How much of an advantage is home court in the NBA?
By Curt Anderson February 17, 2021 9:22 pm Category: Sports (5.0 from 1 vote)
Rules of the Post
If all things were equal, NBA teams would win half of their road games and half of the home games. Of course all things are not equal. In this season of Coronavirus even in empty arenas home teams and the players have the advantage of home cooking, sleeping in their own bed and downtime with their wives, girlfriends and families. In the tan chart below, this year home teams have won 52.77% of their games this season. Even without supportive fans, the home court advantage appears to be worth an extra two or three percent in the win column.
In 2018-2019, the last complete NBA season with no COVID games played in front of empty arenas, home teams won 59.26% of their games. See the grey chart below. Home teams with a crowd in attendance have about a four and half percent advantage. It's a near certainty that cheering fans influence the players' performance and probably the officials calls.
For teams on average over the course of a full 82 game NBA season, in which 41 game are played at home, playing on the home court is worth one extra win. The fans in attendance can be credited with an extra four wins per season.
The views and claims expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of SelectSmart.com. Not every statement made here can be assumed to be a fact.
Comments on "How much of an advantage is home court in the NBA?":
Be the first to comment on this article.
Comment on: "How much of an advantage is home court in the NBA?"
If all things were equal, NBA teams would win half of their road games and half of the home games. Of course all things are not equal. In this season of Coronavirus even in empty arenas home teams and the players have the advantage of home cooking, sleeping in their own bed and downtime with their wives, girlfriends and families. In the tan chart below, this year home teams have won 52.77% of their games this season. Even without supportive fans, the home court advantage appears to be worth an extra two or three percent in the win column.
