Five NBA Teams Draw 16 Back-to-Backs in 2026-27 as Pelicans Face 27 3-in-4s
Updated
Updated · Sports Illustrated · Aug 15
Five NBA Teams Draw 16 Back-to-Backs in 2026-27 as Pelicans Face 27 3-in-4s
3 articles · Updated · Sports Illustrated · Aug 15
Summary
Five teams — Boston, New Orleans, Brooklyn, Cleveland and Dallas — drew an NBA-high 16 back-to-backs in the newly released 2026-27 schedule, the league’s heaviest such burden.
New Orleans appears to have the toughest overall slate: 27 games in three-in-four-night stretches and a league-worst rest differential, with 13 games at a rest disadvantage against only eight with an edge.
Boston’s crunch comes early, with six back-to-backs in November, 12 of 16 games on the road and four stretches of three games in four nights before December.
New York could face a December road grind even beyond the back-to-back leaders, with only three of 12 scheduled games at home and NBA Cup results potentially extending road play to three straight weeks.