadelphia 76ers, who extended New York's franchise-record, single-season losing streak with a 126-111 result.

The Knicks have lost 18 straight, two shy of the franchise's all-time record, a 20-game streak that spanned the 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons.

The skid, the longest in the NBA since the Memphis Grizzlies dropped 19 straight last season, leaves New York within shouting distance of the longest losing streaks in NBA history -- the 26-game streaks endured by the 76ers in 2013-14 and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010-11 and the 76ers' 28-game streak that spanned the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.

The 76ers have won three of four.

Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 26 points and 14 rebounds. Tobias Harris scored 25 points, his top total in four games since being acquired by the 76ers on Feb. 6. Fellow starters Ben Simmons (18 points), JJ Redick (15 points) and Jimmy Butler (13 points) scored in double figures, as did reserve Boban Marjanovic (10 points).

Allonzo Trier scored 19 points to lead an impressive performance by Knicks reserves, who accounted for 74 points. Mitchell Robinson scored 14 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and recorded four blocks, while fellow bench players Damyean Dotson (16 points) and Kadeem Allen (13 points) also got into double figures.

Dennis Smith Jr. (13 points) and DeAndre Jordan (12 points) were the only New York starters to score at least 10 points.

The 76ers took the lead for good with a 10-0 run early in the first quarter and went ahead by double digits at 23-12 on Harris' jumper with 5:02 left. The Knicks closed to within four by the end of the period and pulled within 44-43 on Allen's 3-pointer with 9:07 left in the second, but Philadelphia responded with a 9-0 run.

A 23-7 run spanning the second and third quarters gave the 76ers their biggest lead at 88-62 just four minutes into the third, but Robinson scored eight points during a quarter-ending, 29-12 run that pulled the Knicks within 100-91 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Knicks got within 111-105 on Luke Kornet's 3-pointer with 6:41 left but squandered a couple chances to get even closer. Allen missed a layup with New York down 114-107, and Dotson missed a 3-point attempt with the score 116-109. Harris responded with a 3-pointer with 2:52 to go, and New York never got back within single digits.

--Field Level Media