10 Longest Winning Streaks in NBA History

Longest Winning Streaks in NBA History

1. Los Angeles Lakers – 33 Games

When a team has six players averaging double digits throughout the season, it is tough to defeat them. This is what the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers accomplished as they went on a 33-game consecutive victory. Plus, they have Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West on the team.

Today we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the 1971-72 @Lakers NBA-record 33-game win-streak! #NBA75

Follow along in this thread for some facts about the streak that still stands as the longest string of wins in all major American sports. pic.twitter.com/RVoQNVNe5j

— NBA History (@NBAHistory) January 7, 2022

The team was undefeated from November 5 to January 7 and entered the playoffs with the best record of 69 wins and 13 losses. They had a winning margin of 16 points during the streak. Gail Goodrich and Jerry West spearheaded the offense of the team with their average of 25.9 points and 25.8 points, respectively. 

This incredible run did not go to waste. They eventually won the title by sweeping the Chicago Bulls in the first round, then outlasting the Milwaukee Bucks in six games and dominating the New York Knicks in five games.

2. Golden State Warriors – 28 Games

The 2015 NBA champions Golden State Warriors began the following season with the best start in history with 24 wins in a row. They were led by season MVP Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. They were out to prove that they were the new dynasty in the league by demolishing every opponent via a 13.9 win differential.

This streak began at the end of the 2014-15 season when the Warriors closed out with four wins over Portland, Minnesota, Memphis and Denver. The regular season streak ballooned to 28, but the Milwaukee Bucks halted this impressive feat by giving a 108-95 loss on the road.

Well, we knew the streak had to end at some point. pic.twitter.com/o4JlGBZbLa

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 13, 2015

3. Miami Heat – 27 Games

The 2012-13 Miami Heat made the second-longest NBA regular season streak. After not winning the title in their first seasons together in 2011-12, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh needed a solid bounce-back season to prove they were the team to beat. Thanks to the 27.1 points of LeBron James and 22.1 points of Dwyane Wade, this revenge season produced 27-game consecutive wins.

7 years ago today… win #27. Enjoy the ride.#TDIHH | @miccnationmiami pic.twitter.com/94Svjqaedj

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) March 25, 2020

The domination by the ‘’Heatles’’ began on February 3 and lasted until March 25, 2011, before the Chicago Bulls halted it on March 27, where they averaged 11.5 of winning margin. It helped them gain the best record in the league with 66 wins and 16 losses, the same season where they captured the championship by beating the Spurs, 4-3, in the NBA Finals.

4. Houston Rockets – 22 Games

The Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady’s tandem for the Houston Rockets in the 2007-08 season was a force to be reckoned with as they were able to win 22 straight games in the regular season. A win against Golden State on January 29 sparked the beginning of the stretch before the Los Angeles Lakers stopped it on March 16.

During the streak, the Rockets averaged a 12-point winning average during the streak, helping them to achieve the fifth spot in the Western Conference standings. It is also Houston’s longest winning streak in franchise history. However, they were eliminated by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the postseason in six games.

5. Milwaukee Bucks – 20 Games

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson’s first year together in Milwaukee during the 1970-71 season proved to be lethal as they led the team to the best record of 66 wins and 16 losses, including a 20-game streak that had an average winning margin of 18.3 points against their foes.

Bob Dandridge, Jon McGlockin and Greg Smith, the other three starters, has also contributed a double-figure average on offense to continue their dominance in the playoffs by only losing two games throughout the postseason.

6. Washington Capitols – 20 Games

The Washington Capitols set the standard for consecutive wins in the NBA when they accumulated 20 straight in the regular season that spanned two seasons. Washington finished the 1947-48 season on a five-game winning streak, and they continued this momentum the following season.

Led by Bob Feerick and Bones McKinney, Washington extended the winning streak to 20 as they collected 15 successive victories at the beginning of the 1948-49 season. The streak was finally broken on December 7, 1948, after a close 88-83 loss to the St. Louis Bombers.

7. Atlanta Hawks – 19 Games

During the 2014-15 season, the Atlanta Hawks were able to string 19 wins straight, which lasted for over a month. Led by the trio of Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague, and Al Horford, the Hawks didn’t receive a defeat from December 27, 2014, to January 15, 2015. Millsap led the team in points with his 16.7 average, while Teague orchestrated the offense through his 7.0 assists number. The Pelicans stopped the streak on February 2, 2015.

Atlanta also finished the season with the best record in the Eastern Conference after a 60-22 record, which placed them as the top seed heading into the playoffs. Unfortunately, they were swept by LeBron James and the Atlanta Hawks in the East Finals and came short of a title.

8. Boston Celtics – 19 Games

Fresh off their title run in 2008, the Boston Celtics were eager to establish a new dynasty in the NBA with their big three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. In their first ten games of the 2008-09 season, they recorded eight wins and only lost two. Then, they went on a tear with 19 straight wins.

However, the streak was snapped by their bitter rival, the Los Angeles Lakers, on their Christmas Day Finals rematch, where they absorbed a 92-83 defeat at the hands of Kobe Bryant and co. inside the Staples Center. The Orlando Magic crushed their bid for back-to-back titles as they eliminated them in the second round of the playoffs.

9. Los Angeles Lakers – 19 Games

The emergence of the duo of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant first struck during the 1999-2000 season, when the two dominated the NBA. This intimidating pair recorded three winning streaks over ten wins in the same season. The longest was the 19 consecutive victories they enjoyed from February 4, 2000, to March 13, 2000.

The Lakers finished the season with the best record in the league, with 67 wins and 15 losses. Washington stopped this incredible streak by outlasting them on March 16, 2000, with a 109-102 loss. Eventually, they bagged the title that season through a 4-2 series win over the Indiana Pacers.

10. San Antonio Spurs – 19 Games

Under the guidance of Gregg Popovich, the San Antonio Spurs became one of the most successful teams in the NBA by becoming perennial contenders for the title every year. One solid evidence of this is when they registered a franchise-best 19 straight wins during the 2013-14 season.

The core players, which consists of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Kawhi Leonard, proceeded on an immaculate run from February 26, 2014, to April 2, 2014, by blowing out their opponents by an average of 21.9 points per game. Tony Parker was the main man on the offensive end with his 16.7 points and 5.7 assists numbers throughout the regular season. 

Aside from Parker, five other players racked up double-digit stats namely Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, Manu Ginobili, Marco Belinelli and Patty Mills. In the end, they tallied the best regular season record of 62 wins and 20 losses, thus winning their 5th NBA title (this made them the fifth winningest NBA franchise in history) in team history by beating Miami, 4-2, in the NBA Finals.