New data reveals which teams bounce back best after hitting the road.
For years, it’s been accepted wisdom in the NBA that teams need time to recover after road trips.
The wear and tear of travel, the change in environment, and hostile away crowds are all seen as reasons why a team might underperform when they finally return home.
But new data suggests that this narrative doesn’t always hold up.
According to research compiled by Betway, several NBA teams are not just holding steady after travel – they’re excelling.
These teams have posted impressive win totals in their first home games following road contests, showing that some squads are built to bounce back fast.
Leading the Pack
At the top of the list are the Dallas Mavericks. Over the last three seasons, Dallas has averaged 17.67 home wins directly after road games.
Their strongest showing came during the 2022–2023 season, when they logged 19 wins in these return matchups.
That consistency puts them well ahead of the rest of the league in terms of post-road performance.
The Denver Nuggets aren’t far behind, with an average of 15.33 such wins per year. Their numbers vary by season, with 6 in 2021–2022, followed by 22 and 18 in the years after – but the overall trend is strong.
The Boston Celtics also stand out. Since the 2021 season, they’ve averaged 15 wins per season at home following away games, demonstrating consistent resilience and preparation.
Golden State and Milwaukee round out the top five, both averaging roughly 15 bounce-back wins a year.
Team | Return Wins 2023/2024 | Return Wins 2022/2023 | Return Wins 2021/2022 | Travel Recovery Score |
Dallas Mavericks | 17 | 19 | 17 | 17.67 |
Denver Nuggets | 18 | 22 | 6 | 15.33 |
Boston Celtics | 14 | 16 | 15 | 15.00 |
Golden State Warriors | 13 | 15 | 17 | 15.00 |
Milwaukee Bucks | 13 | 15 | 16 | 14.67 |
Phoenix Suns | 12 | 14 | 16 | 14.00 |
Cleveland Cavaliers | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13.67 |
Memphis Grizzlies | 4 | 17 | 16 | 12.33 |
Philadelphia 76ers | 13 | 12 | 11 | 12.00 |
Atlanta Hawks | 8 | 12 | 15 | 11.67 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | 14 | 9 | 12 | 11.67 |
New York Knicks | 12 | 13 | 9 | 11.33 |
Miami Heat | 7 | 11 | 14 | 10.67 |
Utah Jazz | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10.00 |
Chicago Bulls | 8 | 8 | 13 | 9.67 |
Los Angeles Lakers | 10 | 8 | 11 | 9.67 |
Indiana Pacers | 12 | 7 | 8 | 9.00 |
Oklahoma City Thunder | 15 | 8 | 4 | 9.00 |
New Orleans Pelicans | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8.67 |
Charlotte Hornets | 5 | 7 | 11 | 7.67 |
Houston Rockets | 11 | 7 | 5 | 7.67 |
Los Angeles Clippers | 8 | 5 | 10 | 7.67 |
Orlando Magic | 12 | 8 | 3 | 7.67 |
Brooklyn Nets | 7 | 9 | 6 | 7.33 |
Sacramento Kings | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6.67 |
Rethinking the Travel Narrative
This data doesn’t just reflect individual team performance – it pushes back against a broader assumption in NBA culture.
The belief that travel fatigue automatically leads to sluggish home performances isn’t supported across the board.
Some teams have clearly found ways to manage the demands of travel better than others.
In fact, for teams like Dallas and Denver, coming home from the road doesn’t mean a slow restart – it often signals the beginning of another win streak.
Methodology
Researchers counted the number of home wins registered by each NBA team in their next game following an away contest.
This data was collected for the three most recent seasons, added together and divided by three to find each team’s average number of return-wins.
This number is labelled as Travel Recovery Score in the table shown above.
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