NBA Storylines: February’s power of schedule rankings

February is the shortest month and likewise comparatively mild on NBA video games (166 whole), with the All-Star break within the center. But it may nonetheless be consequential, each in regard to trades which are made within the subsequent 5 days and motion within the standings.

In the Eastern Conference, solely three video games separate the second-place Knicks from the sixth-place Sixers. And within the West, solely three video games separate the second-place Nuggets from the seventh-place Suns.

So each recreation issues, and those performed inside these tiers within the East and West are particularly essential.

Here’s a schedule breakdown for the month of February

Note: A rest-advantage recreation (or rest-disadvantage recreation) is one the place one workforce performed the day/night time earlier than, however the different (the workforce with the benefit) didn’t. Through Jan. 31, groups are 89-84 (.514) in rest-advantage video games, 47-44 (.516) at dwelling and 42-40 (.512) on the street.

February power of schedule

Here’s a have a look at the February schedule for each workforce, sorted from the hardest (in regard to cumulative opponent successful share) to the best:

OppPCT = Cumulative opponent successful share (as of Dec. 3)
B2B = Back-to-backs (contains Jan. 31-Feb. 1 back-to-backs for the Bulls, Heat and Spurs)
H | R = Home video games | Road video games

Eastern Conference notes

• The Hawks have the East’s best February schedule in regard to cumulative opponent successful share (.422). It contains 4 dwelling video games towards the Jazz, Nets and Wizards, with the Hawks at the moment 9-3 towards the 9 groups which are no less than 10 video games underneath .500.

• The Celtics have simply two February video games inside the 2-8 tier within the East, they usually’re consecutive dwelling video games (vs. Miami and New York) subsequent week. They at the moment have the perfect document (11-4) in video games performed between these seven groups under Detroit within the East.

• The Nets have been 0-8 within the second video games of back-to-backs earlier than getting a win in Utah on Friday. They have two back-to-backs in February, they’re each after the All-Star break, and the second video games might be at Oklahoma City and at Boston.

• The Hornets‘ easiest five-game stretch of the season is a stretch from Feb. 22 – Mar. 3 where they’re taking part in the Wizards, Bulls, Pacers, Blazers and Mavs. After that, 14 of their closing 20 video games will come towards groups that at the moment have successful data.

• The Bulls enter the month with two video games left on a stretch the place they are going to have performed six in eight days. Starting with their win in Miami on Saturday, six of their closing seven video games earlier than the All-Star break are on the street, however they’ll come out of the break with their longest homestand of the season (seven video games over 13 days).

• The Cavs are tied (with the Sixers) for essentially the most road-heavy February schedule, with solely three of their 11 video games in Cleveland and their loss in Phoenix on Friday being the beginning of a five-game journey out West. They’ll come out of the All-Star break with their third (and closing) stretch of 5 video games in seven days, which incorporates video games towards the Thunder and Knicks.

• The Pistons have the East’s second hardest February schedule in regard to cumulative opponent successful share (.546), and it contains two huge video games towards the Knicks (who’ve the East’s hardest month). The first (Friday in Detroit) might be a rest-disadvantage recreation.

• The Pacers have confronted the East’s hardest schedule thus far (cumulative opponent successful share of .525), however could have the convention’s second best February schedule. They’re at the moment three video games right into a stretch the place they’re taking part in 14 of 19 towards groups with shedding data.

• The Heat are the one East workforce with solely three February video games towards groups that enter the month with successful data. They’re at the moment two video games right into a stretch the place they’re taking part in 10 of 11 towards groups at the moment under .500.

• The Bucks could have some winnable video games this coming week, a three-game homestand towards the Bulls, Pelicans and Pacers. After that, they’ll play seven of their closing eight February video games towards groups that enter the month with successful data. They’ve misplaced 9 of their final 10 video games towards that group.

• The Knicks have 5 February video games inside the high eight within the East, and 4 of the 5 are on the street. They’re at the moment 11-8 inside the high eight, 8-3 at dwelling or on a impartial court docket, and 3-5 on the street.

• The Magic are three video games into their hardest five-game stretch of the season, set to go to the Spurs and Thunder on Sunday and Tuesday. That might be instantly adopted by their best five-game stretch of the season, video games towards the Nets, Jazz, Bucks (x 2) and Kings, with the primary 4 coming earlier than the All-Star break.

