Dallas defeated the Nets by a score of 117-101 on Wednesday night.

The loss sent the Nets to their record 18th straight defeat to open the season. The Miami Heat set the futility mark 20 years ago, losing their first 17 games as an expansion team.

Only seven N.B.A. teams have ever lost more than 18 games in a row. The Nets are five losses away from tying the longest single-season streak, held by the 1997-98 Denver Nuggets and the 1995-96 Vancouver Grizzlies.