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Nowadays, the NBA leaderboard is predominantly regulated by teams going on winning or losing runs for an extended period of time. Much of the mid-season momentum is regulated by the treacherous road schedule that every squad has to endure multiple times during the course of the regular season.
Winning on the road with the crowd waiting to pounce requires a special set of nerves. While some teams possess elite poise to deliver on such occasions, others find it relatively hard to carry their natural approach in during away games. While many believe the road record to be just another statistical metric, it does indeed resonate with collective resilience on the team's part.
Here we will take a look at five squads that have excelled on foreign soil so far this season and lead the NBA in this field.
#5 Denver Nuggets (14-9)
In the past, the Denver Nuggets have had noticeable troubles in carrying forward their regular season momentum into April. Nevertheless, their offensive and defensive prowess to lead a winning record across the 82 games has never been questionable.
And falling in the line is their current regular-season record. The Nuggets are seated at a crammed up third spot on the West standings with an impressive 32-15 (0.681) record next to their name. They are currently 14-9 on the road and top 10 in the league in both offensive and defensive ratings as well. The team has seven players averaging double-digits in scoring and is shooting over 46% from the field as a collective unit.
Although the Nuggets have endured comprehensive defeats on the road every now and then this year, the team has always found a way to bounce back.
#4 Toronto Raptors (16-7)
The current NBA season was projected to be fairly unpredictable, considering the multitude of player movements this past offseason. One of the major standouts has been the Toronto Raptors' breakthrough to still be relevant in the Eastern Conference.
After Kawhi Leonard decided to make it a one-and-done stint in Canada after bringing them a championship, not many expected the Raptors to have a winning chance coming into the 2019-20 season. However, this resilient squad has stood the test of time, and under the aegis of their newest All-Star in Pascal Siakam, is currently tied for third on the Eastern Conference leaderboard.
Their 33-14 (0.702) record has come as an emphatic shock to the NBA landscape, as the team continues to build upon an impressive and resilient regular season campaign. Despite injuries to prominent names, the Raptors have only lost 7 away games this year, with majority being single-digit deficits.
#3 Dallas Mavericks (16-6)
Despite Kristaps Porzingis missing considerable time due to a right knee issue, the Dallas Mavericks have managed to maintain a healthy advantage over other teams in the West. Led by an All-Star starter in Luka Doncic, this team has been posting the league's best offensive rating (117) this season so far, while the roster seems deep enough to make a deeper postseason run this time around.
With the current season well past the halfway mark, the Mavericks are 29-18 (0.617) already and en route to surpassing their win total from last year (33) as early as before All-Star break. When playing at full strength, this squad has been a tough nut to crack.
They have length to secure the paint, and long-range shooting to space the floor effectively.
#2 Los Angeles Lakers (20-5)
When a team has two generational talents leading from the front, things eventually fall in place. LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been excelling at both ends of the floor, and with reliable contributions from the support crew, the Los Angeles Lakers have dropped only 5 of their 25 road games played this year so far.
The team is top 5 in both offensive and defensive rating and is currently leading the Western Conference leaderboard with an imposing 36-10 (0.783) win-loss record. To put the dual-headed stats into perspective, the Lakers are league-leaders in field-goal percentage (48.4) as well as blocks per game (7.1).
On days when their stars have missed the spotlight, the depth on this talented roster has stepped up in thrilling fashion.
#1 Milwaukee Bucks (19-4)
The Milwaukee Bucks have found their way back to the top of the NBA, and are doing so in effortless fashion. Having lost only 4 of their 23 road games this season so far, the Bucks have been the definition of hardnosed resilience.
Milwaukee holds a league-best win-loss record (41-6) at the moment, and have separated themselves from the rest of the pack by a fair margin. Led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, the team has been playing with high intensity on both ends of the floor, and desperate to make a big splash in the playoffs this year around after falling dramatically to the Raptors the year before.
Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry recently projected his team of being equipped enough to beat Jordan's 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (72-10) this season.
