The NBA is the most popular sport in North America and around the world. It has been no secret that basketball players can make millions of dollars a year through playing professionally, but how much money did these competitors earn during their winning streaks?
The answer may surprise you.
The “longest losing streak in nba history” is the longest losing streak in NBA history. The Boston Celtics had a 10 game losing streak from 1971 to 1973.
When a team goes on a winning run, it instills confidence in everyone on the squad. After all, the purpose of playing in the NBA is to win games on a regular basis. Winning championships is a byproduct of winning, since more victories equal a better team record and a higher conference placement. Teams with a stronger conference record and status have an edge in the playoffs when facing inferior opponents en route to a long playoff run.
But which clubs have won the most consecutive games? The Phoenix Suns are on a 17-game winning streak, including a win against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. The Suns will be a postseason force this year, thanks to their excellent core of Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton. But, in terms of winning streaks, where do the Suns stand among the all-time greats?
We’ve compiled a list of the finest NBA teams with the longest winning streaks in the league’s history. As impressive as Phoenix’s current run is, there have been a number of teams who have managed to outperform the Suns this season. It takes an extraordinary effort for a team to go on a 10-game winning streak, and seeing the Suns go closer to 20 wins could be the most interesting narrative of the season so far. Without further ado, here are the teams who have won the most games in a row thus far.
Mentions of Merit
Winning streak of 16 games
Celtics of Boston (1964-65)
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in (1970-71)
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in (1972-73, 1973-74)
The Los Angeles Lakers are a professional basketball team based in Los (1990-91)
The Portland Trail Blazers are a professional basketball team based in Portland (1990-91)
The Los Angeles Lakers are a professional basketball team based in Los (1999-00)
Warriors of Golden State (2014-15)
Celtics of Boston (2017-18)
The 76ers are a basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2017-18)
Many teams have won 16 consecutive games, with three teams doing so before the 1990s and four teams doing so in the 2000s. In 2018, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics both have youthful talent on their rosters with a lot of promise, and both teams ended up on the list. Fast forward to the present day, and things have undoubtedly altered in that regard.
The Warriors also went on a 16-game winning run, led by MVP Stephen Curry, and seemed to be the greatest team in the globe by a long shot. Shaquille O’Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers won 16 consecutive games in 2000, the same year they won the NBA title. Both the 1991 Lakers and the 1991 Trail Blazers had 16-game winning runs, which ended in tragedy for both teams when Portland lost in the Conference Finals to Los Angeles. Later, the Lakers were defeated by Michael Jordan and the Bulls in the NBA Finals.
Winning Streak of 17 Games
Capitols in Washington, D.C. (1946-47)
Celtics of Boston (1964-65)
Spurs of San Antonio (1995-96)
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in (2006-07)
Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas (2006-07)
Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles (2012-13)
The Houston Rockets are a professional basketball team based in (2017-18)
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in (2021-22)
The Phoenix Suns are the latest club to win 17 games in a row, and they have a good chance of breaking into the top 20. The addition of experienced point guard Chris Paul has boosted the performance of young players Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges, as well as the whole Suns team. The Rockets won 17 consecutive games a couple years ago, their route to the best record in the Western Conference and a spot in the NBA Finals.
The 2013 Clippers, who were also led by Chris Paul, won 17 consecutive games and finished first in the Pacific Division. In 2007, the Mavericks won 17 consecutive games due to MVP Dirk Nowitzki. Under head coach Bob Hill and executive Gregg Popovich, the Spurs have won 17 consecutive games. Because Tim Duncan had yet to be selected, David Robinson was the franchise’s face at the time.
Winning Streak of 18 Games
(1949-50, 1950-51) (15+3) Rochester Royals
Philadelphia 76ers (11+7) (1965-66, 1966-67)
Knicks of New York (1969-70)
Celtics of Boston (1981-82)
Bulls of Chicago (1995-96)
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in (2019-20)
Winning 18 games in a row is a difficult task, but only a few teams in NBA history have accomplished it. The Milwaukee Bucks, led by MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, were the most recent club to do it, dominating the league. The Bulls did it again in 1996, ending with an incredible 72-10 record, which is the second-best season in terms of overall victories.
Under the direction of Red Auerbach, Larry Bird’s Celtics won 18 games in a row in 1982. When Larry Bird was performing at a Hall of Fame level and Auerbach was engaged in some way, it looked like success would follow. Unfortunately for Boston, Bird and the Celtics were defeated by the Philadelphia 76ers in the Conference Finals, and were unable to finish the season with a title.
Atlanta Hawks (2014-15) – 19 games (tie)
The Atlanta Hawks had an unexpectedly good season in 2015, ending with the best record in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks were creating a squad that would make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, only to lose to the Cleveland Cavaliers, thanks to an incredible 19-game winning run.
However, four Hawks players were named to the All-Star Team during the regular season: Al Horford, Paul Milsap, Jeff Teague, and Kyle Korver. The Hawks moved the ball well on offense and played as a unit throughout the season under head coach Mike Budenholzer. The Hawks played their finest regular season to date despite the absence of a real superstar player, and that memory will live on in the hearts of Atlanta fans for a long time.
San Antonio Spurs (2013-14) – 19 games San Antonio Spurs (2013-14) – 19 games
The 2014 Spurs were a squad out for vengeance, particularly after losing in the NBA Finals to the Miami Heat the year before. They couldn’t do much against Ray Allen’s clutch shooting and LeBron James’ supremacy, but they were hell-bent on proving their superiority the next season. The Spurs had all the momentum to finish with the top record in the West after a 19-game winning run.