• The Sixers are tied (with the Cavs) for essentially the most road-heavy February schedule, with solely three of their 11 video games in Philadelphia. They’re the one workforce that hasn’t performed within the Mountain or Pacific time zones, they usually’ll start a five-game journey with a rest-advantage recreation on the Intuit Dome on Monday.

• The Raptors have a league-high 5 multi-day breaks in February, not together with the All-Star break. Their 5 February video games earlier than the All-Star break are their third (and closing) five-game homestand.

• The Wizards open February with a recreation towards the Kings, they usually’ll then play their subsequent 11 inside the Eastern Conference. Their first two video games after the All-Star break will come (at dwelling) towards the 14th-place Pacers, who now have yet one more win than the Wizards do.

Western Conference notes

• The Mavs‘ first six video games of February are towards groups that enter the month with successful data. Their final 4 video games of the month are towards groups at the moment under .500.

• The Nuggets had one of many league’s best January schedules, however could have its hardest February schedule in regard to cumulative opponent successful share (.589), despite the fact that 4 groups have extra February video games towards groups at the moment over .500. Their month begins and ends with video games towards the Thunder and likewise contains video games in Detroit and New York (their first assembly with the Knicks) subsequent week. Those two video games are the tip of their second (and closing) stretch of 5 video games in seven days.

• The Warriors are midway by a stretch the place they’re taking part in 11 of 14 towards groups that enter February with successful data. They’re 11-14 inside that group after their loss to the Pistons on Friday.

• The Rockets have the league’s greatest document (13-2) in interconference video games and are the one Western Conference workforce with extra February video games towards the East (seven) than they’ve towards the West (5). Five of their first seven post-break video games are in Eastern Conference arenas.

• The Clippers are one among two groups (the Thunder are the opposite) with a league-high 10 February video games towards groups that enter the month with successful data. They have been 1-15 towards that group by mid-December, however have received seven of 10 towards successful groups as they’ve gone 16-4 total (greatest within the league) since Dec. 20.

• The Lakers have the league’s hardest February schedule in regard to opposing defenses, with solely two of their 12 video games towards groups that enter the month within the backside 10 defensively. And of these is towards the Clippers (twenty first), who’ve had a top-10 protection over their 16-4 stretch.

• The Grizzlies‘ longest street journey of the season (5 video games over eight days) is their final 5 video games earlier than the All-Star break, and it features a back-to-back in Portland.

• The Wolves have a league-low two video games towards groups that enter February with successful data. They don’t have a single February recreation towards a workforce that enters the month within the high 10 offensively.

• The Pelicans have the West’s second best schedule in regard to cumulative opponent successful share, with 5 video games towards the Bucks (x 2), Kings and Jazz (x 2).

• The Thunder have the league’s second hardest February schedule in regard to cumulative opponent successful share, with 10 of their 12 video games towards groups that enter the month with successful data. They received their first seven video games inside that group, however are 6-8 for the reason that NBA Cup semifinals (Dec. 13).

• The Suns have a comparatively robust slate, but it surely’s the league’s most home-heavy February schedule, with 9 of their 11 video games in Phoenix. They’re 4 video games right into a stretch (that extends into March) the place they’re taking part in 16 of 19 at dwelling.

• The Blazers‘ first 5 video games of February are tied for his or her longest homestand of the season, however their final 5 video games earlier than the All-Star break are their second (and closing) stretch of 5 video games in seven days.

• The Kings are lastly getting some schedule aid. They’ve performed the league’s hardest schedule (cumulative successful share of .558) by January, however will play simply six of their subsequent 19 video games towards groups with successful data.

• For the second straight yr, the Spurs‘ rodeo trip doesn’t lengthen previous the All-Star break, although they’ll play their first two post-break video games in Austin. They have a league-high 4 back-to-backs in February, and the second video games of all 4 might be rest-disadvantage video games.

• The Jazz have the league’s best February schedule in regard to cumulative opponent successful share (.417). That contains 4 video games (three of them at dwelling) inside the backside 4 within the West.

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John Schuhmann has coated the NBA for greater than 20 years. You can e-mail him right here, discover his archive right here and follow him on Bluesky.