Tipped +400 to win the NBA Championship, the Phoenix Sun ranked as the 8th worst performing underdog over the last decade, having only won 30% of their games on the back foot. But how does their underdog record compare to their NBA rivals?
A new report from BetMaryland.com, reveals which NBA teams have been the greatest performing underdogs over the last two decades.
The NBA: A True Underdog Story
- A new report from BetMaryland.com reveals the NBA’s greatest underdogs of the last two decades.
- The San Antonio are the most successful underdog team of the 21st century, winning 38% of their 327 games when tipped as the underdog.
- The Miami Heats, one of the richest NBA teams, have been the greatest underdog performers of the last decade, winning 40% of their games.
The sheer belief that your team can make it in the NBA is built into the culture of every NBA supporter.
From those challenging games to the unexpected losses, the passion across the NBA never disappoints. But where do the underdogs stand when up against the favorites in the league?
A new report from BetMaryland.com reveals which NBA teams have made history as the underdogs. By analyzing the historical results of each team, the report highlights which NBA franchise has most frequently entered games on the backfoot and which ones have performed the greatest against the odds.
The NBA’s Underdog of the Decade
The 13-time title holder of the division, the Miami Heat are named the greatest performing underdog in the NBA over the last decade.
Miami featured 327 times as an underdog in the last decade. It’s no surprise that they’re ranking number one as the greatest underdog with them being one of the highest performing teams in the league in the current season
Orlando Magic have been tipped as an underdog the most in the NBA over the last decade, having a disadvantage in 621 games – Orlando only came out on top in 27% of their games as an underdog. Having the lowest win record in the NBA as an underdog, the Philadelphia 76ers are named the worst NBA underdogs, losing 74% of their games.
Below is the list of all NBA teams in order of win percentage as the underdog over the last decade:
| Rank | Team | Win-Loss Record | Win % |
| 1 | Miami Heat | 131-196-0 | 40.10% |
| 2 | LA Clippers | 107-170-0 | 38.60% |
| 3 | Toronto Raptors | 135-226-0 | 37.40% |
| 4 | Memphis Grizzlies | 163-277-0 | 37.10% |
| 5 | San Antonio Spurs | 100-170-0 | 37.00% |
| 6 | Golden State Warriors | 100-176-0 | 36.20% |
| 7 | Boston Celtics | 134-241-0 | 35.70% |
| 8 | Denver Nuggets | 138-259-0 | 34.80% |
| 9 | Oklahoma City Thunders | 111-209-0 | 34.70% |
| 10 | Houston Rockets | 114-215-0 | 34.70% |
| 11 | Indiana Pacers | 131-248-0 | 34.60% |
| 12 | Washington Wizards | 168-323-0 | 34.20% |
| 13 | Chicago Bulls | 157-302-0 | 34.20% |
| 14 | Atlanta Hawks | 155-309-0 | 33.40% |
| 15 | Dallas Maverick | 145-293-0 | 33.10% |
| 16 | Portland Trail Blazers | 127-266-0 | 32.30% |
| 17 | New Orleans Pelicans | 167-356-0 | 31.90% |
| 18 | Brooklyn Nets | 167-357-0 | 31.90% |
| 19 | Utah Jazz | 113-254-0 | 30.80% |
| 20 | Sacramento Kings | 180-410-0 | 30.50% |
| 21 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 145-339-0 | 30.00% |
| 22 | Milwaukee Bucks | 116-272-0 | 29.90% |
| 23 | Phoenix Suns | 157-370-0 | 29.80% |
| 24 | Charlotte Hornets | 153-381-0 | 28.70% |
| 25 | LA Lakers | 138-352-0 | 28.20% |
| 26 | New York Knicks | 149-392-0 | 27.50% |
| 27 | Detroit Pistons | 146-386-0 | 27.40% |
| 28 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 138-373-0 | 27.00% |
| 29 | Orlando Pelicans | 165-456-0 | 26.60% |
| 30 | Philadelphia 76ers | 131-379-0 | 25.70% |
Related: NBA Matchday Calories – NBA’s biggest eaters
The NBA’s Underdog of the 21st Century
The San Antonio Spurs are one of the only teams to win 50 games each season, setting a record of 18 consecutive 50-win seasons, so it may not be a surprise to see the Spurs take the crown as having the best win ratio as an underdog in the 21st century, winning 38% of their 408 games as an underdog.
The fourth oldest NBA team, the New York Knicks, has featured as an underdog the most in the NBA, hitting the court 989 times as an underdog.
Having not featured in the championships since 1973, it’s no surprise that the Knicks have only won 28% of their as an underdog, making them the second-biggest underdog of the 21st century.
Below is the list of all NFL teams in order of win percentage as the underdog during the 21st century:
| Rank | Team | Win-Loss Record | Win % |
| 1 | San Antonio Spurs | 154-254-0 | 37.80% |
| 2 | Houston Rockets | 226-386-0 | 36.90% |
| 3 | Dallas Maverick | 223-389-0 | 36.40% |
| 4 | Boston Celtics | 241-425-0 | 36.20% |
| 5 | Miami Heat | 226-413-0 | 35.40% |
| 6 | Denver Nuggets | 241-450-0 | 34.90% |
| 7 | Chicago Bulls | 282-539-0 | 34.40% |
| 8 | Memphis Grizzlies | 282-553-0 | 33.80% |
| 9 | Indiana Pacers | 245-493-0 | 33.20% |
| 10 | New Orleans Pelicans | 293-598-0 | 32.90% |
| 11 | Utah Jazz | 222-462-0 | 32.50% |
| 12 | Portland Trail Blazers | 252-528-0 | 32.30% |
| 13 | Toronto Raptors | 251-528-0 | 32.20% |
| 14 | Oklahoma City Thunders | 232-488-0 | 32.20% |
| 15 | Golden State Warriors | 219-468-0 | 31.90% |
| 16 | Atlanta Hawks | 283-622-0 | 31.30% |
| 17 | LA Lakers | 221-490-0 | 31.10% |
| 18 | Phoenix Suns | 232-520-0 | 30.90% |
| 19 | Washington Wizards | 285-650-0 | 30.50% |
| 20 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 239-549-0 | 30.30% |
| 21 | Brooklyn Nets | 285-658-0 | 30.20% |
| 22 | LA Clippers | 214-498-0 | 30.10% |
| 23 | Sacramento Kings | 289-690-0 | 29.50% |
| 24 | Philadelphia 76ers | 265-642-0 | 29.20% |
| 25 | Detroit Pistons | 232-564-0 | 29.20% |
| 26 | Milwaukee Bucks | 226-562-0 | 28.70% |
| 27 | Orlando Magic | 254-633-0 | 28.60% |
| 28 | Charlotte Hornets | 275-688-0 | 28.60% |
| 29 | New York Knicks | 279-710-0 | 28.20% |
| 30 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 235-691-0 | 25.40% |
To check the NFL’s greatest performing underdogs, you can visit the site here: https://www.betmaryland.com/news/the-nfl-s-greatest-underdogs
Source
Methodology
This data was collected through TeamRankings.com and reveals the biggest NBA underdogs over the last decade and since 2003 (21st century).
The two tables highlight which teams performed best as the underdogs and which teams were named underdogs the most times over the two-time frames.
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