These are the longest Bucks winning streaks in franchise history

In 2019, the Milwaukee Bucks won 17 straight games (on their way to 18) for the first time since 1971, a string that marked the second-longest streak in Bucks history. In 2023, the Bucks won another 12 in a row on their way into the all-star break, then ran the streak to 16 consecutive wins before falling to Philadelphia on March 4. The Bucks went undefeated (10-0) in February.

A look back at the best winning streaks the Bucks have experienced:

20 games

Feb. 6, 1971 to March 8, 1971

When the Bucks racked up 20 wins in their championship run of 1971, it represented the longest single-season win streak in NBA history, better than the 18 in a row by the New York Knicks one year earlier. The streak was a short-lived triumph when the Lakers won 33 in a row in 1971-72 — a streak ended by the Bucks. The Golden State Warriors famously won the first 24 games of the 2015-16 and ran their multi-season winning streak to 28 games before the Bucks ended the streak, as well, on Dec. 12, 2015. The Heat (2012-13) also won 27 in a row and the Rockets (2007-08) won 22 in a row.

Of note: The Bucks' streak in 1971 ended in an overtime battle at Chicago, 110-103, and it was actually the first of three straight Bucks losses during that final stretch of the season, but Milwaukee knew it was going to be the top seed in the West and was gearing up for the road ahead. The Lakers quickly bypassed the record one year later with a 33-game winning streak in 1972, and the Bucks were the team that snapped it.

Closest calls: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (he was Lew Alcindor then) scored 38 points with 16 rebounds and Oscar Robertson added 25 in a 107-106 win over Detroit that marked the third win in the run. Robertson's assist to Greg Smith with 22 seconds left broke a tie and provided the winning points. Milwaukee had a 20-point lead on Buffalo on March 4 in the record-tying 18th win but had to hold on for dear life to prevail, 116-113.

18 games

Nov. 10, 2019 to Dec. 16, 2019

Starting with a tense win over Oklahoma City and finally ending with a near-rally against the Dallas Mavericks at Fiserv Forum before a 120-116 loss, Milwaukee threatened the gold standard for franchise winning streaks and moved to 24-3 in the process. The loss to the Mavs was disappointing in that Dallas was without 20-year-old phenom Luka Doncic, and the West-leading Lakers were set to visit for what could have been No. 20. During the 18-gamer, the Bucks won in a number of ways, most dominantly in a 119-90 win over the powerful Los Angeles Clippers, a win that included a 40-point lead late in the fourth quarter.

Of note: The streak didn't have a happy postscript; the season would be suspended in March once the total severity of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States. And when the season was finally able to resume in the Orlando "bubble" in August, the Bucks weren't the same team. They were ousted in the second round of the postseason by Miami, a wound that later healed thanks to the 2021 NBA championship. Giannis Antetokounmpo was spectacular during the run, playing in 17 of the 18 games and racking up 32.1 points per game, 12.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals.

Closest calls: The first win on Nov. 10, one game removed from a buzzer-beating loss to Utah, nearly featured a meltdown in Oklahoma City, but Brook Lopez hit a huge 3-pointer to lift the Bucks to a 121-119 victory. Lopez was also big in a 122-118 win over the Utah Jazz for the eighth straight win, blocking Donovan Mitchell on Utah's final possession. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 50 points in the victory.

16 games

Oct. 24, 1970 to Nov. 25, 1970

The 20-game winning streak was a book-end to the Bucks franchise-best 66-16 season. The Bucks opened the year at 1-1, then won 16 straight.

Of note: In the 16th win, the Bucks avenged their only loss of the year to that point against Detroit, 113-87, and the guy tasked with guarding Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was Bob Lanier, a future Hall of Famer in his rookie year with the Pistons. Lanier went on to make seven all-star teams with the Pistons and then closed his career with four-plus years in Milwaukee, where he was part of another lengthy Milwaukee winning streak in 1982.

Closest calls: The first win came against Baltimore, a 122-120 win in double overtime. Bob Boozer's jumper with 56 seconds to play accounted for the winning points, though the Bullets had a final look, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar needed to wrestle away the rebound to end the game. He had 39 points and 17 rebounds overall.

The fifth win against the Cavaliers came by a 110-108 score. Abdul-Jabbar scored 53 points and again wrestled away the final rebound. The Cavs lost their 12th straight game to start the season and ultimately began that year 0-15, so they would have been an unlikely streak-buster.

