Chicago Bulls have bigger home court advantage than Lakers, Heat

There’s one distinct swing that the Chicago Bulls have that sets them apart even among teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat.

Purely in terms of the differential for the Chicago Bulls between their home court record and road record, they are doing better than some rather significant NBA teams this season. The Bulls own a record overall of 17-29 after their Jan. 22 home win at the United Center over superstar big man Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves by the final score of 117-110.

However, in a Jan. 21 study that was released on which teams had the biggest home court advantage compared to their record on the road, the Bulls saw a 21.09 percent increase in their wins at the United Center. That number would only increase with their Jan. 22 win over the Timberwolves, since that came at home.

Two of the most significant teams that ranked behind the Bulls purely in terms of home court record differential compared to games on the road were the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat. As of the Jan. 22 NBA standings, the Lakers sit at the top of the Western Conference with a record of 35-9. The Lakers got their last win on Jan. 22 by the final score of 100-92 over the dreadful New York Knicks.

The Lakers have just 20.82 percent more wins at home at the Staples Center than they do on the road.

The Heat sit in second place in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 31-13. They edged out the lowly Washington Wizards on Jan. 22 in overtime to get that 31st win of the season. Miami has just a 19.2 percent increase in their record at home at American Airlines Arena compared to on the road.

The worst home court advantage in the NBA belonged to the Brooklyn Nets, who saw a measly 10.08 percent increase in wins at home at the Barclays Center. And the Nets currently sit in the eighth position in the East standings.

Moreover, the Denver Nuggets owned the overwhelming advantage with the biggest home court win swing, at 31.47 percent. But that also means that the Nuggets could be rather vulnerable on the road moving forward.

The Bulls are playing much better at home this season than they did last year. There was a franchise low nine wins at the United Center. The Bulls already have nine wins at home this season, and we’re barely past the halfway point.