ABA head-to-head records
The extremes of every ABA series: who strung together the longest streak, who owns a rivalry, which ones never settle and which games were never close. Each row links to the full matchup page. Want to test yourself? Try the rivalry quiz.
Longest winning streaks
The most straight wins one side ever strung together against the other. A tie ends a streak. Top of the list: Kentucky Colonels won 26 straight against Memphis Sounds, 1971-72 to 1974-75.
Most lopsided series
The biggest all-time leads, by winning percentage, among series with plenty of meetings. Most one-sided: San Diego Sails leads Memphis Sounds 19-5, winning 79.2% of 24 meetings.
| # | Series | Record | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Sails vs Memphis Sounds | 19-5 | 79.2% |
| 2 | Denver Nuggets vs San Diego Sails | 27-8 | 77.1% |
| 3 | Kentucky Colonels vs San Diego Sails | 19-6 | 76.0% |
| 4 | Kentucky Colonels vs Memphis Sounds | 51-17 | 75.0% |
| 5 | Indiana Pacers vs Memphis Sounds | 49-17 | 74.2% |
Closest rivalries
Long series where neither side has pulled away: the closest to a 50-50 record. Each team appears once. Closest of all: New York Nets and Utah Stars, 31-31 after 62 meetings.
| # | Series | Record | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Nets vs Utah Stars | 31-31 | 50.0% |
| 2 | Memphis Sounds vs Spirits of St. Louis | 36-35 | 50.7% |
| 3 | Indiana Pacers vs Denver Nuggets | 56-54 | 50.9% |
| 4 | Pittsburgh Condors vs The Floridians | 34-32 | 51.5% |
| 5 | Kentucky Colonels vs San Antonio Spurs | 41-25 | 62.1% |
Most lead changes
The series where the all-time lead has changed hands the most times. New York Nets and Utah Stars have traded the lead 8 times.
| # | Series | Lead changes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Nets vs Utah Stars | 8 |
| 2 | Utah Stars vs Virginia Squires | 7 |
| 3 | New York Nets vs Spirits of St. Louis | 6 |
| 4 | Denver Nuggets vs Virginia Squires | 6 |
| 5 | New York Nets vs San Antonio Spurs | 6 |
Biggest blowouts
The largest winning margins in a single game. Forfeits and vacated results never count. Biggest margin: Utah Stars beat Carolina Cougars 150-93 on Oct 19, 1971.
| # | Game | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah Stars over Carolina Cougars | 150-93 |
| 2 | Kentucky Colonels over Virginia Squires | 136-82 |
| 3 | Utah Stars over Memphis Tams | 151-98 |
| 4 | Dallas Chaparrals over Washington Capitols | 143-92 |
| 5 | Utah Stars over Memphis Tams | 147-97 |
Records include games through Oct 27, 2026.
Sources
Records are computed from every final game result in the Matchup Index database. About the data.