2025-26 NBA Fatigue Index: Ranking All 30 Teams by Travel, Rest & Schedule Imbalance
Behind the highlight-reel dunks and clutch three-pointers lies the NBA's true regular-season grind: an 82-game marathon measured in air miles, time zones, and brutal back-to-backs. And while every team plays the same number of games, franchises are not dealt the same hand when it comes to the hidden tax of travel, rest, and recovery.
Introducing the 2025 NBA Fatigue Index, a proprietary Sportsbook Review formula that cuts through the schedule to reveal which teams face the most punishing path to the playoffs, and which have a clear runway to success. This isn't just about geography, it's about quantifying a critical, often overlooked, competitive advantage.
Key Takeaways
- Grizzlies take the top spot: Memphis takes No. 1 on this year’s Fatigue Index despite having one of the youngest rosters in basketball (average age: 25.2). The Grizzlies’ blistering Pace (103.69) and a punishing European swing push their fatigue score to 113.3, the highest in the league. Their style of play, fast, physical, and relentless, means recovery time is precious, and scarce.
- The West is a War Zone: The Warriors (107.5) and Clippers (106.2) rank second and third overall, both suffering from aging rosters (average age 29-plus) and long-haul West Coast travel. The West’s vast geography continues to make it a logistical gauntlet, with nine of the top 10 most fatigued teams situated there.
- Portland’s Heavy Mileage: Despite not taking the top spot (No. 4 on the Index), Portland still faces one of the most grueling travel slates: 50,506 miles, 48 time zones crossed, and 15 back-to-backs. Even for a relatively young team, those miles add up, and so does the fatigue.
- Youth and Efficiency Pay Off: Teams like Brooklyn (52.7), Boston (40.0), and Charlotte (43.9) enjoy lighter schedules and the physiological advantage of younger, slower-paced rosters. Boston, in particular, combines the league’s lowest Fatigue Index with one of its slowest tempos (96.59 Pace last season).
Here’s a look at every team ranked by our NBA Fatigue Index across the entire season. Continue reading for our full methodology, and some over/under insights to consider.
(All mileage was tracked manually using a Distance Matrix Calculation in conjunction with a Party-to-Party Travel Distance Calculation; fatigue scores based on SBR’s proprietary formula explained further below.)
2025-26 NBA Fatigue Index
| Rank | Team | Fatigue Index | Miles | Time Zones | Back-to-Backs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memphis Grizzlies | 113.3 | 50,464 | 50 | 14 |
| 2 | Golden State Warriors | 107.5 | 46,849 | 46 | 16 |
| 3 | LA Clippers | 106.2 | 46,572 | 46 | 15 |
| 4 | Portland Trail Blazers | 105.9 | 50,506 | 48 | 15 |
| 5 | Dallas Mavericks | 100.2 | 45,846 | 38 | 16 |
| 6 | Phoenix Suns | 100 | 46,551 | 50 | 16 |
| 7 | Orlando Magic | 98.8 | 54,279 | 38 | 14 |
| 8 | San Antonio Spurs | 94.9 | 46,394 | 36 | 16 |
| 9 | Utah Jazz | 94.7 | 45,120 | 42 | 14 |
| 10 | Miami Heat | 94.1 | 46,997 | 30 | 15 |
| 11 | Sacramento Kings | 93 | 44,899 | 44 | 15 |
| 12 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 92.8 | 44,550 | 40 | 14 |
| 13 | Houston Rockets | 92.3 | 45,431 | 34 | 14 |
| 14 | Denver Nuggets | 91.5 | 43,850 | 36 | 14 |
| 15 | Los Angeles Lakers | 89.6 | 43,150 | 44 | 15 |
| 16 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 88.2 | 44,200 | 38 | 14 |
