On Sunday, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks over the Cleveland Cavaliers to record the franchise's 18th straight victory.
That begs the question: How much longer can the Bucks keep this up?
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— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 15, 2019
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Win No. 18 came rather easily, but next week is where it gets interesting.
Not only do the Bucks play both the Dallas Mavericks (17-7) and Los Angeles Lakers (23-3) in the coming days, they play the Indiana Pacers (17-9) and Philadelphia 76ers (20-7) the week after that, the game against the 76ers taking place in Philadelphia on Christmas Day. That's four playoff teams, two of which — the Lakers and 76ers — came into this season with their eyes set on competing for a title.
There's a chance Luka Doncic will miss Tuesday's game due to an ankle injury he suffered on Sunday, but wins won't be easy to come by against the Lakers, Pacers and 76ers. The Lakers have been just as dominant as the Bucks so far this season, the Pacers have won seven of their last 10 games and the 76ers are the only remaining team to have a perfect record at home.
But for the sake of argument, let's say the Bucks do manage to get past those teams without a loss. (We know they're more than capable of beating good teams, their recent 28-point win over the LA Clippers being the perfect example.) That would give them 23 straight victories. Their next 10 games would then be against teams that currently have losing records, which is a scary thought considering the Bucks are one of only three teams — the others being the Lakers and Toronto Raptors — that have yet to lose a game to an opponent below .500 this season.
The reason that's notable? The longest win streak in NBA history is 33 games, set by the Lakers in the 1971-72 season. We're obviously still a long way away from the Bucks sniffing 30 consecutive wins, but it's on the cards if they can get through the Mavericks, Lakers, Pacers and 76ers.
Even if the Bucks win two more games, they'd still make history as the sixth team to win 20 or more games in a row. The aforementioned Lakers hold the all-time record, followed by the 2012-13 Miami Heat, the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, the 2007-08 Houston Rockets and the 1970-71 Bucks.
Milwaukee's current win streak is the seventh-longest in NBA history.
| Wins | Team | NBA season | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | Los Angeles Lakers | 1971-72 | Nov. 5, 1971 - Jan. 7, 1972 |
| 27 | Miami Heat | 2012-13 | Feb 3, 2013 - Mar 27, 2013 |
| 24 | Golden State Warriors | 2015-16 | Oct 27, 2015 - Dec 12, 2015 |
| 22 | Houston Rockets | 2007-08 | Jan 29, 2008 - Mar 18, 2008 |
| 20 | Milwaukee Bucks | 1970-71 | Feb 6, 1971 - Mar 8, 1971 |
So how much longer will this streak last? Your guess is as good as mine. With how unrelenting the NBA can be, there's a chance it will end on Tuesday against the Mavericks, whether Doncic plays or not.
But with how dominant the Bucks have been this season and how their upcoming schedule looks, a place in the record books is certainly within Milwaukee's reach.
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