NBA Storylines: December's strength of schedule rankings

Alperen Sengun and the Rockets have the NBA’s easiest schedule in December, while the Magic have 1 of the toughest.

Through the first six weeks of the season, the Eastern Conference has been a little better than expected, racking up a 36-40 (.474) record against the West and boasting nine teams with winning records.

But as we entered December, only two games in the loss column separated the third-place Toronto Raptors from the ninth-place Philadelphia 76ers. That means this month could make or break some of the teams in that group, and it feels especially urgent for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were thought of as an NBA Finals contender but are off to a disappointing 12-9 start through Nov. 30.

December is a unique month in the NBA calendar. It begins with six teams (five of them in the East) in the midst of stretches in which they are playing five games in seven days. But, because of the Emirates NBA Cup, it also includes a nine-day stretch (Dec. 8-16) in which the league is playing only 34 games. That offers teams an opportunity for some practice/recovery time and a bit of a reset, and we can expect some of them to take advantage.

Here’s a schedule breakdown for December.

• Note 1: To calculate the strength of schedule for the eight teams that advanced in the Emirates NBA Cup, the higher seed is assumed to win the four quarterfinal games. So there would be some slight adjustments if road teams win.

• Note 2: A rest-advantage game (or rest-disadvantage game) is one where one team played the day/night before, but the other (the team with the advantage) did not. Teams were 41-37 (.526) in rest-advantage games, 20-19 (.513) at home and 21-18 (.538) on the road, through Nov. 30.

All records are through Sunday, Nov. 30.

December strength of schedule

Here’s a look at the December schedule for every team, sorted from the toughest (regarding cumulative opponent winning percentage) to the easiest:

OppPCT = Cumulative opponent winning percentage (as of Nov. 30)
B2B = Back-to-backs (includes five Nov. 30-Dec. 1 back-to-backs)
H | R = Home games | Road games
O | U = Games vs. teams that entered the month over and under .500

Eastern Conference notes

The Hawks could be grounded by a tough December, while the Cavs could gain ground in the East race.

• The Hawks have the East’s toughest December schedule regarding cumulative opponent winning percentage (.602). They also have a league-high four rest-disadvantage games in December, none tougher than starting the month in Detroit less than 24 hours after playing two overtimes in Philadelphia.

• For the first time in 10 years, the Celtics aren’t playing on Christmas. Their longest road trip the season is a five-game trip from Dec. 26 – Jan. 3, but it’s the middle of a stretch of seven straight games against teams that entered December with losing records.

• The Nets have a league-low 11 December games. They begin with the last three games of their only stretch of five in seven days, have a day off before hosting the Pelicans, and then play just seven games over the last 25 days of the month. Their first six games of December are against teams that entered the month below .500 and their last five are all against teams currently above .500.

• The Hornets have the East’s third-toughest schedule regarding cumulative opponent winning percentage (.538), with nine of their 13 games against teams that entered the month with winning records. They lost their first 10 games against that group before beating Toronto in overtime on Saturday.

• The Bulls have the East’s easiest December schedule regarding cumulative opponent winning percentage (.430). Their five-game stretch from Dec. 3-14 – with games against the Nets, Pacers, Hornets and Pelicans – is the easiest five-game stretch league-wide.

• The Cavs are off to a disappointing start, but they entered December as one of five undefeated teams against the 13 teams currently below .500. Eight of their first 10 December games are against that group.

• The Pistons are one of two teams – the Grizzlies are the other – with a league-low four December games against teams that entered the month with winning records. The first of those was a rest-advantage game against the Hawks on Monday. Detroit is also the only Eastern Conference team with more December games against the West (7) than they have within the conference (6), closing 2025 with their longest road trip of the season (five games over nine days out West).

• The Pacers picked up a couple of wins last week, but were 1-11 (with eight straight losses) through Nov. 30 against teams that entered December with winning records. Nine of their 14 December games are against that group.

• The Heat were 8-0 through Nov. 30 against teams that entered December with losing records. They’re playing the Clippers and Mavs to open the month, but will then play eight of their final 11 December games against winning teams. That stretch includes two games against the Magic, whom they’ll visit in the NBA Cup quarterfinals next Tuesday.

• The Bucks will have a stretch from Dec. 21 – Jan. 19 where they’re playing 11 of 14 games on the road. They entered December having lost their last four road games.

• The Knicks are in the middle of the pack regarding cumulative opponent winning percentage for the month, but they have a league-high 10 December games against teams that entered with winning records. They were 5-4 against that group through Nov. 30.