Kawhi Leonard’s maturity was crucial because the dynamic small forward was ready to step up as an offensive option to complement Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. The Spurs were laser-focused throughout the season, finishing third in defensive rating and seventh in offensive rating. The Spurs utilized their excellent record to beat Dallas in the first round before dispatching the Trail Blazers and Thunder in the second round. The Spurs swept Miami in five games in a rematch of the Finals in Miami, capping off a spectacular season.
Boston Celtics (2008-09) – 19 games (tie)
In 2009, the Boston Celtics had just won the NBA championship and were looking for a chance to do it again. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo were all members of the Doc Rivers-led team. The Celtics went on an incredible 19-game winning run over the course of a month, on route to a remarkable 27-2 start to the season. Twelve of the 19 consecutive victories came at home, while the other seven came on the road.
During the run, Pierce led the team in scoring with 17.1 points per game, followed by Garnett and Rondo with 16.4 and 13.6 points per game, respectively. The Celtics seemed to be on the verge of another championship run, but once that run ended, they lost seven of their next nine games. Despite losing in the second round of the playoffs to the Orlando Magic, the Celtics entered the record books with their winning run.
Los Angeles Lakers (1999-00) – 19 Games – 7 Tie
Rolling Screen and Silver Screen
Because Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were by far the top players in the league in the early 2000s, the Lakers could be the most dominating team in NBA history. It’s no surprise that the Lakers would win the NBA championship and clinch a three-peat.
Shaquille O’Neal would win both the MVP and the Finals MVP awards in the same season, and Kobe Bryant would soon follow in his footsteps as the league’s most dominating player. The Lakers’ superiority was shown by their 19-game winning streak, but only six teams in NBA history have won at least 20 games.
Milwaukee Bucks (1970-71) – 20 Games – 5 Tie
The Milwaukee Bucks would embark on a 20-game winning run, headed by great center Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and seasoned superstar point guard Oscar Robertson. Oscar was acquired during the 1970 offseason and proved to be a key component in the team’s success.
The Bucks finished with a 66-16 record, indicating that they had been successful for almost a month and that they certainly possessed a championship-caliber group. Unsurprisingly, the Bucks won the championship in 1971, led by Finals MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Washington Capitols (1947-48, 1948-49) – 20 Games (15+5) Washington Capitols (1947-48, 1948-49) – 20 Games (15+5)
The Washington Capitols made this list because they followed up a five-game winning run in 1948 with another 15 consecutive triumphs, giving them a total of 20 victories. As the third and last season of the BAA, this was done at the period when the NBA was being founded. The BAA and NBL were united the following season to establish the NBA.
Under Hall of Fame head coach Red Auerbach, the Capitols were invincible for a major chunk of the season, led by old-school talents Bob Feerick and Bones McKinney. The Capitols finished 6th in PPG and 5th in OPPG on their route to the BAA Finals, when they were defeated by the Minneapolis Lakers, headed by Hall of Famer George Mikan.
4. Houston Rockets – 22 games (2007-08)
The Houston Rockets had an unexpectedly good season in 2008. The Rockets hit a hot streak and went on one of the most spectacular runs in NBA history, despite not having won an NBA championship the previous year or even winning an NBA title after the regular season. With Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, the Rockets would win 10 consecutive games before receiving grim news concerning their center.
Yao’s hot run would come to an end when he injured his foot, leaving the Rockets to make do without their 7’6″ center. Houston would maintain their momentum, winning 12 more games thanks to outstanding cooperation en route to a fifth-place finish in the Western Conference. Houston would not have much success in the playoffs, but their winning run will go down in history.
3. Miami Heat – 27 Games (2012-13)
Any team with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh on the roster is going to win a lot of games. That’s exactly what occurred in the 2013 NBA season, when the Miami Heat dominated the league before winning the title in the end. Miami was a force on the court thanks to an unbelievable trio of talents.
The Heat won 27 games in a row, beating 20 different opponents and racking up 17 double-digit victories. The Heat were unquestionably the top team in the NBA, and with the league’s finest player, Miami came dangerously close to establishing the longest winning run in NBA history.
2. Golden State Warriors – 28 games (4+24) (2014-15, 2015-16)
Golden State was on a quest to show their credentials as an all-time great team after winning the NBA championship in 2015 and into the 2016 season. Many detractors pointed to Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving’s injury in last year’s Finals, so the Warriors wanted to show that their brilliance was unmatched.
Golden State, led by Stephen Curry, shattered the NBA record for most victories in a regular season by going 73-9 and shredding opponents with three-point shooting. Even though the Warriors were the most dominant team of their age, they couldn’t match the accomplishments of the 1972 Los Angeles Lakers.
1. Los Angeles Lakers – 33 games (1971-72)
The Lakers were developing a reputation for being unable to win championships no matter what they did, since they had lost seven of their previous ten Finals appearances. However, that record would come to an end when Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West put on a show in a season in which they won 33 games in a row.
The Lakers appeared prepared to conquer their demons and win it all once and for all after going almost two months without losing. The defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks were the club to upset the Lakers and put an end to their incredible run. However, the Lakers won the NBA title, their first in the city of Los Angeles, after winning 69 games throughout the season.
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The “longest nba win streak against one team” is a list of 10 NBA teams that have the longest winning streaks in their history. The longest winning streak is 71 games and was achieved by the Boston Celtics in 1971.
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