NBA 2025/2026
FOUL RECAP

FULL SEASON · 2025/2026 · Published Oct 17, 2026

NBA teams fouled more in 2025/2026, and nobody seemed sorry about it. The league finished with an Infraction Index of 107.5, 7.5 above the 2024/2025 league average of 100: 50,154 fouls and 57,768 free throws handed to opponents, up from 47,009 and 53,307 the season before. More fouls, more trips to the line league-wide.

It started loud. The first 50 games league-wide, Oct 21 to Oct 27, came in at Index 128.1, the high of the season. Then the league slowly remembered there were 82 games to play. The low came Jan 7 to Jan 14 at Index 99.2. March peaked at Index 110.1 from Mar 8 to Mar 14, and the final block, the last 30 games from Apr 10 to Apr 12, closed at Index 99.6. Opened at a sprint, finished at a walk.

The heaviest night came early. Oklahoma City (OKC) @ Indiana (IND) on Oct 23, 2025 went to double overtime and produced 71 fouls, 91 free throws handed to opponents and an Index of 197.9 against a league average of 100. Indiana had 38 of those fouls. Indiana also hosted the quietest night of the season: Boston (BOS) @ Indiana (IND) on Jan 12, 2026 managed 14 fouls and an Index of 35.6.

Detroit (DET) led the league at Index 122.8, with 1,885 fouls and 2,228 free throws handed to opponents. Its first seven games came in at Index 149.6, the highest 7-game block any team posted all season. Washington (WAS, Index 119.6), Utah (UTA, Index 117.8), Minnesota (MIN, Index 115.5) and Indiana (IND, Index 114.9) rounded out the top five, none of them in any hurry to keep their hands to themselves.

At the other end, Charlotte (CHA) posted the lowest Index, 97.9. San Antonio (SAS, Index 98.4), Los Angeles (LAL, Index 99.0) and Boston (BOS, Index 99.7) were the only other teams under 100. Four below the line, 26 above it. And when two of those four met on Nov 5, 2025, San Antonio (SAS) @ Los Angeles (LAL) posted Index 184.6, the highest of any regulation game all season. Clean was not the theme.

The East came in at Index 109.1 to the West's Index 106.0. The Central led the divisions at Index 111.3, with the Northwest right behind at Index 109.9, while the Southwest was lowest at Index 103.5. The 2026/2027 season tips off Oct 20, and the bar for 100 just went up.