• The Magic will have a stretch from Dec. 18 – Jan. 7 where they’re playing nine of 12 games on the road. That could extend to a stretch of 10 of 13 if Orlando and New York were to lose in the NBA Cup quarterfinals.

• The Sixers have the league’s easiest December schedule in regard to opposing offenses, with seven of their 12 games coming against teams that rank in the bottom 10 on that end of the floor.

• Among East teams, the Raptors have a relatively tough December schedule, but it’s home-heavy, with nine of their 14 games at Scotiabank Arena. They open the month with a five-game homestand that concludes with their NBA Cup quarterfinals game against the Knicks next Tuesday.

• The Wizards‘ 30th-ranked defense will have an average December in regard to the strength of the opposing offenses. They have three games each against teams that entered the month in the top 10 and teams that entered in the bottom 10 offensively.

Western Conference notes

Can the Lakers continue their solid start once a more challenging December schedule begins?

• The Mavs are one of three teams – the Bucks and Spurs are the others – with a league-high four December games against teams that are on the second night of a back-to-back. But two of those – Dec. 6 vs. Houston, Dec. 23 vs. Denver – are games against good teams where the Mavs are playing the second game of a road-home back-to-back themselves.

• The Nuggets enter the month with the league’s top-ranked offense, and they have the league’s toughest December schedule in regard to opposing defenses. Nine of their 14 games are against teams that currently rank in the top 10 in points allowed per 100 possessions. That includes two games each against the Mavs (fourth), Rockets (second) and Magic (eighth).

• The Warriors are the only Western Conference team with more December games against the East (7) than they have within the conference (6). After hosting the Mavs on Christmas, they’ll close 2025 with a three-game trip through Toronto, Brooklyn and Charlotte.

• The Rockets have the league’s easiest December schedule regarding cumulative opponent winning percentage (.405), though it includes two games against Denver. They were the only team that, prior to Sunday, hadn’t played a back-to-back. Their first was a Nov. 30-Dec. 1 back-to-back in Utah, and their first rest-disadvantage game isn’t until Jan. 16.

• The Clippers have the league’s toughest December in terms of cumulative opponent winning percentage (.609). It begins with five road games and includes two games against the Rockets.

• The Lakers are one of two teams – the Suns are the other – with a league-low three December games against teams that entered the month with losing records. Their first six games are against teams with a cumulative record (entering December) of 80-41 (.661).

• The Grizzlies are one of two teams – Detroit is the other – with a league-low four December games against teams that entered the month with winning records. Three of those four – including a visit to San Antonio on Tuesday – are on the road.

• The Wolves are the only team without a back-to-back in December, though they still have a league-high 14 games this month. Starting Dec. 17, they’ll play every other day for the last 15 days of 2025.

• The Pelicans have the league’s most home-heavy December schedule, with 10 of their 14 games at the Smoothie King Center. Their four road games are all single-game trips.

• The Thunder will have more December games against teams that entered the month in the top 10 on offense (4) than they had through Nov. 30 (3). That could include three games against the ninth-ranked Spurs if they both win or both lose in the NBA Cup quarterfinals.

• The Suns have the league’s most road-heavy December schedule, with 10 of their 12 games outside of Phoenix. They’re opening the month on a four-game trip where they’re visiting four of the top six teams in the West. This month is part of a larger stretch where, from Nov. 26 – Jan. 23, they’re playing 20 of 27 games on the road, though they’d get another home game (hosting the Lakers) if the Thunder and Spurs win the two NBA Cup quarterfinal games in the West.

• The Blazers entered the month as one of nine teams with a better record on the road (5-6) than they had at home (3-6). They begin the month with a five-game trip, but will then play seven of their next eight games at the Moda Center. Eight of their 14 December games (including two against the Pistons) are against teams that entered the month in the top 10 defensively.

• The Kings entered December having played the league’s toughest schedule (cumulative opponent winning percentage of .621) thus far. They still have the league’s seventh tough schedule this month, with five of their 12 games coming against the top six teams in the West and another coming against the first-place Pistons.

• The Spurs have a league-high four rest-advantage games in December, including three in a row – at Atlanta, at Washington and vs. Oklahoma City – from Dec. 19-23. They’ll play the Thunder again (in Oklahoma City) on Christmas.

• The Jazz are tied (with Atlanta) with a league-high four back-to-backs in December, with their first concluding with their game against the Rockets on Dec. 1. They also have the league’s toughest December schedule regarding opposing offenses, with nine of their 13 games against teams that entered the month in the top 10 on that end of the floor.

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John Schuhmann has covered the NBA for more than 20 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Bluesky.