The idea of playing a balanced schedule is a rarity in American professional sports. An NFL team that finishes in first place in their division one year draws other first-place teams on the schedule the next year. NHL calendars lean heavily on divisional matchups and regional rivalries. MLB moved to a more balanced schedule in 2023, reducing the number of division games and increasing interleague play to even things out.
The NBA does not play a balanced schedule, but the biggest factor in an individual team’s success often feels like it has more to do with the travel arrangements than who they’re playing on a particular night. Trimming the NBA’s 82-game regular season schedule always felt like a silver bullet for many of the league’s most pressing problems. Until that happens, teams are still jetting around the country every night to try to sell out as many arenas as possible.
The 2026-27 NBA schedule came out this week. Read our take on the league’s 10 biggest rivalries for the upcoming season. With a little help from Shamit Dua’s NBA Schedule Dash Board, these are the teams who got hit the hardest by the schedule makers this year.
The Celtics’ 16 back-to-backs are in a five-way tie for the most in the NBA. They play 22 times in a stretch of three games in four nights, which ranks as the eighth hardest in the league. They are -4 in “net rest” games, which measures who the more tired opponent is in a given game. The Celtics aren’t just dealing with the loss of Jaylen Brown this season, they’re also needing to navigate one of the league’s hardest travel schedules. I still think the Celtics will be a regular season wins machine, and I wouldn’t count them out for grabbing the No. 1 seed in the East, but the road to get there looks more daunting after the schedule release.
The Pelicans have the hardest schedule in the NBA this year. New Orleans plays a league-leading 16 back-to-backs, they’re the only team in the NBA with 27 ‘three in four nights’ stretches, and they have a -5 net rest disadvantage. The Pelicans already had the league’s seventh-lowest over/under at 29.5 wins coming into the season, and it feels like it’s going to be an uphill climb to even hit that number. New head coach Jamahl Mosley has his work cut out for him. After years of believing in Zion Williamson, I’m finally giving up the dream that he can be one of the NBA’s best players. At this point, I’m more interested in seeing what Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen can do together.
The Bulls are one of the league-leaders with 15 back-to-backs this season. They play a stretch of three games in four nights 24 times, which is the fourth most in the league. They’re -3 on “net rest,” which is third-hardest in the league. The Bulls also have five time zone crossings on no rest, which is the fifth-most in the league. The first 15 games of the season are especially brutal for Chicago, with two games against Boston, two games against the Knicks, two games against the Sixers, and one game each vs. San Antonio, Minnesota, and Cleveland. The Bulls are starting yet another rebuild, but it’s going to be difficult for this fanbase to be patient when the team has the third worst cumulative record in the NBA after the last nine seasons. This year is more about figuring out if they have a future star in Caleb Wilson, and seeing how Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey develop in their third year together. The Bulls actually have a decent bench led by Leonard Miller, Jalen Smith, and Tre Jones, and they’re going to need it with this type of schedule.
The Cavs missed out on LeBron James and got a tough schedule to boot. Cleveland is tied for the league-lead with 16 back-to-backs. They have 23 ‘three in four nights’ games, which is the sixth hardest in the NBA. They’re a -2 in rest advantage, also sixth hardest. The Cavs have done a whole lot of nothing this summer coming off the world’s least convincing conference finals run, but there’s still time to potentially land Peyton Watson or swing a big trade. I just get the sense that Cleveland’s Eastern Conference rivals are passing them by … unless Evan Mobley has another leap left in him.
The Mavericks have 16 back-to-backs (tied for the most in the league), and they’re at a -3 net rest advantage. It will be fascinating to see how Dallas manages Kyrie Irving as he returns from a torn ACL at age-34. The team will also have to manage Dereck Lively II, because the 22-year-old big man still hasn’t been cleared to run after having foot surgery in December. I could see a world where Cooper Flagg takes a big leap and carries the Mavs to playoff contention, but it’s important to remember Flagg won’t turn 20 years old until just before Christmas. It might be wise for Dallas’ new front office to take a more long-term view around their franchise star.
The Lakers play 15 back-to-backs. They face three games in four nights 26 times, which is the second most in the league. There’s so much riding on Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves this year. Both of them dealt with injuries last year, playing 115 out of a possible 164 games. That’s not going to cut it this year. Doncic and Reaves need to carry this offense every night without LeBron James around, and the Lakers probably don’t want to know what happens when Quentin Grimes needs to be their first or second option for a night. Will the Lakers have a plan to save Luka in some back-to-backs? It’s going to be a battle in the Western Conference every night, but the Lakers really just need him healthy for the playoffs, unlike last year.
Read the full article here
