NBA Power Rankings: Ranking the Degree of Difficulty in December Schedules
This article will rank each team's degree of difficulty in schedule based on the remaining number of games they face against teams with winning records, the number of home vs road games, back to back games, and games against elite teams.
Each team is given a degree of difficulty with a score of '1' being the easiest schedule and a score of '10' being the most difficult schedule.
ATLANTA
Games vs .500+ = 6 of 13 games
Home: 6 games
Away: 7 games
Back to Backs: 2 times
Toughest games: 10th @ SAS / 16th @ BOS / 20th vs ORL /31st @ OKC
Degree of Difficulty: 5
BOSTON
Games vs. 500+ = 7 of 11 games
Home: 5 games
Away: 6 games
Back to Backs: 1 time
Toughest Games: 8th vs DEN / 25th vs ATL / 28th @ ORL / 31st vs NOH
Degree of Difficulty: 6.5
CHARLOTTE
Games vs .500+ = 5 of 11 games
Home: 7 games
Away: 4 games
Back to backs: 2 times
Toughest Games: 11th vs BOS / 17th @ ATL / 21st vs OKC
Degree of Difficulty: 3
CHICAGO
Games vs .500+ = 3 of 12
Home: 8 games
Away: 4 games
Back to backs: None
Toughest Games: 10th Vs LAL
Degree of Difficulty: 1
CLEVELAND
Games vs. .500+ = 8 of 12
Home: 3 games
Away: 9 games
Back to backs: 3 times
Toughest Games: 8th vs CHI / 12th @ OKC / 15th @ MIA / 2oth vs UTA / 28th vs ORL
Degree of Difficulty: 8.5
DALLAS
Games vs .500+ = 6 of 11
Home: 8 games
Away: 3 games
Back to backs: 2 times
Toughest Games: 11th vs UTA / 20th @ MIA / 21st @ ORL / 27th @ OKC / 30th @ SAS
Degree of Difficulty: 5.5
DENVER
Games vs .500+ = 6 of 12
Home: 5 games
Away: 7 games
Back to backs: 3 times
Toughest games: 8th @ BOS / 14th vs ORL / 22nd @ SAS / 25th @ OKC
Degree of Difficulty: 6
DETROIT
Games vs .500+ = 6 of 12
Home: 7 games
Away: 5 games
Back to backs: 3 times
Toughest games: 14th vs ATL / 26th vs CHI / 29th vs BOS
Degree of Difficulty: 4.5
GOLDEN STATE
Games vs .500+ = 6 of 12
Home: 5 games
Away: 7 games
Back to backs: 3 times
Toughest games: 7th @ DAL / 8th @ SAS / 10th vs MIA / 13th @ UTA / 29th @ ATL
Degree of Difficulty: 6
HOUSTON
Games vs .500+ = 2 of 13
Home: 7 games
Away: 6 games
Back to backs: 3 times
Toughest games: 15th @ OKC / 29th vs MIA
Degree of Difficulty: 1
INDIANA
Games vs .500+ = 6 of 12
Home: 7 games
Away: 5 games
Back to backs: 3 times
Toughest games: 11th @ ATL / 13th @ CHI / 15th vs LAL / 19th @ BOS / 28th vs BOS
Degree of Difficulty: 4.5
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Games vs .500+ = 5 of 11
Home: 7 games
Away: 4 games
Back to backs: 2 times
Toughest games: 8th vs LAL / 12th vs ORL / 18th @ CHI / 26th vs PHX / 29th vs UTA
Degree of Difficutly: 3.5
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Games vs .500+ = 5 of 12
Home: 3 games
Away: 9 games
Back to backs: 3 times
Toughest games: 10th @ CHI ./ 25th vs MIA / 28th @ SAS
Degree of Difficulty: 6
MEMPHIS
Games vs .500+ = 2 of 10
Home: 4 games
Away: 6 games
Back to backs: 2 times
Toughest games: 8th @ PHX / 18th @ SAS
Degree of Difficulty: 1
MIAMI
Games vs .500+ = 7 of 12
Home: 4 games
Away: 8 games
