Do you like to make an additional wager at the half? I sometimes do. We are part way through the 2006-07 NBA season and I thought this was a fine time for my first installment in the NBA Halftime Stats series.

So far this season there have been 421 instances where a team has been ahead at the half. In 297 of those instances, the team that was ahead has gone on to win the game. That’s a staggering 70.5 winning percent.

It would be foolish to ignore numbers like this. However, there are some teams that are much better than others when up at the half. Here are seven NBA teams that do a great job of holding that halftime lead and bringing it home.

1. Phoenix Suns (21-2)

2. San Antonio Spurs (21-5)

3. Dallas Mavericks (19-4)

4. Houston Rockets (17-4)

5. L.A. Lakers (16-3)

6. New York Knicks (14-1)

7. Utah Jazz (15-3)

Of these seven NBA teams, Dallas and Utah are the only two to have winning records when behind at the half. The Dallas Mavericks are 7-4 and the Utah Jazz are 9-8 when trailing at the half.

The San Antonio Spurs are 5-5 when trailing at the half. The worst team of the bunch, when trailing at the half, is the New York Knicks, who are 2-20.