NBA schedule 2025-26: Breaking it down by the numbers, including most back-to-backs

The NBA schedule for the 2025-26 season is out. We’ve damaged down the league’s return to NBC and debut on Peacock and the greater than 100 video games you may watch throughout this community, in addition to the 20 must-watch video games of the season.

Now let’s dive into the main points of the schedule and speak about who has the benefit and drawback in back-to-backs, nationally televised video games and extra — together with probably the most bobblehead nights.

Which groups have probably the most nationally televised video games?

4 groups are maxed out at 34 video games on nationwide tv:

• Lakers• Warriors• Knicks• Thunder

The Timberwolves and Rockets comply with these 4 with 28 every. Rounding out the highest 10 are the Nuggets (26), Celtics (25), Cavaliers (24) and Mavericks (23).

Each staff has no less than two nationally televised video games.

With the addition of Peacock NBA Mondays and plenty of NBA Cup video games being broadcast on Amazon Prime solely, the variety of nationwide broadcast video games jumped this season to 244, up from 172 a season in the past. As soon as the NFL season nears its finish, the NBA will ramp up with nationally televised video games nightly.

For those who take away the video games solely on streaming platforms from the nationwide broadcast recreation listing, solely counting the video games on NBC, ABC and ESPN, the groups with probably the most video games are: Knicks (21), Lakers (20), Thunder (20), Warriors (19) and Nuggets (18). Value noting that each the Rockets and Timberwolves may have 17 of these video games. It’s additionally price noting that each one these video games on over-the-air broadcasts additionally might be out there on streaming companies akin to Peacock for the NBC video games as nicely.

Which groups have probably the most back-to-backs?

Each staff has between 13 and 16 back-to-backs, with the typical being 14.4 (down barely from 14.9 a season in the past). The 5 groups with probably the most (16) are:

• Hornets• Nuggets• 76ers• Suns• Wizards

Simply as attention-grabbing is the variety of occasions a staff faces an opponent on a back-to-back. On the high of the listing, the 76ers face 18 groups on the second night time of a back-to-back, whereas the Nuggets are on the low finish of that scale with 12.

Utah, Philadelphia, and Sacramento every have 14 relaxation benefit video games, tied for probably the most within the league, in line with Constructive Residual.

There aren’t any 4 video games in 5 nights within the schedule.

Different schedule notes

• Getting relaxation earlier than large video games. The NBA famous that groups don’t play the day earlier than these video games:

*All opening-week nationwide TV video games*All Emirates NBA Cup video games*All Christmas Day video games*The four-game Peacock/NBC schedule on Martin Luther King Jr. Day*The ten-game ABC Saturday schedule and eight-game ABC Sunday schedule*The 11-game NBC Sunday schedule

• Pelicans have hardest NBA schedule. Keep in mind when the Pelicans traded their 2026 first-round choose to Atlanta so they might transfer up and draft Derik Queen on this yr’s draft? Hold that in thoughts as you take a look at Constructive Residual’s projections for probably the most troublesome schedule within the NBA this season:

Be aware that an older staff within the Warriors is fourth on that listing, with the Mavericks fifth.

• Impression of Clippers’ new area. Attention-grabbing word from The Athletic’s Legislation Murray:

• Clippers lead the league in bobblehead nights. Clippers followers love bobbleheads?

Kris Dunn is a pleasant participant, however is he bobblehead worthy?