With two wins in their final two games of the 2022-23 season, the Milwaukee Bucks would set a record for the best second half of the season in team history.
The 1970-71, 1972-73 and 1984-85 Bucks teams were 32-9 (.780) in their second half of the season games (Game 42 through Game 82), which is tied for the best record by a Milwaukee team in their second half of the season, per Stathead.
The 2022-23 team is currently 31-8 in the second half of this season with two games remaining. They played Friday night at home against the Memphis Grizzlies and Sunday in the season-finale on the road against the Toronto Raptors.
Even a split of the final two games would give this year’s team a piece of the team record at 32-9.
Bucks teams with 30 or more wins in the second half of a season
Here is a look at the other seven Milwaukee teams that won 30 or more of their second-half games in a season:
32-9: Milwaukee Bucks 1970-71, Milwaukee Bucks 1972-73, Milwaukee Bucks 1984-85
31-10: Milwaukee Bucks 2018-19
30-11: Milwaukee Bucks 1971-72, Milwaukee Bucks 1985-86, Milwaukee Bucks 1980-81
Of the seven teams listed above, the 1970-71 team was the only team to win the title that year. Three of those Milwaukee teams lost in the playoffs in the conference semifinals, while three teams lost in the conference finals.
During the Mike Budenholzer era (2018-19 to 2022-23), Milwaukee has won at least 60 percent of their second-half games in each of those five seasons. Prior to 2018-19, the last time a Milwaukee team won at least 60 percent of their second-half games in a season was in 2009-10 when that squad went 29-12 in Games 42 through 82.
Should Milwaukee win their last two games and end the year with a team record of 33 wins in the second half of the season, it would be well short of the NBA record for most second-half wins in a season. That record belongs to the Miami Heat, who were 38-3 in the second half of the 2012-13 season, per Basketball Reference. That team, coached by Pat Riley, finished the season 66-16 and won the NBA title that year. Leading scorers on that team were LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Ray Allen.
NBA teams with the most wins in the second half of a season
Following are the seven teams that won 35 or more games in the second half of an NBA season:
38-Miami Heat, 2012-13
36-Golden State, 2015-16; Utah, 1996-97
35- L.A. Lakers, 1984-85; Detroit, 1988-89; San Antonio, 1994-95; Houston, 2017-18
Hopefully this team can keep the ball rolling following big wins over the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards recently.