NBA schedule context this week

Rest days, back-to-backs, travel and body-clock kickoffs for every game, from the published schedule. No odds or predictions.

Games307 Sep to 24 Oct
Back-to-backs2team-games
Longest trip2,892 kmGrizzlies
Biggest rest gap1 dayDET at MIA
DateGameAway restHome restDifferenceTravel (km)SituationsTV
Tue 20 Oct 15:00 ET · 20:00 UK BOS at DET first game first game – / – NBC
Tue 20 Oct 19:00 ET · 00:00+1 UK PHI at NY first game first game – / – NBC
Wed 21 Oct 21:30 ET · 02:30+1 UK OKC at SA first game first game – / – NBC
Wed 21 Oct 19:00 ET · 00:00+1 UK ATL at ORL first game first game – / –
Wed 21 Oct 19:00 ET · 00:00+1 UK MIL at WSH first game first game – / –
Wed 21 Oct 19:30 ET · 00:30+1 UK MIN at MIA first game first game – / – Long trip ESPN
Wed 21 Oct 19:30 ET · 00:30+1 UK CHA at BKN first game first game – / –
Wed 21 Oct 19:30 ET · 00:30+1 UK CHI at TOR first game first game – / –
Thu 22 Oct 20:00 ET · 01:00+1 UK UTAH at MEM first game first game – / – Long trip
Thu 22 Oct 20:00 ET · 01:00+1 UK IND at NO first game first game – / –
Thu 22 Oct 20:30 ET · 01:30+1 UK DAL at HOU first game first game – / –
Thu 22 Oct 22:00 ET · 03:00+1 UK GS at LAL first game first game – / – ESPN
Thu 22 Oct 22:00 ET · 03:00+1 UK PHX at POR first game first game – / –
Thu 22 Oct 22:30 ET · 03:30+1 UK SAC at LAC first game first game – / –
Thu 22 Oct 19:00 ET · 00:00+1 UK CLE at PHI first game 1 – / 137 Home stand ESPN
Fri 23 Oct 21:30 ET · 02:30+1 UK DEN at OKC first game 1 – / 677 Home stand ESPN
Fri 23 Oct 19:00 ET · 00:00+1 UK NY at BOS 2 2 0 home 303 / 985 Home stand Prime Video
Fri 23 Oct 19:00 ET · 00:00+1 UK ATL at CHA 1 1 0 home 745 / 854 Plays tomorrow / Plays tomorrow, Home stand
Fri 23 Oct 19:00 ET · 00:00+1 UK DAL at IND 1 1 0 home 1,394 / 1,148 Plays tomorrow
Fri 23 Oct 19:00 ET · 00:00+1 UK MIN at ORL 1 1 0 home 329 / 0
Fri 23 Oct 19:00 ET · 00:00+1 UK TOR at WSH 1 1 0 home 563 / 0 Plays tomorrow
Sat 24 Oct 20:00 ET · 01:00+1 UK DET at MIA 2 1 -1 home 1,860 / 0 Road trip / Plays tomorrow
Sat 24 Oct 20:00 ET · 01:00+1 UK CHI at MIL 1 1 0 home 693 / 1,023 Plays tomorrow / Plays tomorrow
Sat 24 Oct 21:30 ET · 02:30+1 UK HOU at SA 1 2 +1 home 236 / 117 Plays tomorrow / Plays tomorrow Prime Video
Sat 24 Oct 21:30 ET · 02:30+1 UK NO at UTAH 1 1 0 home 2,306 / 2,009 Plays tomorrow, Long trip, Altitude / Long trip, Home stand
Sat 24 Oct 22:00 ET · 03:00+1 UK POR at SAC 1 1 0 home 779 / 588
Sat 24 Oct 22:00 ET · 03:00+1 UK MEM at GS 1 1 0 home 2,892 / 556 Long trip, Time zones, Road trip / Plays tomorrow
Sat 24 Oct 22:00 ET · 03:00+1 UK LAC at LAL 1 1 0 home 13 / 0
Sat 24 Oct 18:00 ET · 23:00 UK MIA at CHA 0 0 0 home 1,052 / 0 Back-to-back, 3 in 4 nights / Back-to-back, 3 in 4 nights, Home stand
Sat 24 Oct 19:30 ET · 00:30+1 UK BKN at CLE 2 1 -1 home 653 / 577 Plays tomorrow / Home stand

Rest = full days between games. Difference is home rest minus away rest. Travel is the great-circle distance from each team's previous venue.