16 games

Jan. 23, 2023 to March 1, 2023

The Bucks went undefeated in February (10-0) and looked like they were going to keep adding to the streak before losing a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter against Philadelphia on March 4. In the meantime, Milwaukee re-established itself as a legitimate threat for the NBA championship, with the best record in the NBA.

Of note: It's hard to deny the correlation between Khris Middleton's return and the Bucks finding a groove. The Bucks all-star missed the first 20 games of the season — granted, the team began the season 9-0 and didn't look worse for wear initially — but things started going sideways when Middleton missed 18 more consecutive games with knee soreness. The Bucks lost four in a row at one point and went just 9-9 in those contests, but then he came back against Detroit on Jan. 23, the date the streak began.

Closest call: A 106-105 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in Milwaukee on Feb. 2. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 54 points and added 15 rebounds as Milwaukee rallied back from a 21-point deficit in the second half. Kawhi Leonard's potential winner just before the buzzer was no good for the Clippers. The Bucks also escaped a 104-101 win over Phoenix with Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined by injury.

14 games (really 15, maybe 16)

Feb. 28, 1973 to March 27, 1973

Milwaukee finished the year with 14 straight wins to finish 60-22 and win the Midwest Division, nine games ahead of Chicago, although this streak has a couple of important notes. It should be regarded as 15, and maybe even 16 depending on how you interpret it.

Of note: This streak should technically count as 15, since Milwaukee won its first playoff game against the Golden State Warriors three days after the regular season ended. But the Bucks lost the overall series, 4-2, even though the Warriors were just 47-35 that year. Was the final win of the winning streak a blessing or a curse? The Bucks beat the Lakers in the finale, 85-84, to get the top seed in the West (after L.A. also lost to Golden State thereafter) and drop the Lakers to No. 2. But the Lakers wound up beating the Bulls in the first round and advanced to the NBA Finals before falling to the Knicks. The Bucks were upset in the first round by Golden State instead.

Many outlets are considering this a 16-game streak that spanned two seasons, since Milwaukee won the first two regular-season games of the 1973-74 season, so if we're treating this as regular-season only and spanning years, we could technically call this a 16-gamer.

Closest calls: Milwaukee needed overtime in the seventh win over Chicago for a 99-91 win, when Curtis Perry's shot from the top of the key forced the extra session, then followed with a 105-104 win over Atlanta. The 12th win was a 114-112 win over the Suns, and the 14th was an 85-84 win over the Lakers, a win that helped the Bucks secure the top seed in the postseason.

13 games

Oct. 17, 1973 to Nov. 13, 1973

It was an eerie symmetry. Just like in 1970-71, the 1973-74 team (which also went to the NBA Finals) lost early (in its third game instead of the second game like the 1970 team), then rattled off 13 straight.

Of note: Who broke up the streak? None other than the Boston Celtics, who won by a 105-90 count and actually kickstarted a three-game Bucks losing streak before Milwaukee won the next 10. The Celtics would be the chief nemesis that year, beating the Bucks in the NBA Finals in seven games.

Closest calls: The ninth win came in overtime, a 123-115 win over the Pistons despite the Bucks trailing with 31 seconds left by 4 points. Dave Bing made an uncharacteristic turnover that helped key the rally, and Bob Dandridge's tip-in with 8 seconds left forced overtime. The Bucks also beat Kansas City/Omaha for the 11th win, 84-83, and the second win was a 96-94 win over the Pistons, with Curtis Perry's basket the difference with 21 seconds left.

12 games

Jan. 26, 1982 to Feb. 21, 1982

From 1980 to 1987, the Bucks made it to at least the Eastern Conference semis every year, including conference finals series in 1983, 1984 and 1986, though never farther. This was the best winning streak in that era.

Of note: The 1982 team featured a staggering six players whose numbers are now retired by the Milwaukee Bucks — Sidney Moncrief, Marques Jonhson, Bob Dandridge, Bob Lanier, Brian Winters and Junior Bridgeman. Dandridge and Lanier were both in the twilight of their careers, and Dandridge was back for one season with the Bucks (appearing in just 11 games) after four seasons with the Washington Bullets. He had played his first eight seasons in Milwaukee, winning a ring in 1971 and appearing in three all-star games.

Closest call: A 96-94 win for the first victory of the streak came against the Lakers. Quinn Buckner took an inbound with eight seconds left, dished off to Sidney Moncrief, and the shot over Michael Cooper and Magic Johnson went in at the buzzer, giving the Bucks a thrilling win over a team that wound up with the top seed in the West.

JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Longest Bucks winning streaks in franchise history