| 17 | New Orleans Pelicans | 86.3 | 43,500 | 34 | 14 |
| 18 | Atlanta Hawks | 84.1 | 42,100 | 32 | 15 |
| 19 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 77.7 | 41,500 | 30 | 15 |
| 20 | Detroit Pistons | 72.7 | 40,900 | 28 | 15 |
| 21 | Washington Wizards | 72.1 | 40,300 | 26 | 15 |
| 22 | New York Knicks | 68.3 | 39,700 | 32 | 16 |
| 23 | Chicago Bulls | 59.1 | 40,125 | 32 | 15 |
| 24 | Philadelphia 76ers | 56.9 | 38,500 | 28 | 16 |
| 25 | Indiana Pacers | 56.3 | 39,400 | 28 | 14 |
| 26 | Brooklyn Nets | 52.7 | 39,100 | 30 | 16 |
| 27 | Milwaukee Bucks | 52.7 | 39,558 | 30 | 15 |
| 28 | Toronto Raptors | 49.4 | 39,214 | 30 | 16 |
| 29 | Charlotte Hornets | 43.9 | 38,970 | 28 | 16 |
| 30 | Boston Celtics | 40 | 38,156 | 28 | 16 |
| Rank | Team | Fatigue Index | Longest Road Trip | Longest Homestand | Average Age | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memphis Grizzlies | 113.3 | 5 | 9 | 25.2 | 103.69 |
| 2 | Golden State Warriors | 107.5 | 6 | 8 | 29 | 99.37 |
| 3 | LA Clippers | 106.2 | 7 | 5 | 29.3 | 98.24 |
| 4 | Portland Trail Blazers | 105.9 | 5 | 5 | 25.7 | 99.51 |
| 5 | Dallas Mavericks | 100.2 | 6 | 6 | 27.4 | 100.15 |
| 6 | Phoenix Suns | 100 | 6 | 5 | 26 | 98.31 |
| 7 | Orlando Magic | 98.8 | 5 | 6 | 25 | 96.51 |
| 8 | San Antonio Spurs | 94.9 | 5 | 6 | 25 | 100.08 |
| 9 | Utah Jazz | 94.7 | 6 | 5 | 26.3 | 100.85 |
| 10 | Miami Heat | 94.1 | 5 | 4 | 26.1 | 97.08 |
| 11 | Sacramento Kings | 93 | 5 | 5 | 27.1 | 98.91 |
| 12 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 92.8 | 5 | 6 | 25 | 100.9 |
| 13 | Houston Rockets | 92.3 | 6 | 5 | 26.1 | 99.03 |
| 14 | Denver Nuggets | 91.5 | 5 | 6 | 27 | 100.67 |
| 15 | Los Angeles Lakers | 89.6 | 5 | 5 | 28.2 | 98.34 |
| 16 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 88.2 | 5 | 5 | 26.2 | 97.95 |
| 17 | New Orleans Pelicans | 86.3 | 5 | 5 | 25.3 | 99.77 |
| 18 | Atlanta Hawks | 84.1 | 5 | 5 | 25.3 | 103.41 |
| 19 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 77.7 | 5 | 5 | 26.7 | 100.31 |
| 20 | Detroit Pistons | 72.7 | 5 | 5 | 25 | 100.27 |
| 21 | Washington Wizards | 72.1 | 5 | 5 | 25.4 | 101.82 |
| 22 | New York Knicks | 68.3 | 5 | 5 | 28.1 | 97.64 |
| 23 | Chicago Bulls | 59.1 | 5 | 6 | 25.5 | 103.61 |
| 24 | Philadelphia 76ers | 56.9 | 5 | 5 | 26.5 | 98.13 |
| 25 | Indiana Pacers | 56.3 | 5 | 7 | 25.9 | 100.76 |
| 26 | Brooklyn Nets | 52.7 | 5 | 5 | 23.8 | 96.73 |
| 27 | Milwaukee Bucks | 52.7 | 5 | 5 | 27.2 | 99.92 |
| 28 | Toronto Raptors | 49.4 | 5 | 5 | 25.1 | 100.62 |
| 29 | Charlotte Hornets | 43.9 | 5 | 7 | 25.6 | 98.22 |
| 30 | Boston Celtics | 40 | 5 | 4 | 25.6 | 96.59 |
The West is just tougher
Despite looking like the vastly superior conference this season, the Western Conference is undoubtedly just harder to navigate from a logistics standpoint.
There’s a structural imbalance that’s baked into the league's geography and scheduling conventions with the nine of the top 10 most fatigued teams coming from the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Eastern outlier Magic have a wacky schedule that will see them travel to Europe.
It's amazing how strong the West is – especially a team like the Warriors, a contender that isn't just logging miles, but also battling three-hour jet lag jet-setting around the country. This disrupts circadian rhythms and recovery in a way that a Boston-to-Miami flight doesn’t, creating a de facto "Strength of Schedule" component that has nothing to do with opponent quality.