Back to backs: 3 times
Toughest games: 8th @ UTA / 20th vs DAL / 23rd @ PHX / 25th @ LAL
Degree of Difficulty: 7
MILWAUKEE
Games vs .500+ = 8 of 10
Home: 4 games
Away: 6 games
Back to backs: 2 times
Toughest games: 13th @ DAL / 15th @ SAS / 18th vs UTA / 21st @ LAL / 27th vs ATL / 28th @ CHI
Degree of Difficulty: 10
MINNESOTA
Games vs .500+ = 8 of 12
Home: 5 games
Away: 7 games
Back to backs: 4 times
Toughest games: 8th vs OKC / 11th @ CHI / 15th @ PHX / 18th @ DEN / 22nd vs UTA / 29th vs DEN
Degree of Difficulty: 7.5
NEW JERSEY
Games vs .500+ = 7 of 11
Home: 5 games
Away: 6 games
Back to backs: 2 times
Toughest games: 9th @ DAL / 12th vs LAL / 19th vs ATL / 27th vs ORL / 29th @ OKC / 31st @
CHI
Degree of Difficulty: 7
NEW ORLEANS
Games vs .500+ = 7 of 13
Home: 7 games
Away: 6 games
Back to backs: 3 times
Toughest games: 10th vs OKC / 13th @ MIA / 17th vs UTA / 26th vs ATL ./ 29th vs LAL / 31st @ BOS
Degree of Difficulty: 6.5
NEW YORK
Games vs .500+ = 7 of 10
Home: 5 games
Away: 5 games
Back to backs: 1 time
Toughest games: 12th vs DEN / 15th vs BOS / 17th vs MIA / 22nd vs OKC / 25th vs CHI / 28th @ MIA / 30th @ ORL
Degree of Difficulty: 6
OKLAHOMA CITY
Games vs .500+ = 6 of 12
Home: 8 games
Away: 4 games
Back to backs: 1 time
Toughest games: 19th vs PHX / 25th vs DEN / 27th vs DAL / 31st vs ATL
Degree of Difficulty: 4
ORLANDO
Games vs .500+ = 8 of 12
Home: 5 games
Away: 7 games
Back to backs: 3 times
Toughest games: 10th @ UTA / 14th @ DEN / 20th @ ATL / 21st vs DAL / 23rd vs SAS / 25th vs BOS
Degree of Difficulty: 7.5
PHILADELPHIA
Games vs .500+ = 9 of 12
Home: 4 games
Away: 8 games
Back to backs: 4 times
Toughest games: 9th vs BOS / 17th vs LAL / 18th @ ORL / 21st @ CHI / 22nd @ BOS / 26th @ DEN / 31st @ LAL
Degree of Difficulty: 10
PHOENIX
Games vs .500+ = 5 of 10
Home: 6 games
Away: 4 games
Back to backs: 2 times
Toughest games: 17th @ DAL / 19th @ OKC / 20th @ SAS ./ 23rd vs MIA
Degree of Difficulty: 4
PORTLAND
Games vs .500+ = 7 of 12
Home: 5 games
Away: 7 games
Back to backs: 4 times
Toughest games: 9th vs ORL / 10th @ PHX / 12th @ SAS / 15th @ DAL / 27th @ UTA / 28th @ DEN / 30th @ UTA
Degree of Difficulty: 8
SACRAMENTO
Games vs .500+ = 4 of 10
Home: 7 games
Away: 3 games
Back to backs: 1 time
Toughest games: 11th vs MIA / 17th @ OKC
Degree of Difficulty: 2.5
SAN ANTONIO
Games vs .500+ = 8 of 12
Home: 9 games
Away: 3 games
Back to backs: 2 times
Toughest games: 10th vs ATL / 16th @ DEN / 20th vs PHX / 23rd @ ORL / 28th vs LAL / 30th @ DAL
Degree of Difficulty: 8.5
TORONTO
Games vs .500+ = 6 of 11
Home: 5 games
Away: 6 games
Back to backs: 3 times
Toughest games: 10th vs DEN / 15th vs CHI / 19th vs LAL
Degree of Difficulty: 5.5
UTAH
Games vs .500+ = 6 of 11
Home: 4 games
Away: 7 games
Back to backs: 3 times
Toughest games: 8th vs MIA / 10th vs ORL / 11th @ DAL
Degree of Difficulty: 6
WASHINGTON
Games vs .500+ = 7 of 11
Home: 6 times
Away: 5 times
Back to backs: 2 times
Toughest games: 14th vs LAL / 18th vs MIA / 22nd vs CHI / 26th @ SAS
Degree of Difficulty: 8
