The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the select few organizations that don’t quite have the luxury of taking their foot off of the proverbial pedal from time to time. No matter what condition the franchise is in, a strong showing against the Lakers is a legacy-builder, especially when playing in Los Angeles.
It’s also the simple reality of being a 17-time NBA champion that other teams are going to view you as a rival for the simple reason that you’ve long stood in their way.
The Lakers know this as well as any organization in professional sports. Unfortunately, despite their sustained brilliance, there is a long list of examples of teams actually managing to get the best of Los Angeles—several times over.
Entering the 2024-25 NBA season, these five teams have the longest active winning streaks against the Lakers.
Tied for the fourth-longest losing streak on this list, thus rounding the list out to five, is the recent string of unfortunate results against the Miami Heat. Los Angeles and Miami, which met in the 2020 NBA Finals, have turned the proverbial tables since that series.
The Heat have now won two straight games against the Lakers, with a record of 6-2 over the past eight encounters between the two sides.
One of the losses was especially heartbreaking, as Los Angeles fell 108-107 on November 6, 2023 in Miami. The Lakers outscored the Heat 28-18 in the fourth quarter, but ultimately failed to finish the process of closing the distance and securing the victory.
Miami then picked up a 110-96 win in Los Angeles to create the two-game winning streak on January 3, 2024.