Spots to watch

  • Detroit Pistons at Miami Heat The Pistons have had 2 days off since Tuesday's game against the Celtics, game 1 of a 3-game road trip, with 1,860 km (1,156 miles) of travel. The Heat have had 1 day off since Wednesday's game against the Timberwolves.
  • Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs The Rockets have had 1 day off since Wednesday's game against the Mavericks, with 236 km (147 miles) of travel. The Spurs have had 2 days off since Tuesday's game against the Thunder, with 117 km (73 miles) of travel.
  • Brooklyn Nets at Cleveland Cavaliers The Nets have had 2 days off since Wednesday's game against the Hornets, with 653 km (406 miles) of travel. The Cavaliers have had 1 day off since Thursday's game in Philadelphia, game 1 of a 3-game home stand, with 577 km (359 miles) of travel.
  • New Orleans Pelicans at Utah Jazz The Pelicans have had 1 day off since Wednesday's game against the Pacers, with 2,306 km (1,433 miles) of travel, playing 1 hour behind their home clock. The Jazz have had 1 day off since Wednesday's game in Memphis, game 1 of a 5-game home stand, with 2,009 km (1,248 miles) of travel.
  • Miami Heat at Charlotte Hornets The Heat play the second night of a back-to-back after Friday's game against the Pistons, their third game in four nights, with 1,052 km (654 miles) of travel. The Hornets play the second night of a back-to-back after Friday's game against the Hawks, their third game in four nights, game 2 of a 3-game home stand.

How each situation has played out since 2015

SituationSince 2015Team-gamesThis season
On the second night of a back-to-back
The team also played the previous night.		 44.4% 4,450 fewer than 20 games
On the first night of a back-to-back
The team plays again the next night.		 49.7% 4,450 fewer than 20 games
Playing their third game in four nights
Three games within a four-night window ending on this game.		 47.6% 6,395 fewer than 20 games
With three or more days' rest
At least three full days off before the game.		 51.9% 1,058 fewer than 20 games
With two or more days less rest than their opponent
Rest differential of -2 days or worse.		 42.5% 1,197 fewer than 20 games
With two or more days more rest than their opponent
Rest differential of +2 days or better.		 57.5% 1,197 fewer than 20 games
In the third game or later of a road trip
Three or more consecutive games away from home.		 44.0% 3,467 fewer than 20 games
In the third game or later of a home stand
Three or more consecutive home games.		 57.4% 3,345 fewer than 20 games
After 2,000 km or more of travel
Great-circle distance between consecutive venues.		 50.6% 2,519 fewer than 20 games
Playing two or more hours from their home time zone
Venue clock differs from the team's home clock by two hours or more.		 44.6% 3,644 fewer than 20 games
Visiting a venue at 1,000 m or higher
Venue elevation at least 1,000 m and not the team's home ground.		 37.2% 831 fewer than 20 games
At home
The team is the designated home side at its own ground.		 56.6% 12,126 fewer than 20 games

Win rate of the team in that situation, regular season only, both teams counted in every game (so "all games" is 50%). Home teams have won 56.6% over the same span. Seasons covered: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027 (ESPN season labels; the 2019-20 bubble season is excluded). Updated 6 Sep 2026.

Method

Everything on this page and in the "Schedule context" panels on game pages is computed from the published NBA schedule (ESPN public feeds) and a venue table with coordinates, time zones and elevations. Nothing is predicted and no odds are used.

  • Rest days: full calendar days between a team's games, on the venue's local calendar (so a late West Coast game followed by an East Coast game the next evening is a back-to-back).
  • Back-to-back, 3 in 4, 4 in 5: games on consecutive nights; three games within a four-night window ending on the game; four within five nights.
  • Road trip and home stand: consecutive games away from, or at, the team's own arena. Neutral-site games count as away for both teams.
  • Travel: great-circle distance between the previous game's venue and this one. Time zones: the venue clock against the team's home clock at kickoff, daylight-saving aware, the shorter way round the clock. Body clock: kickoff expressed in the team's home time zone.
  • Altitude: venue elevation of 1,000 m or more (Denver, Salt Lake City, Mexico City).
  • Baselines: the win rate of teams in each situation across completed regular-season games since 2015, both teams counted in every game. Figures for the season in progress are shown once a situation has 20 games; long-run figures need 100.
  • Facts are withheld rather than guessed: if a team's previous game or a venue is unknown, the related rows are left out.

Free to reuse with a link to this page. Machine-readable: baselines JSON.