What is Net Rating in basketball?

Net Rating is the difference between a team's Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating, measured per 100 possessions. A positive number means the team outscores opponents at the same pace, and it is the standard way to compare teams and lineups regardless of how fast they play.

What are the rating formulas?

Offensive Rating = 100 × points scored / possessions, Defensive Rating = 100 × points allowed / possessions, and Net Rating = Offensive Rating − Defensive Rating. Scaling to 100 possessions removes pace so fast and slow teams compare fairly.

Why measure per 100 possessions instead of per game?

Teams differ in pace, so per-game points reward fast teams and punish slow ones even if their efficiency is identical. Per-100-possession ratings strip out pace and isolate how well a team scores and defends on each chance.

How do I estimate possessions?

A common estimate is FGA + 0.44 × FTA − offensive rebounds + turnovers. If you have the official possession count from a box score, use that directly for the most accurate ratings.

What is a good Net Rating?

Championship-level teams usually post a Net Rating around +5 to +10 over a season. A rating near zero is average, and sustained negative ratings indicate a losing team. Single-game ratings are volatile and should be read with caution.

Basketball Net Rating Calculator

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Per-game point totals reward fast-paced teams and mislead comparisons. Net Rating fixes this by measuring scoring and defence per 100 possessions, the language NBA analysts use to rank teams and lineups. This calculator computes Offensive, Defensive, and Net Rating from your scoring and possession data.

How it works

Each rating scales scoring to a common 100-possession baseline:

Offensive Rating = 100 × points scored  / possessions
Defensive Rating = 100 × points allowed / possessions
Net Rating       = Offensive Rating − Defensive Rating

If you do not have an exact possession count, enable the estimator, which uses the standard approximation FGA + 0.44 × FTA − OREB + TOV. The same possession figure is applied to both ends, since the two teams share roughly equal possessions in a game.

Example and tips

A team that scores 112 points and allows 104 over 98 possessions has an Offensive Rating of 100 × 112 / 98 ≈ 114.3, a Defensive Rating of 100 × 104 / 98 ≈ 106.1, and a Net Rating of about +8.2 — a strong, contender-level margin. Use season-long totals for reliable figures; a single game’s Net Rating can swing by 30 points or more on variance alone.