Bucks Zone

How Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's Milwaukee Bucks ended the longest winning streak in American History

The Bucks beat the Lakers 120-104 led by Kareem's 39 points and 20 rebounds

Matthew Dugandzic

© Malcolm Emmons - USA TODAY Sports
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The 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers were on an unprecedented streak -- they won 33 games in a row, building their case as the greatest team of all time. But then, they matched up against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Milwaukee Bucks on January 9, 1972.

Kareem dominated Wilt

The Bucks ended up beating the Lakers, ending the longest winning streak in all American sports leagues. They were led by Kareem Abdul Jabbar, who outplayed Wilt Chamberlain by scoring 39 points along with 20 rebounds. The Lakers big man put up 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 blocks in a 120-104 loss in Milwaukee.

Jerry West led his team with 20 points but only shot 5-for-16 from the field. Jim McMillian, Gail Goodrich, and Happy Hairston all had 18 points for the Lakers who lost their first game since October 31, 1971.

Lucius Allen put up 18 for Milwaukee. Oscar Robertson and John Block both added 17, helping the Bucks grab their 20th win in 21 games.

“We’ll beat them,” the Bucks' head coach Larry Costello said before the game to The New York Times. “We’re the champs, and all they have is the streak.”

Playing down Bucks' win

After the game, Chamberlain and McMillian played down the Bucks' victory by saying that the Lakers' poor performance was the only reason Milwaukee came out on top.

"If I had to single out one thing, I'd say that the Bucks' aggressive defense was the difference. We had to work for every shot we took, and we couldn't get our running game going because they picked up our guards in the backcourt," Wilt said.

"I don't want to take anything away from Milwaukee, but this is one of the weakest games we've played in a long time," McMillian added.

The Lakers would get their revenge by beating the Bucks in the Western Conference Finals, and eventually winning the title. Also, their 33-game win streak is still the longest in NBA history.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.