Many basketball writers argue that fewer games would not only reduce injuries in the NBA but also improve the quality of the sport. And they have a point. Watchable* talent like Blake Griffin, Joel Embiid, and Paul George all missed games during the first round of last season’s playoffs.

And we also know that Western Conference teams tend to play better with more rest**.

Rest Win% 1 day 52.7 2 days 51.2 3 days 56.1 4+ days 52.8

These teams clearly are more dangerous on 3 days rest compared to the standard 2 days. Of course, if the NBA cuts the schedule down to 70 games, players would likely get paid less, which would cause another string of labor disputes.

So far, this season, the Pelicans, Timberwolves, Bulls, Heat, and Spurs are posting 25% or higher win percentages on three days rest relative to two days over 2019-20. But perhaps we shouldn’t read too much into this win percentage spike due to a smaller size of games played on three-day rest.

For instance, the world champion Raptors are 28-7 but just 5-6 on two and three-day rest respectively***. In other words, we also need to take the quality of opponent into consideration when examining how rest influences performance.

But then again, a 4.9%-win percentage gap between two and three-days rest can’t be completely ignored either. And going forward, the NBA league office might consider pairing down the schedule by at least five to seven games to satisfy both the players and owners.

* Players that might trigger the average fan to flip on ESPN or TNT. Although at this point, Griffin’s injuries are diminishing his entertainment value.

** For NBA games played through 2/29 of the 2019-20 season.

*** The Nets are another team floundering on three-day rest.

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