winning on the road

All basketball courts of an NBA arena are the same.  The hoops are 10' high, the free throw lines are 15' from the backboard, the three-point distance is the same, as well as the length of the court being 94'.

On Wednesday night, the Washington Wizards basketball team defeated the Milwaukee Bucks to improve their record to 14 wins and 37 losses on the season.  On their home court, the Wizards have 14 wins and 12 losses.  Their record away from their home court is 0 wins and 25 losses.  How can this be?

No doubt, the Wizards are not a very good team, but certainly good enough to have at least won a single road game. Some factors working against the Wizards is that they are a young team that doesn't handle a hostile road crowd well.  They may also be less experienced in close games on the road, meaning instead of eeking out road wins, they end up losing.  There may also be differences with the arenas.  The Wizards are certainly good enough at home, but aren't comfortable shooting a basketball at the various road arenas.  You could also make the case that when you play at home, you are living at your real home and can come to the game well rested, instead of a road game when you have more distractions when travelling or living out of a hotel.

On February 13th, the Wizards who have not won a road game this year will face the Cleveland Cavaliers who have currently lost 25 games in a row.  On Sunday, fortunately one team will win.