Five NBA teams will play a league-high 16 back-to-back sets during the 2025/26 regular season, while six clubs will have just 13 instances of back-to-back games on their schedules. The remaining 19 teams will play either 14 or 15 back-to-backs.
[RELATED: 2025/26 NBA Schedules By Team]
Those totals – along with an overall average of 14.4 back-to-backs per team – are about what we’ve come to expect in recent years.
Prior to the COVID-shortened seasons of 2019/20 and ’20/21, the NBA’s regular season consisted of 177 days, and the league had made a concerted effort to reduce instances of back-to-backs. When the league announced its initial schedule in ’19/20, its press release boasted that teams were averaging a record-low 12.4 back-to-backs that season, marking the fifth straight year in which that number had reached an all-time low.
However, since 2021/22, NBA regular seasons have spanned just 174 days, making it a little more difficult for schedule-makers to avoid back-to-back sets. The average number of back-to-backs per team is still well below where it once was (teams averaged 19.3 in 2024/25), but it’s no longer at a record low.
Here are the back-to-backs by team in 2025/26:
- Charlotte Hornets: 16
Denver Nuggets: 16
Philadelphia 76ers: 16
Phoenix Suns: 16
Washington Wizards: 16 - Golden State Warriors: 15
Los Angeles Clippers: 15
Miami Heat: 15
New Orleans Pelicans: 15
Portland Trail Blazers: 15
Toronto Raptors: 15
Utah Jazz: 15 - Brooklyn Nets: 14
Cleveland Cavaliers: 14
Dallas Mavericks: 14
Detroit Pistons: 14
Houston Rockets: 14
Los Angeles Lakers: 14
Memphis Grizzlies: 14
Milwaukee Bucks: 14
New York Knicks: 14
Orlando Magic: 14
Sacramento Kings: 14
San Antonio Spurs: 14 - Atlanta Hawks: 13
Boston Celtics: 13
Chicago Bulls: 13
Indiana Pacers: 13
Minnesota Timberwolves: 13
Oklahoma City Thunder: 13
Just play 15-20 less games. Owners are rich enough as is, it’s devaluing the NBA brand to constantly have games with star players are out due to load mgmt.
I think they need to move to a 72 game schedule. This could be (3×14)+(2×15)=72.The league could reduce back-to-backs down to 4 per team (against division opponents). Cutting out about 10 back-to-backs would really increase the quality of play.
Completely agree. Too many games.
just drop it down to 20 total games. it will really take the load off the players. fans don’t like watching games, right?
While I agree it would be good for the on court product and good for us fans, it’s not practical from a business perspective. Cities would lose the revenue from those 7-10 games, all the employees for those events, TV contract would need to be reworked, those lost $ will then need to be absorbed by the players as well.
To much revenue on the line to make this feasible.
Ever seen a rich guy not care about getting richer? Didn’t think so
Some of this is geography. The Nuggets, Suns, and Blazers always have among the most b2b’s, because their flights are long and they try and cram a lot of east coast games into each trip. Same for visiting teams in Denver, who are frequently on a b2b.
Start a week earlier and end a week later, and play no B2Bs.
Complaining they need to lessen the games means less money to the players. So, they won’t do that. Plus, they only play like 3 to 4 times a week. Come on and just play.
Less money for everyone else too, most of all the owners. They’d have to sell at least one of their boats and maybe a painting or two to absorb the lost revenue. How can we ask that of them?
I don’t know about you guys but I hate having to work 2 days in a row.
These guys love playing ball, it’s not that they’d rather be napping — it’s about increased injury risk.
I love false equivalencies. Is your job as physically demanding as playing basketball against some of the world’s top athletes?
For every team you’re scheduled to visit twice, fly there once and play back-to-backs without travel in between. For example, Celtics visit Philly once and play a back-to-back, then later in the season the Sixers play a back-to-back in Boston.
Teams never have to play without a full night’s rest in a bed. And, in every back-to-back, neither team has a rest advantage; it’s a back-to-back for both teams.
Same number of games, same length of season, fairer competition, less taxing on the players.