2023-10-17 14:10:48
Reigning Kia NBA MVP Joel Embiid and the Sixers have a difficult 12-game stretch late in the season.
When the 2023-24 schedule was released in August, opening night and the Christmas slate were the big headlines. But there are lots of fun tidbits to be found with a deeper dive.
As noted after the release, the In-Season Tournament provides some new wrinkles. The most important fact to know is that, for every team, only 80 games have been scheduled. The other two will come in Week 7 (Dec. 4-9), which is currently empty. Those matchups will be determined by Group Play games of the In-Season Tournament, which will be played on Tuesdays and Fridays in November.
Here are some schedule notes for every team …
Note: A rest-advantage game (or rest-disadvantage game) is one where one team played the day/night before, but the other (the team with the advantage) did not. Over the last three seasons, teams are 542-403 (0.574) in rest-advantage games, 339-216 (0.611) at home and 203-187 (0.521) on the road.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks have the league’s easiest schedule in regard to where teams ranked offensively last season. And in their first 10 games, they’ll play six against teams that ranked in the bottom 10 offensively and only one (vs. New York on Oct. 27) against a team that ranked in the top 14.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics have a league-high 16 rest-advantage games, including seven against the other seven Eastern Conference teams that made the playoffs last season (none against Milwaukee, but two against Atlanta). They have more rest-disadvantage games (11) than the league average (10.3), but are still one of four teams with a league-high differential of plus-5.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets have the most home-heavy first six weeks of the season, with 12 of their 19 games at Barclays Center. After a four-game trip in Games 2-5, they’ll play 11 of their next 14 at home, a stretch that begins with a fun three-game homestand: visits from the Celtics (Nov. 4), Bucks (Nov. 6) and Clippers (Nov. 8). They’ll pay for it in March when they have a stretch where they’re playing 10 of 11 on the road.
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets are the only team that doesn’t have at least one two-game series, where they’re playing two straight games against the same opponent in the same arena. But they do have a league-high five home-and-home series, where they’re playing two straight against the same opponent in different arenas, with the first of those (against the Wizards) coming in Week 3. They’re also one of three teams — the Magic and Spurs are the others — with an eight-game homestand. It’s a 14-day stand from March 27 to April 9.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls have a league-low eight rest-disadvantage games, and half of them are at home. Two of them — at Milwaukee, vs. Miami — are part of a stretch of five games in seven days from Nov. 12-18. They’re also the only Eastern Conference team that isn’t staying in Los Angeles for two straight games.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs (17-13 vs. the West last season) have the most interconference games in the first six weeks of the season, playing nine of their first 20 against Western Conference opponents. Six of those nine are against the Warriors, Thunder and Blazers, so they’ll be done with those opponents by the time we get to the unscheduled Week 7. But they also have the East’s final game out West, ending a five-game trip with a back-to-back in L.A. on April 6 and 7.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs are one of two teams (the Knicks are the other) that have only one back-to-back where they don’t have to travel. That one is a pair of home games (against Memphis and Oklahoma City) on Dec. 1 and 2. But all four of their games against the Pelicans will be two-game series: in New Orleans on Nov. 12 and 14, and in Dallas on Jan. 13 and 15.
Denver Nuggets
Defending-champion Nuggets have only 1 back-to-back series in all of March and April.
The champs have two stretches of five games in seven days, and they’re both in the first six weeks of the season, with the first coming in Games 3-7. They’re one of four teams with 21 games and one of three teams with five back-to-backs in the first six weeks. Their schedule will be less stressful down the stretch, as they’re the only team with only one back-to-back (April 9 and 10) in all of March and April.
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons have the league’s toughest 80-game schedule in regard to cumulative opponent winning percentage from last season (.518). They also lead the league in both one-game road trips (13) and breaks of two days or more (16, not including the All-Star break).
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors have the only Texas Triangle trip (three straight road games in the three different Texas cities) in the league this season. It’s the end of a seven-game trip that starts in Minnesota, goes East, and ends with visits to San Antonio (March 31), Dallas (April 2) and Houston (April 4). The last team to sweep a Texas Triangle trip was the 2007-08, eventual-champion Celtics, and only six of the 12 teams that have made the trip since then have won two of the three games. Last season, the Blazers (2-1) and Knicks (1-2) both made the trip in December. The Warriors last made the trip in 2018-19, when they went 0-3.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets have the fewest games where their opponent is playing the second game of a back-to-back (nine) and the fewest rest-advantage games (five). Three of those five rest-advantage games are on the road. They’re the only team without a rest-advantage game in the first six weeks of the season, with their first one not coming until Dec. 17 (at Milwaukee).
Indiana Pacers
As noted when the schedule was released, the Pacers have one of the league’s easiest first six weeks when you looked at FanDuel over-unders (at that time) and take location and rest into account. Games 5-9 are one of their two stretches of five games in seven nights, but it’s a five-game homestand that includes games against the Hornets, Spurs and Jazz. January should be a much tougher month. In fact, from Dec. 30 through Feb. 2, 17 of their 20 games are against teams that were .500 or better last season.
LA Clippers
The Clippers are the only team whose cumulative opponent winning percentage (using 2022-23 records) for the 80 scheduled games is exactly .500 (3,280-3,280). They’re one of three teams — the Celtics and Jazz are the others — with three sets of five games in seven nights, though none of the three include a ton of travel. In fact, they’ll be in California for all of the first one (Nov. 24-30). It’s three home games followed by a back-to-back at Sacramento and Golden State.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are tied with 2 teams for the biggest rest-advantage discrepancy in 2023-24.
