The average margin of victory in the NBA reached 13.8 points per game as 13% of the season elapsed, marking the most lopsided start in league history according to Los Angeles Times en Español.
That early average eclipses the previous comparable mark of 13.4 points set during the 1949–50 campaign.
Through the opening weeks, the league has recorded 15 games decided by 30 points or more. That total outpaces the 13 games decided by three points or less over the same span, leaving teams searching for answers after heavy defeats.
“Nos patearon el trasero. No hay otra forma de decirlo. Vinieron y nos dieron un golpe en la boca,” said Jamahl Mosley, after the team he coaches suffered a 51-point loss to the Golden State Warriors, standing as the league’s largest blowout so far.
Other teams are enduring historic deficits across the early schedule. The Chicago Bulls have been outscored by an average of 16.7 points per contest, which would establish the worst point differential in NBA history if sustained.
That potential mark would surpass the Dallas Mavericks team from 1992–93, which was outscored by 15.2 points per game across the full schedule. Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets have already dropped three games by at least 33 points after failing to record a single defeat by that margin during the entire previous season.
The Milwaukee Bucks are currently being outscored by nearly 15 points per game, accumulating three losses of 25 points or more.
“Es parte de nuestro recorrido,” said Taylor Jenkins, after the team he coaches. “Es nuestra oportunidad. No voy a llamarlo un desafío; es una oportunidad. Creo que tenemos a muchos jugadores que tienen que seguir intentando cosas diferentes. Lo que estamos haciendo ahora no está funcionando.”
The surge in lopsided outcomes has coincided with a sharp drop in competitive finishes. The 13 games decided by three points or less represent the lowest total at this stage of an NBA season in 60 years.
By comparison, the league saw 25 such games at this point last season and 38 games at the same juncture during the 2024–25 campaign. Nearly half of the league’s 30 teams have yet to participate in a single contest decided by a margin of three points or less.
Luka Doncic, Stephen Curry, and Victor Wembanyama have each averaged more than one point per minute through the first three weeks of play.
Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant never averaged a point per minute across an entire NBA season. Among players accumulating at least 1,500 points in a single year, only Wilt Chamberlain achieved the feat during the 1961–62 season, when he averaged 50.4 points per game.
Chamberlain finished that season averaging 1.04 points per minute while playing more than 48 minutes per game due to overtime periods, missing only eight total minutes across 80 appearances for Philadelphia. Entering Wednesday’s slate, Wembanyama averaged 1.01 points per minute, Doncic stood at 1.09, and Curry at 1.07.
“Están pasando muchas cosas buenas,” said Mitch Johnson, after the team he coaches. “Están pasando muchas cosas buenas,” said Mitch Johnson, after the team he coaches.
“Es único,” said Steve Kerr, regarding Curry, who entered Wednesday’s games with six consecutive outings averaging at least one point per minute.
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