How Many NBA Home Games Does Your Team Play?
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The answer to how many home games your NBA team plays may be found by looking at the team’s schedule.
How home games are determined
The NBA schedule is released in the summer, but it is not finalized until closer to the start of the season. NBA teams play 82 games in the regular season – 41 at home and 41 on the road. The remaining games are determined by where each team falls in the standings.
How many games are in an NBA season?
An NBA season consists of 82 regular season games, followed by the playoffs. Each team plays 41 home games and 41 away games. The regular season begins in late October and ends in mid-April.
The NBA playoffs begin in April and can last into June. The NBA Finals is the championship series of the playoffs and is a best-of-seven series.
The number of games played during the regular season has varied throughout NBA history. For example, in the 1948-49 season, each team played only 60 regular season games due to a player’s strike. In the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, each team played 66 regular season games.
How are the home and away games determined?
The NBA has a balanced schedule. Every team plays 82 regular season games. Of those 82 games, 41 are played at home and 41 are played away. This gives every team an equal chance at making the playoffs. In order to ensure that all teams play the same opponents an equal number of times, the NBA has a schedule matrix.
The matrix for a given season is as follows:
Each team plays:
2 games against each team in its own division (10 games total)
1 game against each team in the two divisions adjacent to its own (8 games total)
1 game against each team in the other conference (15 games total)
4 additional “wild card” games against any teams in the league, chosen using a pre-determined formula (4 games total)
How many home games each team plays
The NBA is made up of 30 teams, playing a total of 82 games each. 29 of those are played against other teams in their conference, meaning that every team has 41 home games and 41 away games. There are a few exceptions, however.
Eastern Conference
The Eastern Conference is made up of 15 teams, each playing 82 regular season games.
-Atlanta Hawks: 41
-Boston Celtics: 41
-Brooklyn Nets: 41
-Charlotte Hornets: 41
-Chicago Bulls: 41
-Cleveland Cavaliers: 41
-Detroit Pistons: 41
-Indiana Pacers: 41
-Miami Heat: 41
-Milwaukee Bucks: 41
-New York Knicks: 41
-Orlando Magic: 41
-Philadelphia 76ers: 41
-Toronto Raptors: 41
-Washington Wizards: 41
Western Conference
Here is a list of how many home games each team in the Western Conference plays.
-Houston Rockets – 41
-Los Angeles Clippers – 41
-Los Angeles Lakers – 41
-Memphis Grizzlies – 41
-Minnesota Timberwolves – 41
-New Orleans Pelicans – 40
-Oklahoma City Thunder – 40
-Phoenix Suns – 43
-Portland Blazers- 41
-Sacramento Kings- 40
-San Antonio Spurs- 40
-Utah Jazz- 40
Why the number of home games varies
The number of home games an NBA team has varies depending on a variety of factors. One reason is because the NBA schedule is not completely set in stone until a few weeks before the season starts. The second reason is that teams often have to play “away” games at a neutral site.
Arena availability
One key reason for the disparity in home games is that some teams simply don’t have arenas available for as many days as others. The Golden State Warriors, for example, not only have to share their arena with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, but they also have to deal with numerous concerts and other events that are booked at the Chase Center throughout the year. This leaves them with far fewer days on which they can schedule home games.
Local events
Local events can have a big influence on the number of home games a team plays. For example, if there’s a big concert in town, the arena might be booked for that night and the basketball team will have to play an away game. Other local events that can impact the schedule include conventions, ice shows, and family entertainment acts.
National TV broadcasts
The number of home games each team plays can vary for a number of reasons, but the most common is due to national TV broadcasts.
The NBA has agreements with a number of networks (including ESPN, TNT, and ABC) that allow them to broadcast games nationally. These games are typically broadcast on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays – nights when most people are able to watch.
Because of these agreements, the NBA schedules more games on those days/nights. This means that some teams will play more home games than others simply because they are scheduled more often on national TV.
