Closest NBA Rivalries of All Time
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% |
| 6 | Toronto Raptors vs Los Angeles Clippers | 30-30 | 50.0% |
| 7 | Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets | 115-114 | 50.2% |
| 8 | Milwaukee Bucks vs Oklahoma City Thunder | 82-81 | 50.3% |
| 9 | Chicago Bulls vs Sacramento Kings | 91-89 | 50.6% |
| 10 | Houston Rockets vs Atlanta Hawks | 90-88 | 50.6% |
| 11 | Phoenix Suns vs Washington Wizards | 71-69 | 50.7% |
| 12 | Memphis Grizzlies vs Philadelphia 76ers | 30-29 | 50.8% |
| 13 | Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs | 133-119 | 52.8% |
| 14 | Brooklyn Nets vs Charlotte Hornets | 75-63 | 54.3% |
| 15 | Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers | 170-114 | 59.9% |
How this list works
Series with at least 50 meetings (40 in college football), ranked by how close the record is to .500 (a tie counts as half a win). Each team appears in only one row, its closest series.
Each row links to the full matchup page, opened on the NBA numbers. Think you know who leads a series? Try the NBA rivalry quiz.
More NBA records
Records include games through Oct 27, 2026.
Sources
Records are computed from every final game result in the Matchup Index database. About the data.