Why does this differ from other strength-of-schedule rankings?

Many popular lists rate opponents by predicted power or point margin. Ours uses only real results: how often a team's opponents have won, plus how often those opponents' own opponents have won.

2026-27 NBA Strength of Schedule Rankings

Ranked by opponents' records, adjusted for who those opponents played.

How this works

Results through Nov 2, 2026

Small sample: some teams have played only 5 games so far, so these rankings can move a lot from night to night.

Conference

RankTeamAdjusted scoreOpponents' combined record

2026-27 strength of schedule rankings
Rank	Team	Adjusted for opponents' schedules	Opponents' combined record	Team's record	Opponents' winning percentage	Opponents' record before playing them	Opponents' record since playing them
1	Houston RocketsWestern Conference	.606	32-26	7-1	55.2%	17-9	14-10
2	Utah JazzWestern Conference	.606	36-13	1-6	73.5%	14-6	16-6
3	Phoenix SunsWestern Conference	.601	23-12	1-4	65.7%	9-7	10-4
4	Dallas MavericksWestern Conference	.572	29-23	4-3	55.8%	10-11	16-8
5	Oklahoma City ThunderWestern Conference	.561	25-22	5-2	53.2%	13-7	10-10
6	Denver NuggetsWestern Conference	.546	22-18	3-3	55.0%	6-11	13-4
7	Sacramento KingsWestern Conference	.543	30-18	1-6	62.5%	13-8	11-9
8	Charlotte HornetsEastern Conference	.533	34-24	3-5	58.6%	18-9	11-12
9	San Antonio SpursWestern Conference	.529	24-27	5-2	47.1%	8-14	14-8
10	New York KnicksEastern Conference	.526	29-22	3-4	56.9%	9-12	16-7
11	LA ClippersWestern Conference	.523	32-21	1-6	60.4%	15-9	11-11
12	Detroit PistonsEastern Conference	.519	24-28	6-1	46.2%	9-13	14-9
13	Miami HeatEastern Conference	.519	30-24	2-5	55.6%	12-10	13-12
14	Orlando MagicEastern Conference	.511	29-22	2-5	56.9%	13-8	11-12
15	Portland Trail BlazersWestern Conference	.506	18-22	5-1	45.0%	11-7	6-10
16	Golden State WarriorsWestern Conference	.505	29-25	5-3	53.7%	11-11	15-9
17	Cleveland CavaliersEastern Conference	.501	27-25	4-3	51.9%	13-12	11-9
18	Atlanta HawksEastern Conference	.496	30-30	4-4	50.0%	12-14	14-12
19	Milwaukee BucksEastern Conference	.493	30-23	1-6	56.6%	15-7	9-15
20	Chicago BullsEastern Conference	.488	29-21	1-6	58.0%	12-8	11-12
21	Los Angeles LakersWestern Conference	.482	24-33	6-2	42.1%	12-12	10-15
22	Philadelphia 76ersEastern Conference	.481	23-35	7-1	39.7%	10-15	12-13
23	Boston CelticsEastern Conference	.471	21-29	5-2	42.0%	10-14	9-10
24	Memphis GrizzliesWestern Conference	.455	17-32	6-1	34.7%	6-14	10-12
25	Minnesota TimberwolvesWestern Conference	.452	24-33	5-3	42.1%	9-15	12-13
26	Brooklyn NetsEastern Conference	.435	25-27	1-6	48.1%	11-12	8-14
27	Toronto RaptorsEastern Conference	.417	21-30	4-3	41.2%	10-12	8-14
28	New Orleans PelicansWestern Conference	.400	20-29	3-4	40.8%	10-11	6-15
29	Washington WizardsEastern Conference	.395	18-33	4-3	35.3%	11-9	4-20
30	Indiana PacersEastern Conference	.362	23-35	2-6	39.7%	7-20	10-13

30 teams shown.

Finished games only. Each opponent counts once per game played, so a team met twice counts twice. Regular-season games only, including NBA Cup games except the Cup championship.

Opponents' combined record adds up three parts: their record before playing the team, their record in the games against the team, and their record since.

Adjusted for opponents' schedules = (2 × opponents' winning percentage + opponents' opponents' winning percentage) ÷ 3, from finished games only. Each opponent's winning percentage leaves out its games against the team being ranked.

Questions

Why does this differ from other strength-of-schedule rankings?: Many popular lists rate opponents by predicted power or point margin. Ours uses only real results: how often a team's opponents have won, plus how often those opponents' own opponents have won.