The 16 Best NBA Winning Streaks of All-Time

Season: 1971-72

Winning Streak: 33 games

Season Record: 69-13

When the Lakers hired coach Bill Sharman, the franchise’s fortunes seemed to turn around. Led by a 35-year old Wilt Chamberlain and 33-year old Jerry West, the Lakers were perfect for 70 days. This all happened despite third star Elgin Baylor missing all but eight games during the entire season.

Los Angeles went on to a then-record 69 wins and captured the 1972 NBA championship after knocking out the New York Knicks 4-1 in the finals. The streak is nearly untouchable. No team has come closer than five games to breaking the in-season record set by the Lakers.

Season: 2014-15 & 2015-16 

Winning Streak: 28 games

Season Record: 67-15 & 73-9

The modern NBA dynasty, the Golden State Warriors, found magic with the play of the Splash Brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. With crucial role players in Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, the Warriors were a nightmare matchup for all opponents. The Warriors won their final four regular-season games of the 2014-15 season, earning the best record in the NBA (67-15) and won an NBA Championship after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2 in the 2015 NBA Finals.

After their championship run, the Warriors won their first 24 games of the 2015-16 season, pushing their regular-season winning streak through two seasons to a total of 28 games. The Warriors went on to record a league record 73 wins in the regular season. Though that record was notable, the Warriors are remembered for failing to repeat as champions after blowing a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 Finals.

Season: 2007-08

Winning Streak: 22 games

Season Record: 55-27

The Houston Rockets were going through their struggles early in the 2007-08 season. At a subpar 24-20, the team eventually found its groove. Led by Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, the Rockets won an astounding 22 consecutive games. The streak lasted a month and a half and ended at the hands of the eventual champion Boston Celtics. During the streak, Yao was lost for the rest of the season due to a foot injury. Houston finished 55-27, but their season ended with a first round series loss to the Utah Jazz in six games.

Season: 1947-48 & 1948-49

Winning Streak: 20 games

Season Record: 28-20 & 38-22

Back when the NBA was originally known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA), the Washington Capitols were one of the more successful teams. Coached by Red Auerbach, the Capitols won their last five games of the 1947-48 season. Though they lost the tiebreaker playoff against the Chicago Stags, the Capitols won their first 15 games of the 1948-49 season. 

That set the record for the best start in league history until the Houston Rockets matched it in 1993 and the Golden State Warriors eclipsed the mark in 2015. The Capitols finished 38-22 that season and got all the way to the BAA Finals before falling to George Mikan and the Minneapolis Lakers.

Season: 1970-71

Winning Streak: 20 games

Season Record: 66-16

The Milwaukee Bucks had one of the better superstar tandems of all-time. Pairing point guard Oscar Robertson with center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a large success for the Bucks. Milwaukee began the 1970-71 season, winning 17 of their first 18 games. Later on, the team won 20 consecutive games from February 6 - March 8. Milwaukee was dominant the rest of the way finishing with a 66-16 mark and went 12-2 in the playoffs as they won the first and only championship in franchise history.

Season: 2008-09

Winning Streak: 19 games

Season Record: 62-20

Coming off of a championship during the 2007-08 season, the Boston Celtics were ready to repeat, winning 27 of their first 29 games. This included a more than five weeks long stretch where they were undefeated. Boston continued to dominate even after the streak ended. The Celtics were 44-11 when reigning Defensive Player of the Year and superstar Kevin Garnett injured his knee. 

Garnett would play only 66 minutes the rest of that season and miss the playoffs. Though Boston finished strong with the best record in the NBA, their championship hopes were dashed after losing to the Orlando Magic in the Conference Semifinals.

Season: 2013-14

Winning Streak: 19 games

Season Record: 62-20

There weren’t many teams deeper than the 2013-14 San Antonio Spurs. Armed with Finals MVPs, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and the young Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs were tough. The Spurs began that season 13-1. Their 19-game streak started in late February and ended in early April. The Spurs went on to win 62 games that season and dominated their way to a championship, vanquishing the Miami Heat in five games with an emphasis on ball movement.

Season: 1949-50 & 1950-51

Winning Streak: 18 games

Season Record: 51-17 & 41-27

Occurring between two separate seasons, the Royals closed out the 1949-50 season with 15 wins. They lost all three of their postseason games. The Royals were unbeaten in their first three games of the 1950-51 campaign, stretching the regular season streak to 18 games. The Royals were 41-27 that season and went on to defeat the New York Knicks in the 1951 NBA Finals 4-3 on the strength of a great series from Arnie Risen (21.7 points and 14.3 rebounds).

Season: 1965-66 & 1966-67

Winning Streak: 18 games

Season Record: 55-25 & 68-13

Powered by unstoppable force Wilt Chamberlain, the Philadelphia 76ers ended the 1965-66 season with an 11-game winning streak. Despite the good finish, the 76ers lost in the Eastern Division Finals to the Boston Celtics in five games.

The regular season streak would continue into the next season, where the 76ers won their first seven games. That season, Philadelphia had seven winning streaks of at least five games and finished with a remarkable 68-13 mark. The Sixers went on to the NBA Finals where they defeated the San Francisco Warriors in six games.

Season: 1981-82

Winning Streak: 18 games

Season Record: 63-19

The defending 1981 NBA Champions, the Boston Celtics hit their stride in late-February as they put together an 18-game winning streak over a month long stretch. Even without superstar Larry Bird for five games in the streak, the Celtic dominated with a deep roster that also included Robert Parish, Kevin McHale and Dennis Johnson. The streak set a then-club record for consecutive games won. Boston finished with a 63-19 mark. The strong regular season wasn’t enough as the Celtics lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in a tightly contested seven-game Conference Finals battle.

Season: 2019-20

Winning Streak: 18 games

Season Record: 53-12

The Milwaukee Bucks were a major force to be reckoned with last season. Led by “The Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks won 60 games and got to the Eastern Conference Finals. Giannis and company continued to dominate putting together a winning streak of 18 games from November to December this season. Milwaukee had legitimate title aspirations, but the season was put on hold after COVID-19 outbreak. With the season resuming soon, the Bucks have a chance to continue where they left off and get Antetokounmpo his first ring.