Who Are The Most Unlucky NBA Teams?

With St. Patrick's Day approaching, the NBA’s playoff race is a reminder that luck - whether it’s the Irish kind or just plain good, old fortune - can make all the difference. Take the Los Angeles
Lakers, for instance, who struck gold with the acquisition of a generational talent, Luka Doncic.

On the other side, the Dallas Mavericks have been dealt a cruel hand with Anthony Davis sidelined for two more weeks following an injury, denting their playoff hopes - leaving fans wondering if it was all worth it? (Icing on the cake: Kyrie Irving is now out for the year).

Out in the desert, the Phoenix Suns find themselves stuck in a rabbit hole of their own making.

With the trade deadline behind them and Bradley Beal’s hefty contract casting a long shadow over their financial future, the Suns’ path to redemption looks murkier than ever. To make
matters worse, swirling rumors of Kevin Durant’s potential departure have left the franchise feeling anything but lucky. The Suns’ luck doesn’t improve on St. Patrick’s Day itself—their winless record on the holiday mirrors the struggles of their current season. Phoenix is one of just four NBA teams that have never won on March 17. But who else shares this unlucky distinction?

Methodology: BetArizona.com was curious what NBA teams don’t have the luck of the Irish. Using Sports-Reference.com, we tallied the win total for each NBA team playing on March 17 over the past 10 seasons. The ranked list is based on the lowest total percentage of wins.

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Can the Suns Break Their St. Patrick’s Curse?

Over the past decade, only four teams - Lakers, Suns, Pacers, and Timberwolves - are winless on St. Patrick’s Day.

However, the Suns enter their latest chapter of St. Patrick’s misfortune when they face the struggling Toronto Raptors, who sit at 19-42, having a real opportunity to end their decade-long drought.

The Raptors, who have a 40% winning percentage on the holiday, cannot be overlooked. Despite their dim playoff hopes, Toronto will certainly fight to avoid becoming the team that allows the Suns to notch a holiday victory.

For Phoenix, the stakes are high. With just a 25% chance of making the playoffs and their season slipping away, a loss and missed playoffs could spark serious offseason discussions about the future of their star trio—Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Kevin Durant.

The Lakers, Timberwolves, and Pacers, all currently winless in this category, have a greater than 75% chance of making the playoffs, according to PlayoffStatus.

Interestingly, the Pacers and Timberwolves have an opportunity to break their winless streaks when they face off on St. Patrick’s Day. Meanwhile, the Lakers will host the San Antonio Spurs, who will be without Victor Wembanyama, on March 17.

For the latest updates on Suns basketball, visit BetArizona.com, your ultimate source for Arizona sports betting.

USA Today photo by Joe Camporeale.

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The veteran team of Arizona sports betting experts behind BetArizona.com.

Rank	Team	% Wins
T-1	Indiana Pacers	0%
T-1	Minnesota Timberwolves	0%
T-1	Phoenix Suns	0%
T-1	Los Angeles Lakers	0%
5	Charlotte Hornets	16.7%
6	Denver Nuggets	25%
T-7	Brooklyn Nets	33.3%
T-7	Chicago Bulls	33.3%
T-7	Portland Trail Blazers	33.3%
T-10	Philadelphia 76ers	40%
T-10	Toronto Raptors	40%