Number of close games per team in 2021-22 NBA regular season

[Joshyjess]

2022-23 season so far
Heat - 30
Jazz - 21
Mavericks - 20
Raptors, Suns, Kings - 18
Nuggets - 17
Knicks, Lakers, Pacers, Nets - 16
Thunder, Trail Blazers, Warriors, Magic - 15
Hawks, Bulls, Wizards, Pelicans - 14
Hornets, Clippers, 76ers - 13
Celtics, Cavaliers, Timberwolves - 12
Spurs, Grizzlies - 11
Bucks, Pistons, Rockets - 9

Heat have already played more close games than teams with most close games in 2021-22 NBA season.

just for reference, 28.3% of all games so far this season have been close games (5 points or less). 6.8% have gone to OT, 16.8% were one possession games (3 points or less) but 46.8% have been decided by 10 points or more. the average margin of victory is 10.9 points. also fun fact, 59.3% of all games have been won by the home team. there's only 7 teams above .500 on the road and only 2 that have better road records than home records.

One more stat that you overlooked - 100% of games have been won by the team who scored the most points!

[maxwellcu]

Performance in very close games is typically viewed as a measure of how lucky a team has been.

[Johnny Tomala]

Update. Through 31/03/2023 games.

Heat - 38
Mavericks - 32
Jazz, Kings - 26
Pacers, Thunder - 25
Nets - 24
Raptors, Knicks, Lakers, Hawks - 23
Suns, 76ers, Timberwolves - 22
Magic, Nuggets, Celtics - 21
Bulls - 20
Warriors, Cavaliers, Grizzlies - 19
Wizards, Trail Blazers, Pelicans, Clippers - 18
Hornets, Pistons - 16
Rockets - 15
Bucks - 13
Spurs - 11

[xinxin]

Perhaps you can add (if you have time) how many wins each team had in these close games-

Just to show how lucky or unlucky a certain team is.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ORLMagicGirl15]

Doesn’t the NBA have this stat by providing the last 2 minute report on teams that are within 5 points in those minutes?

[Johnny Tomala]

Final numbers for RS 2022-23.

Heat - 38
Mavericks - 35
Jazz - 29
Kings - 27
Nets, Pacers - 26
Thunder, Hawks, Timberwolves - 25
76ers, Lakers, Raptors, Nuggets, Knicks, Suns - 24
Celtics - 23
Magic - 22
Bulls - 21
Warriors, Cavaliers, Trail Blazers - 20
Grizzlies, Wizards, Clippers, Pelicans - 19
Hornets, Rockets - 17
Pistons - 16
Bucks - 13
Spurs - 12

[Johnny Tomala]

Play-in, PO

Bulls, Raptors, Thunder, Pelicans, Cavaliers, Nets, Kings, Hawks, Timberwolves - 1
Clippers, Knicks, Bucks - 2
76ers, Suns, Warriors - 3
Lakers, Celtics - 4
Nuggets, Heat - 6

Heat had the most close games in RS and in Play-in, PO.

[Johnny Tomala]

So far 2023-24 season:

Warriors - 10
Lakers, Suns - 9
Nets - 8
Nuggets, Celtics, Bucks, Pelicans, Magic, Raptors - 7
Heat, Pacers, Jazz, Hawks, Thunder - 6
Rockets, Bulls, Cavaliers, Knicks, Timberwolves, Kings, Clippers, Trail Blazers, 76ers, Wizards, Hornets - 5
Grizzlies, Spurs - 4
Pistons - 3
Mavericks - 2

[Johnny Tomala]

2023-24 regular season:

Warriors - 26
Lakers - 24
Spurs, Suns, Kings - 23
Nuggets, Nets - 22
Magic, Pacers, Rockets, Timberwolves, Hawks - 21
Raptors, Wizards, Bulls - 20
Bucks, Trail Blazers, Celtics, Heat - 19
Knicks - 18
76ers, Cavaliers, Thunder, Clippers - 17
Jazz - 16
Mavericks, Pelicans - 15
Hornets, Grizzlies - 13
Pistons - 10

[Johnny Tomala]

2023-24 play-in and playoffs:

Mavericks - 7
Pacers - 6
Knicks - 5
76ers - 4
Lakers, Thunder, Celtics, Timberwolves - 3
Pelicans, Nuggets, Clippers - 2
Heat, Bucks, Magic, Cavaliers - 1

[Johnny Tomala]

2024-25 regular season:

Hornets, Nets - 27
Timberwolves, Kings - 26
Heat - 25
Rockets, Hawks - 24
Mavericks, Grizzlies - 23
Pelicans, Spurs, Clippers - 22
Pistons, Raptors, Lakers, Nuggets, Warriors - 21
Magic, Jazz - 20
Suns, 76ers, Bucks, Pacers - 19
Cavaliers, Knicks - 18
Bulls, Celtics - 17
Trail Blazers - 16
Wizards - 14
Thunder - 6

[Sofia]

Thunder with only 6 while winning 68 games is crazy.

This deserves its own thread each time OP, well done

[f4p]

6 seems insane. I mean even just from the perspective that you'd think most of their losses would be close, they would have to basically never wins game by less than 6. Crazy.

[life_saver]

Not surprising to see Wolves at near top...ton of close games

[Johnny Tomala]

So far in 2025-26 only Knicks and Raptors didn't have close game.

[meekrab]

Why wouldn't OT count as a close game when winning by 5 does?

[Johnny Tomala]

With tonight's games Knicks and Raptors finally ended a game with 5 points or less point differential.

[sca]

Why wouldn't OT count as a close game when winning by 5 does?

Yeah, it just doesn’t make sense. If a team manages to take the game to OT, it means that they came closer to winning than a team that loses by 1, regardless of how the OT plays out.

An OT game is a close game by default.

[Johnny Tomala]

I just count 5 points or less point differential and watch the highlights of this game. If it's OT, but it ends in 6 points or more = no highlights for me.