Which Team Has the Longest Winning Streak in NBA History?

Winning streaks in the NBA are a testament to a team's dominance, consistency, and resilience. In a league where competition is fierce and any team can emerge victorious on a given night, maintaining an extended winning streak requires extraordinary skill, teamwork, and endurance. These streaks not only solidify a team's place in basketball history but also serve as an inspiration for future generations.

NBA teams that achieve long winning streaks often have a combination of star players, exceptional coaching, and a deep bench that contributes to their success. In this article, we will explore the longest winning streaks in NBA history, covering both regular season and postseason streaks that have left a lasting impact on the game.

The Longest Regular Season Winning Streaks

The longest winning streaks in the NBA often depict that the team has the ability to surpass every other team and claim a unanimous right to the NBA championship. However, the teams usually encounter a befitting opponent during their winning streak that breaks their successful run. We have curated a list of top teams who have been able to achieve this feat in the NBA for the longest time, according to ESPN archives.

Los Angeles Lakers – 33 Games (1971-72)

The Los Angeles Lakers uphold the record for the longest winning streak in NBA history. They achieved this feat by winning 33 consecutive games during the 1971-72 season. It was riding on the winning juggernaut carried by players like Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Gail Goodrich. They were an offensive powerhouse at that time and could only be stopped by the Milwaukee Bucks roster. The winning streak for the Lakers kicked off on November 5, 1971, and continued till January 9, 1972.

In fact, the Lakers ended many games with double-digit margin wins and finished the season with an NBA-best 69-13 record. It even won the NBA Championship that season and proved why they were an all-time great team.

Golden State Warriors – 28 Games (2015-16)

When the greatest dynasty in the history of Golden State Warriors assembled in 2015-16, there were expectations that the franchise might surpass the Lakers' record. came close to breaking the Lakers' record, winning 28 straight games. This streak extended from the 2014-15 season, in which the Warriors won the end four games. Later on, they continued the streak to win 24 games at the start of the 2015-16 season. It is still the record for the longest win streak to start an NBA season. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green were the leaders of the winning streak

The franchise had set the NBA record of 73-9 for the regular season. Stephen Curry won the unanimous MVP award that season. Notably, he was the first player in NBA history to get this achievement.

Miami Heat – 27 Games (2012-13)

The Big 3 of the Miami Heat, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh won 27 consecutive games in the 2012-13 season. It was a milestone season for the team as it recorded the third-longest winning streak in NBA history. The 27-game winning streak of the franchise included 17 double-digit margin wins.

LeBron James was on a roll that season and slung the Heat to an NBA Championship. However, the Chicago Bulls, on March 27, 2013, stopped the winning juggernaut of the Big 3.

Houston Rockets – 22 Games (2007-08)

The Houston Rockets revived their identity as a competitive basketball team with a 22-game winning streak in the 2007-08 season. Even when they lost Yao Ming due to injury, they did not lose hope. Tracy McGrady took charge and maintained the winning pace for the team. The winning streak for the Rockets started in January 2008 and ended in March 2008.

Ultimately, the franchise culminated the season with a 55-27 record and earned a place in the postseason. However, the Rockets were not able to win a championship, yet they stand apart in the record.

Milwaukee Bucks – 20 Games (1970-71)

It was the era of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) and Oscar Robertson in 1970-71 that belittled every team in the NBA. During the season, the franchise recorded a 20-game winning streak. The Milwaukee Bucks had also secured the championship during the OG era.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the recipient of the MVP award in the league. Notably, the season for the Bucks ended with a 66-16 record.

The Longest Postseason Winning Streaks

To record winning streaks in the postseason is much more scary due to a high number of games, refined opponents, and skilled players on the other side of the team. Yet, some of the teams in the NBA have managed to continuously win in such challenging scenarios, which can be mentioned as follows:

Golden State Warriors – 15 Games (2017)

The name of the Dubs stands tall on this list since they won 15 consecutive games without any loss during the 2017 NBA postseason. It was a championship-winning season for them with stars like KD, Curry, and Thompson. Former mentioned names were the highlight of the winning streak due to their performances.

Dubs cleanly swept the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, and San Antonio Spurs in the postseason games. In the finals, the franchise took a 3-0 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals before giving away Game 4. Eventually, they won the 2017 NBA Championship with a 16-1 playoff record, which stands as the best postseason record in NBA history to this day.

Los Angeles Lakers – 11 Games (2001)

During the Black Mamba era, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant kept the Los Angeles Lakers undefeated for 11 games straight during the 2001 postseason in the NBA. During their playoff run, the Lakers swept the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, and San Antonio Spurs.

Even during the NBA Finals series, the Lakers only gave away one game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Ultimately, the team ended the postseason with a 15-1 record. It was the best playoff run until the Warriors broke it with a 16-1 record in 2017.

San Antonio Spurs – 12 Games (1999)

Exceptional teams like the 1999 San Antonio Spurs delivered high-level performances and recorded 12-game streaks in the playoffs. The heroes of that winning streak in the postseason for the Spurs were Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Jaren Jackson, and Steve Kerr. The Spurs were able to go undefeated against the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers in the postseason.

Duncan and his roster even won the NBA Championship with a 15-2 postseason stats. Moreover, the streak started for the franchise on May 13, 1999, and did not end until June 21, 1999.

Longest Home Winning Streak in NBA History

The home games are usually a matter of reputation for the NBA franchises since the loyal fanbases have a lot of attachment to such showdowns. However, not every team is able to stand up to the expectations of their fans in the home arena.

Golden State Warriors – 54 Games (2015-16)

During the 2015-16 season, the Golden State Warriors won 54 games in the home arena of Chase Center. It was a championship-winning season for the Dubs where. It made sure that the fans went home happily after their victory streak. This home winning streak includes the record of two seasons for the Warriors (2014-15 to 2015-16).

The streak count was the contributor to the 73-9 regular season record of the franchise. Even the Splash brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson made sure that the fans don't witness the Dubs losing to the opponents on the home turf.