USAEvery NBA team’s ‘luckiest’ day REVEALED in new research
- Six NBA franchises' luckiest day is a Saturday, according to a new study that calculated win percentages for every day of the week over the past five seasons.
- The Milwaukee Bucks, who have won more than 73% of games played on Saturdays over the last five years, have the highest win percentage of any team on their specific 'lucky’ day.
- All 30 NBA teams have higher win percentages at home compared to away over the past five seasons.
Our new study has revealed which day of the week is statistically every team’s ‘luckiest’ day ahead of the start of the new NBA season.
The research, conducted by our iGaming experts at JustGamblers, analyzed data from every result over the past five regular and post seasons to find out which days each of the 30 NBA teams win the most on. The franchises’ luckiest day was then determined by their highest win percentage on each day of the week.
In that sense, our team concluded that every NBA team has a higher overall win percentage at home over the past five seasons, reinforcing the idea of a ‘home advantage’.
Every NBA team’s luckiest day (data recorded from last five seasons)
| Team | Luckiest day | Number of games played on luckiest day | Games won on luckiest day | Win percentage on luckiest day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Hawks | Sun | 59 | 32 | 54.2% |
| Boston Celtics | Tue | 76 | 52 | 68.4% |
| Brooklyn Nets | Sun | 62 | 38 | 61.3% |
| Charlotte Hornets | Tue | 61 | 31 | 50.8% |
| Chicago Bulls | Fri | 63 | 33 | 52.4% |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | Mon | 44 | 21 | 47.7% |
| Dallas Mavericks | Sat | 55 | 33 | 60.0% |
| Denver Nuggets | Tue | 66 | 44 | 66.7% |
| Detroit Pistons | Thu | 51 | 20 | 39.2% |
| Golden State Warriors | Fri | 57 | 40 | 70.2% |
| Houston Rockets | Mon | 51 | 24 | 47.1% |
| *Indiana Pacers | Tue | 58 | 33 | 56.9% |
| *Indiana Pacers | Sat | 58 | 33 | 56.9% |
| Los Angeles Clippers | Sun | 51 | 32 | 62.7% |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Sun | 65 | 40 | 61.5% |
| Memphis Grizzlies | Fri | 64 | 38 | 59.4% |
| Miami Heat | Sat | 64 | 39 | 60.9% |
| Milwaukee Bucks | Sat | 67 | 49 | 73.1% |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | Fri | 56 | 30 | 53.6% |
| New Orleans Pelicans | Sun | 57 | 28 | 49.1% |
| New York Knicks | Sat | 53 | 25 | 47.2% |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | Sat | 63 | 35 | 55.6% |
| Orlando Magic | Mon | 58 | 29 | 50.0% |
| Philadelphia 76ers | Thu | 53 | 38 | 71.7% |
| Phoenix Suns | Tue | 69 | 42 | 60.9% |
| Portland Trail Blazers | Fri | 57 | 36 | 63.2% |
| Sacramento Kings | Tue | 55 | 30 | 54.5% |
| San Antonio Spurs | Sat | 53 | 28 | 52.8% |
| Toronto Raptors | Mon | 59 | 42 | 71.2% |
| Utah Jazz | Mon | 44 | 29 | 65.9% |
| Washington Wizards | Thu | 61 | 29 | 47.5% |
Analysis of the Luckiest Days
Six franchises’ (Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs) won more games on Saturdays over the past five seasons, making the first day of the weekend their luckiest day. The Milwaukee Bucks’ impressive win percentage of 73.1% on a Saturday is the highest of any NBA franchise on their specific ‘lucky’ day.
Sunday Trends
Five more teams recorded a higher win percentage on a Sunday over the past five years. Interestingly, Sunday is the luckiest day for both the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers, with the two teams winning 62.7% and 61.5% of their Sunday games, respectively.
Monday Trends
Five teams’ luckiest day is a Monday. Amongst those who have statistically won a higher percentage of games on a Monday night over the past five seasons is the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors were victorious in more than 71% of their Monday night games in that time, the third highest of any franchise on their specific lucky day.
Tuesday Trends
Last season’s NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets, are one of five teams to have recorded a higher win percentage on Tuesday nights over the past five seasons. The Nuggets were victorious on 44 of their 66 Tuesday night outings in that time, translating to a fantastic return of 66.7%.
Friday Trends
Meanwhile, 2022’s NBA Champions the Golden State Warriors’ luckiest day is a Friday, having recorded a win percentage of 70.2% on a Friday night over the past five seasons. Steve Kerr’s outfit are one of five teams to have recorded higher win percentages on Friday nights.
Thursday Trends
The Boston Celtics (68.4% luckiest day win percentage) are one of just three teams to have recorded higher win percentages on a Thursday, whilst no team recorded higher win percentages on Wednesdays over the past five seasons.
*The Indiana Pacers are the only anomaly as the franchise recorded an identical win percentage on both Saturdays and Tuesdays over the past five seasons.
“Although it takes a tremendous amount of skill and determination to develop winning teams in any sport, it’s fascinating to consider whether factors like the day of the week a game is played on can impact a team’s success.
Jesper Kärrbrink, Board of Directors at JustGamblers
Methodology
We determined the luckiest day for each NBA team through an analysis of game results over the past five regular and post-seasons. We collected and analyzed the data on win percentages for each day of the week.Then, based on the highest win percentage recorded on a specific day, we identified each team’s luckiest day. We only included games available in the analysis.
Join the Conversation
What do you think about your favorite NBA team’s luckiest day? Do you believe the day of the week can influence game outcomes, or is it just a coincidence? Share your thoughts, experiences, and predictions in the comments below!