Last season, the Lakers were tied (with Atlanta and Toronto) for the biggest rest-advantage differential, where they had six more rest-advantage games (14) than rest-disadvantage games (eight). This season, they’re tied (with Houston and Orlando) for the biggest rest-advantage discrepancy, where they have five fewer rest-advantage games (seven) than rest-disadvantage games (12).
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies have the league’s easiest 80-game schedule in regard to cumulative opponent winning percentage from last season (.489). But they’re the only team that doesn’t have a homestand of four games or more. They have seven different three-game homestands.
Miami Heat
Unless they’re one of the two Eastern Conference teams that don’t make the In-Season Tournament quarterfinals and plays an interconference game in Week 7, the Heat will play 25 of their first 30 games (a stretch concluding with their Christmas game against the Sixers) within the East. That stretch includes (at least) four games against the Bulls and three each against the Nets and Hornets. Last season, they had the East’s biggest discrepancy (by a wide margin) between their record in the conference (24-28, .462) and their record vs. the West (20-10, .667).
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks have the easiest stretch of games when you take last season’s stats, location and rest into account. It’s a six-game homestand coming out of Week 7 (the week of the In-Season Tournament knockout rounds and fill-in games). From Dec. 11-21, they’ll host the Bulls, Pacers, Pistons, Rockets, Spurs and Magic. They’re also the last team to play in the Mountain or Pacific time zones, not doing so until they start a five-game trip in Denver on Jan. 29.
The Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves have a league-high six rest-advantage games in the first six weeks. That includes two (vs. Miami, at Atlanta) in Games 2 and 3. For the season, they’re one of four teams — the Celtics, Bulls and Blazers are the others — with five more rest-advantage games (15) than rest-disadvantage games (10).
New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans won’t play a game in the Eastern time zone until Dec. 13 vs. Washington.
Though they’re close, the Pelicans are one of two teams — the Kings are the other — that won’t play in the Eastern time zone until after Week 7. Their first game on Eastern Standard Time (unless they’re one of the two West teams that don’t make the In-Season Tournament quarterfinals and play a road interconference game in Week 7) will be on Dec. 13 in Washington.
New York Knicks
The Knicks have the toughest first couple of weeks when you take last season’s stats, location and rest into account. They open with a home game against the Celtics, which is followed by a three-game trip through Atlanta, New Orleans and Cleveland. After returning home to play the Cavs again, they’ll visit Milwaukee and come back to host the Clippers in their seventh game of the season.
Oklahoma City Thunder
From Dec. 14 through Jan. 2, the Thunder will play 10 straight games against teams that had winning records last season. That’s tied (with a Houston stretch from Nov. 4-24) for the longest streak of games against ’22-23 winners, and it includes two games (Dec. 16 and Dec. 29) in Denver.
Orlando Magic
The Magic were 1-12 in the second games of back-to-backs last season, the worst such mark for any team in the last six years. They are also one of three teams — the Rockets and Lakers are the others — with five more rest-disadvantage games (league-high 13) than rest-advantage games (8) this season. Six of those eight rest-advantage games are against the West and three of them are in the first 14 days of the season.
Philadelphia 76ers
From Feb. 12 to March 29, the Sixers will play 19 of 22 games against teams that had winning records last season. That stretch starts and ends in Cleveland, and it includes three games each against the Cavs and Knicks.
Phoenix Suns
Phoenix faces a tough schedule down the stretch in 2023-24.
The Suns have a league-high eight back-to-backs where both games are at home. Only five of their first 14 games are against teams that had winning records last season, but they’ll finish the season with eight straight against that group (including two games each against the Clippers, Wolves and Pelicans).
Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers are the only team with multiple road trips of at least seven games. They have a 12-day, seven-game trip from Jan. 1-12 and a 14-day, seven-game trip from March 25 to April 7. Both of those are later in the season, but the Blazers are also tied (with Washington) for the most road-heavy schedule (12 of 19 on the road) in the first six weeks.
Sacramento Kings
Seventeen of the Kings’ first 18 games are within the Western Conference. That’s the most conference-heavy schedule in the first six weeks of the season (before the unscheduled Week 7), and it includes three of their four games against the Warriors, as well as two each against the Rockets, Lakers and Pelicans.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs have two of the 10 longest homestands of the season (seven games or more), a seven-game stand from Jan. 24 through Feb. 3 and an eight-game stand from March 11-25. In between those two homestands, of course, is the annual rodeo trip (nine games total) in February. It’s once again split by the All-Star break, with five of the games (four vs. the Eastern Conference, one in Dallas) before the break and four (vs. the West) after.
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors have the lowest ratio of national TV appearances (four) to 2022-23 wins (41). Three of those four appearances are road games on NBA TV, with their Jan. 18 home game vs. Chicago (TNT) being the only exception. (The Warriors have the highest ratio: 40 national TV games / 44 wins last season.)
Utah Jazz
The Jazz are one of 10 teams with just 13 back-to-backs, but are also one of three teams — the Celtics and Clippers are the others — with three sets of five games in seven nights (seven teams don’t have any). The first of those five-in-seven stretches begins with their second game of the season, and 14 of their first 19 games are against teams that had winning records last season.
Washington Wizards
The Wizards are tied (with the Blazers) for the most road-heavy schedule (12 of 19 on the road) in the first six weeks of the season. But they’re one of four teams — the Bulls, Mavs and Grizzlies are the others — that don’t have any road trips longer than four games all year. They also have a stretch from March 17 through April 5 where they’re playing 10 of 11 at home.
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John Schuhmann is a senior stats analyst for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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