With the Milwaukee Bucks' 18 game winning streak concluding on Monday night against the Dallas Mavericks, let's take a look at the longest winning streaks in NBA history.
5. 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks (20 games)
The Bucks went over a month without losing a single game in early 1971. Their streak lasted from Feb. 6 to March 8 of that year.
It came to an end due to a surprising, 110-103, loss against the Chicago Bulls. With a roster headlined by names such as Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, and Bob Dandridge, the Bucks went on to finish the regular season with a 66-16 record.
What followed was a dominant playoff run for Milwaukee, finishing the postseason with a 12-2 record en route to their first and only championship in franchise history.
4. 2007-08 Houston Rockets (22 games)
Possibly the most surprising team on this list, the Rockets were not viewed as a realistic title contender at the time, despite their excellent play at the time.
Prior to the streak, they were just 24-20. In turn, to many, it was totally unexpected to see them seemingly come out of nowhere to play so well.
What makes the 22-game streak even more impressive is Yao Ming only participated in 12 of the 22 contests. The former star center broke his foot and sat out the rest of the season; though Houston would go on to win 10 more games in a row before losing to the NBA champions that season, the Boston Celtics.
3. 2015-16 Golden State Warriors (24 games)
The 2015-16 Warriors had unarguably one of the greatest regular seasons in the history of the NBA, and their 24-0 start to the season is proof of that.
Leading the way for Golden State was Stephen Curry, who put together an all-time great season, and ended up winning the second MVP of his career with a unanimous vote. Klay Thomspon and Draymond Green were also key to the Warriors' early-season success, as they both made the all-star team along with Curry.
Golden State's streak was snapped by the Milwaukee Bucks, defeating the defending champs by a final score of, 108-95, in Milwaukee.
2. 2012-13 Miami Heat (27 games)
Miami was a dynasty from the early to mid-2010s with the formidable trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. One of their most impressive accomplishments during their time in South Beach was finishing with the second-longest winning streak in league history.
It lasted from Feb. 3 to March 27 of 2013 and ended against a talented, gritty Chicago Bulls team led by Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng. The Heat went on to win the NBA title the same year, barely surviving a hard-fought seven-game NBA Finals series against the San Antonio Spurs.
1. 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers (33 games)
The Lakers' win streak lasted for over two months, eventually leading to LA finishing with the best record in the NBA at 69-13.
Not only were they winning, they were dominating –– destroying opponents over the 33 game span with an average margin of victory of 16 points. The dynamic backcourt of Jerry West and Gail Goodrich gave opponents fits, each averaged over 25 points per game on the season, and Wilt Chamberlain led the squad in rebounding on the year, pulling down an absurd 19.2 a night.
Abdul-Jabbar and the Bucks were the ones to end the longest winning streak ever in pro basketball. The future Laker scored 39 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in a 120-104 Bucks victory.
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