A playoff race between, for instance, Golden State (No. 2) and Phoenix (No. 6) is not just a test of talent, but a war of attrition where the schedule itself acts as a third opponent.
Load management isn’t going away
As much as we all hate it, load management is a fact of life in the NBA and a big reason why is the number of back-to-backs. Each team will end up playing anywhere between 14-16 back-to-back games this coming season and, chances are a star player will be rested on one of those nights.
This is bad for fans, bettors and the league, in general, but when you see things like the Blazers travelling 50,506 mile over the of the season and still being required to do 15 back-to-backs, chances are even a team with as many young guns as that one will have guys sit out.
Expert weighs in on the impact of NBA fatigue
Dr. Mark Kovacs, Ph.D, a former Head of Sport Science & Health in the NBA, provides insight on the physiological impact:
- On travel: "Crossing multiple time zones disrupts the body’s circadian rhythm. For every time zone crossed, it can take roughly a day to fully adjust. ... Even a two- or three-hour shift can impair reaction time, hormone regulation, and sleep architecture, which directly affects performance."
- On sleep & injury: "Sleep is the single most important recovery tool. ... Research shows that inadequate sleep increases the risk of musculoskeletal injury by 20–30 per cent, particularly when combined with the high workloads of back-to-back games."
- On back-to-backs: "Physiologically, playing on less than 24 hours of recovery may push athletes into a state of incomplete muscle repair, higher inflammation, and reduced neuromuscular readiness."
- On the mental game: "Travel fatigue doesn’t just affect the body — it slows reaction time, reduces focus, and impacts decision-making under pressure. In a sport where milliseconds matter, that can be the difference between a turnover and a game-winning play."
Best NBA win totals bets to make
Though not the only factor at play, a team’s schedule is a good resource to look at when placing an over/under wins bet before the season starts. And even better than just looking at the schedule is having an idea how that schedule might impact a team’s performance from a fatigue standpoint.
Here are a few bets to consider based on market inefficiencies as revealed by our Fatigue Index, based on the latest win totals from BetMGM.
Boston Celtics (Over 42.5, -115)
Fatigue Index Ranking: 30
Rationale: This is the strongest correlation between fatigue and expectation. Even without Jayson Tatum, in a weak East, the Celtics could still be world beaters, and now the data confirms they have the single most favorable travel schedule in the league while also likely to be playing at a slower PACE. The minimal physical grind means less wear-and-tear, fewer back-to-back pitfalls, and a higher likelihood of them dominating their weak conference. The -115 price is a gift.
Milwaukee Bucks (Over 42.5, -105)
Fatigue Index Ranking: 27
Rationale: Similar to Boston, the Bucks are an alright team that happens to play in the East, meaning they benefit from a very manageable travel schedule (central time zone, low mileage). Throw in the fact they still have the best player in that conference in Giannis Antetokounmpo and 43-plus wins should be a cakewalk.
Phoenix Suns (Under 31.5, +100)
Fatigue Index Ranking: 6
Rationale: Kevin Durant is gone, Bradley Beal is gone, the team is in cap hell and, oh yeah, they also have the double-whammy of 16 back-to-back games and will cross 50 time-zones this season. Fade the Suns until you see the moon.
Methodology
The goal of the Fatigue Index is to convert the various challenges of an NBA team's 82-game schedule into a single, comparable number. This helps quantify which teams face the biggest hidden disadvantage before the season even begins.
For each of the 30 teams, we collected eight key metrics for the entire season:
- Total Miles Traveled: The cumulative air miles for all road trips.
- Average Trip Length: The average number of games per road trip.
- Time Zones Crossed: The total number of time-zone changes during travel.
- Number of Back-to-Back Games (B2Bs): Games played on consecutive days with no rest.
- Longest Road Trip: The number of games in the longest continuous stretch away from home.
- Longest Home Stand: The number of games in the longest continuous stretch at home.
- Average Team Age: The average age of a team where the older a team is the greater the impact on fatigue.
- Pace: A stat that measures the number of possessions a team has per 48 minutes. We took every team’s Pace from last season and applied it to the formula where the higher the Pace, the more fatigued a team becomes.
We then took the data we found from those eight metrics, weighed them and turned them and created a formula to produce an easy-to-understand number.
Related Articles
