2026-27 · Rest edges and deficits per team

NBA Rest Advantage

Cleveland Cavaliers have the largest rest deficit: 20 rest edges and 27 disadvantages, net −7.

Updated Wed, Sep 9, 7:00 AM EDT

#	Team	GP	Edge	Even	Deficit	Net	Tired vs rested
30	ClevelandCavaliersCLE	80	20	33	27	−7	12
29	New OrleansPelicansNOP	80	17	40	23	−6	13
27	ChicagoBullsCHI	80	17	41	22	−5	11
27	Philadelphia76ersPHI	80	22	31	27	−5	11
25	IndianaPacersIND	80	17	42	21	−4	12
25	Oklahoma CityThunderOKC	80	17	42	21	−4	7
20	HoustonRocketsHOU	80	20	38	22	−2	11
20	Los AngelesLakersLAL	80	17	44	19	−2	11
20	PhoenixSunsPHX	80	16	46	18	−2	11
20	San AntonioSpursSAS	80	20	38	22	−2	9
20	TorontoRaptorsTOR	80	19	40	21	−2	13
17	DenverNuggetsDEN	80	20	39	21	−1	12
17	MinnesotaTimberwolvesMIN	80	13	53	14	−1	7
17	PortlandTrail BlazersPOR	80	19	41	20	−1	9
14	AtlantaHawksATL	80	19	42	19	0	12
14	BostonCelticsBOS	80	19	42	19	0	14
14	OrlandoMagicORL	80	16	48	16	0	12
12	DallasMavericksDAL	80	21	39	20	+1	14
12	New YorkKnicksNYK	80	20	41	19	+1	11
8	MemphisGrizzliesMEM	80	14	54	12	+2	7
8	MiamiHeatMIA	80	23	36	21	+2	11
8	MilwaukeeBucksMIL	80	21	40	19	+2	11
8	SacramentoKingsSAC	80	22	38	20	+2	11
5	Golden StateWarriorsGSW	80	21	41	18	+3	12
5	LAClippersLAC	80	21	41	18	+3	8
5	UtahJazzUTA	80	17	49	14	+3	8
4	BrooklynNetsBKN	80	23	38	19	+4	14
3	DetroitPistonsDET	80	21	44	15	+6	9
2	CharlotteHornetsCHA	80	24	39	17	+7	10
1	WashingtonWizardsWAS	80	23	42	15	+8	11

What the columns mean

#: Rank on the column the board is sorted by, 1 = most. The rank belongs to the team, not the row, so flipping to low-to-high counts down to #1 at the foot. Ties share a rank.
GP: Main-slate games on the schedule — regular season plus in-season cup games.
Edge: Games the team enters with more days rest than its opponent.
Even: Games where both sides enter on the same days rest.
Deficit: Games the team enters with fewer days rest than its opponent. Season openers, where neither side has rest yet, are in none of these three.
Net: Edge games minus deficit games. Positive means the schedule hands this team the fresher legs more often than not.
Tired vs rested: Deficit games the team enters on a back-to-back against an opponent with at least a full day more rest — the worst spot the schedule can deal.

The extremes

The schedule's gift

The Washington Wizards' rest slate: 23 games with a rest edge, 42 even, 15 at a rest disadvantage — a net +8. 11 of the deficits are a back-to-back against a rested opponent.

The schedule's tax

The Cleveland Cavaliers' rest slate: 20 games with a rest edge, 33 even, 27 at a rest disadvantage — a net −7. 12 of the deficits are a back-to-back against a rested opponent.

Most tired vs rested

The Dallas Mavericks play 14 games on a back-to-back against an opponent with at least a full day more rest — the most in the league.

How it's counted

Rest is counted in whole local calendar days off — the same days of rest every other travel-desk board prints, so a team playing on consecutive dates has none.

A game is a rest edge when the team goes in with more days rest than its opponent. It is even when the two match and a rest disadvantage when the team goes in with fewer. Nothing is weighted: one day is one day, and the comparison is of whole days, not hours between tipoffs.

A game where either side's rest is unknown — every team's season opener — counts in none of the three, so the three columns need not add up to games played. Tired vs rested is the subset that gets written about: the team is on a back-to-back and the opponent had at least a full day more.

It is schedule tax, not a prediction — the board counts the spots the schedule deals, not what teams do with them, and every game appears twice in the league, once per side.

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