NBA fans, rejoice. I found some great statistical information for you to sink your teeth into on the remaining schedule for playoff-bound (or challenging) teams.
Who has the easiest remaining schedule and who is going to struggle down the stretch with a tough schedule heading towards the postseason? We’ve got the answers.
I left out the Lakers and Cavaliers because I think they’re destined to meet in the Finals. They’ve been the two strongest clubs throughout the season and I don’t see any reason why that will change in May.
Best schedules
Orlando Magic
The Magic are sitting pretty with the No. 2 seed and they have 20 games remaining with only nine of those contests against teams with .500 or better records. Of the nine games they play against winning teams, only four are away.
They also get 11 of their remaining games at home where they are 24-6 straight up this season. Orlando does still have four sets of back-to-back games but Stan Van Gundy’s crew is 19-12 SU (17-14 ATS) when playing without rest the past two seasons.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks also have a very easy schedule remaining and could move up and steal the second seed from Orlando. Atlanta has 21 games left in the regular season and only nine of those are against teams with winning records.
Five of those nine are at home where the Hawks are 24-7 SU on the year, 58-20 SU dating back to the start of last season. Atlanta boasts the sixth best scoring differential in the league at home, outscoring opponents by an average of 8.6 ppg.
Miami Heat
The Heat are battling for the last playoff spot in the East but only 1.5 games separate them and the Raptors in the fifth seed.
Miami may have the easiest remaining schedule of all the teams in the East or West. Just eight of its final 21 games come against teams with winning records and five of those eight are at home.
The Heat benefit from playing the worst team in the league (New Jersey) twice and the second worst (Minnesota) once. They also get New York, Indiana, Philly and Detroit twice each.
In other words, 10 of their last 21 games come against teams that combine for a .285 percent winning percentage this season.
Worst schedules
San Antonio Spurs
The elderly Spurs have 24 games in 40 days and will have to play without rest six different times. They also play four games in a six day span on three separate occasions.
San Antonio hasn’t done well when playing the second night of a back-to-back this year with a 4-6 SU record. Of its 24 remaining games, 14 are on the road and 10 of those games are against playoff-bound teams.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics have all but assured themselves a home series in the first round. They’re fourth in the East and have a healthy cushion over the rest of the conference.
Don’t expect Boston to improve on its current playoff position any time soon.
The Celtics have 23 games to finish the season with 15 of those coming against teams with a .500 or better record. Eight of those 15 games against winning teams are also on the road. They have five different back-to-backs and play a really tough four-game stretch that will have them at Houston, at Dallas, at Utah then home against Denver in a six-day span.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have 21 games remaining on their schedule and 16 are against .500 plus teams. They have to close out the season by playing nine of their last 10 games against teams with winning records.
They have a four and five-game road trip remaining and must play without rest on six different nights. Eight of the Nuggets’ last 11 road games are against playoff calibre teams. That isn’t good news for the Nuggets, who are just 14-16 SU away on the season.