NBA head-to-head records
The extremes of every NBA 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 NBA 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: Los Angeles Lakers won 27 straight against Sacramento Kings, 1982-83 to 1987-88.
Longest active streaks
Still going: winning streaks that include the latest meeting of a series both teams are still playing. Longest still going: Los Angeles Clippers have won 16 straight over Charlotte Hornets, 2017-18 to 2025-26.
Most lopsided series
The biggest all-time leads, by winning percentage, among series with plenty of meetings. Most one-sided: Philadelphia Warriors leads Providence Steamrollers 18-2, winning 90.0% of 20 meetings.
| # | Series | Record | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia Warriors vs Providence Steamrollers | 18-2 | 90.0% |
| 2 | Chicago Stags vs Boston Celtics | 22-4 | 84.6% |
| 3 | Minneapolis Lakers vs Baltimore Bullets | 30-7 | 81.1% |
| 4 | New York Knicks vs Providence Steamrollers | 16-4 | 80.0% |
| 5 | Rochester Royals vs Baltimore Bullets | 29-8 | 78.4% |
Closest rivalries
Long series where neither side has pulled away: the closest to a 50-50 record. Each team appears once. Closest of all: Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers, 118-118 after 236 meetings.
| # | Series | Record | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit Pistons vs Indiana Pacers | 118-118 | 50.0% |
| 2 | New York Knicks vs Utah Jazz | 56-56 | 50.0% |
| 3 | Miami Heat vs Dallas Mavericks | 46-46 | 50.0% |
| 4 | New Orleans Pelicans vs Minnesota Timberwolves | 41-41 | 50.0% |
| 5 | Golden State Warriors vs Orlando Magic | 37-37 | 50.0% |
Most lead changes
The series where the all-time lead has changed hands the most times. Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers have traded the lead 13 times.
| # | Series | Lead changes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee Bucks vs Philadelphia 76ers | 13 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Lakers vs Philadelphia 76ers | 12 |
| 3 | Golden State Warriors vs Atlanta Hawks | 12 |
| 4 | Utah Jazz vs Indiana Pacers | 11 |
| 5 | Boston Celtics vs Orlando Magic | 10 |
Biggest blowouts
The largest winning margins in a single game. Forfeits and vacated results never count. Biggest margin: Memphis Grizzlies beat Oklahoma City Thunder 152-79 on Dec 2, 2021.
| # | Game | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memphis Grizzlies over Oklahoma City Thunder | 152-79 |
| 2 | Cleveland Cavaliers over Miami Heat | 148-80 |
| 3 | Indiana Pacers over Portland Trail Blazers | 124-59 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Lakers over Golden State Warriors | 162-99 |
| 5 | Syracuse Nationals over New York Knicks | 162-100 |
Records include games through Oct 27, 2026.
Sources
Records are computed from every final game result in the Matchup Index database. About the data.