Three NBA teams have yet to lose a home game this season, with the Philadelphia 76ers (13-0), Miami Heat (11-0), and Boston Celtics (10-0) a combined 34-0 on their home courts.
It’s no surprise that the Heat, Celtics, and Sixers have all leveraged their home court advantage to propel them to the top of the Eastern Conference. The top-three home teams are also a combined 23-11 against the spread this season.The Heat (7-6), Celtics (7-6), and Sixers (6-7) are mere mortals on the road, however, with a combined 19-23 record.
The NBA’s Best Home Teams
Philadelphia Sixers 13-0
Miami Heat 11-0
Boston Celtics 10-0
LA Clippers 13-1
Milwaukee Bucks 12-1
The LA Clippers (13-1) and Milwaukee Bucks (12-1) are also stellar at home, with only one loss on their own courts this season. The Bucks won 16 games in a row, and are still counting during their torrid streak. The Greek Freak and the Bucks dropped their home opener to the Heat in overtime in late October, but won 13 straight at home in Milwaukee since then.
Lebron James and the LA Lakers are 10-2 at home this season, as well. If you combine the Clippers and Lakers, both teams are 23-3 playing at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles this season.
The City of Brotherly Love
The Sixers love playing at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, where they posted the fifth-best home record last season (31-10). Over the previous two regular seasons, Joel Embiid and the Sixers are 44-10.
There’s nothing specific that makes the Wells Fargo Center stand out like other east coast venues, such as Madison Square Garden or the Boston Garden. The Sixers just play great at home for the usual reasons … players are comfortable and inspired by their loud and raucous fans.
Philly crowds can be tough and mean, no matter the sport. These are the same fans that once booed and pummeled Santa Claus with snowballs at an Eagles game.
How strong is Philly’s home court advantage? The Sixers have a losing record on the road at 5-7, while the best starting five in the league is riding a 13-game winning streak at home. The Sixers are only 7-6 ATS at home this season, but their 13-0 clip makes them the best home team in the NBA.
Meantown Beantown
The Boston Celtics have always had one of the best home court advantages in all of pro sports, not just the NBA. The TD Garden doesn’t have the same ghosts that previously haunted the old Boston Garden. It also lacks the thick cigar smoke and the creaky parquet floor with its classic dead spots. However, the modern incarnation of the old Boston Garden (a.k.a. TD Garden) is still occupied by some of most hardcore fans in the country. When the Celtics get on a roll, the crowd volume inside the Garden exponentially increases to a deafening roar that easily rattles opposing players and coaches.
Sports fans in New England can be surly and mean, which makes road games a pain in the neck for opposing teams. Celtics fans have been historically vicious with their taunts, trolling, and out-right racist behavior … and that’s against their own team. You can only imagine what’s said to the opposition on a nightly basis.
The Celtics are one of the best home teams in the NBA with a 10-0 record, despite Gordon Hayward’s broken hand. Plus, they’re 7-3 ATS at home this season.
South Beach Perfection
Jimmy Butler is an old-school pro who never wants to lose a home game, especially in front of a Miami Heat crowd. Butler’s intensity has served him well so far in Miami, especially with the younger players such a Kendrick Nunn, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo.
Rookie guards, Nunn (16.2 ppg) and Herro (13.9 ppg), positively responded to Butler’s intensity and trash talking in practices. Butler has especially taken Herro under his wing. The young players and Butler feed off each other, and the results have been astounding. The Heat play hard on both ends of the court, while also having a blast. When you’re winning games, everyone is happy and, for now, it’s all smiles in South Beach with an 11-0 record at the American Airlines Arena in downtown Miami.
Miami, much like LA or NYC, attracts a celebrity crowd, and you never know who will be sitting courtside on a nightly basis. Opposing teams never want to look bad in front of movie stars, models, hip-hip impresarios, and Instagram influencers. But right now, that’s exactly what’s happening when they take the court against the second-best home team in the NBA.
The Heat are 9-2 ATS at home this season. Butler and the Heat were expected to easily win a soft Southeast division, but the Heat have thrust themselves into the conversation as possible title contenders from the East.
