In a game-time decision, Darvin Ham opted to keep LeBron James and Anthony Davis out tonight. The much-awaited showdown between the two dominant franchises will have to go forward without LA‘s superstars. According to Ham, the shoot-around didn’t see much improvement in their respective injuries. And so, the team felt it would be better to let them rest, despite their opponents being the top-seeded East Conference team.

While this is making the headlines, Sean Grande brought our attention to a major problem of the NBA – scheduling. While the Celtics have played 16 games in the last 27 days, after today’s Lakers game they will play only nine in the next 28. So from an extremely hectic January, the Celtics now move to a much-relaxed February.

“While LeBron and AD’s DNPs are the story tonight, this game marks a big shift in the Celtics schedule… This is the Celtics’ 16th game in the last 27 days. Going back farther, it’s their 24th game in 44 days. After tonight? It’s 9 games in 28 days. From 16 in 27, to 9 in 28,” he posted on X.

The Purple and Gold have had their own difficulties with the scheduling. The next 28 days will see LA with 11 games. If we were to look at the 27-day timeframe, tonight marks their 15th game. But take it back about 43 days further and it’s already their 23rd game as they face the Celtics.

On a different note (and somewhat similar), this season’s scheduling has largely been affected by the In-Season Tournament.

How the IST affected the schedules of the NBA teams and the winner of the same

The introduction of IST ensured that the teams advancing to the semi-finals would have their quota of regular season games fulfilled. The rest of the unfortunate souls just got another two games added to their schedule. Take, for example, the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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Though the incentive of the first-ever IST cup and $500,000 per player was charming, the Wolves, in the long run, got the last laugh. The revamped schedule got Minnesota two games against arguably the bottom feeders of the league – the Spurs and Grizzlies. While they won the two games against the Grizzlies post-in-season, the Spurs managed to sneak a win on the 27th January matchup.

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They will face San Antonio the next on February 27. Looking back, it’s quite clear that the Wolves emerged winners of this deal. They still hold the position of the top-seeded team in the Western Conference.

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