The thirty teams played 82 games in a new format that increased divisional games from 5 to 6 per team ( 30 total ) , conference games from 3 to 4 ( 32 total ) , and decreased inter-conference games to at least one per team , with three extra games ( 18 in total ) . The thirty teams played 82 games in a revamped format that increased divisional games from 5 to 6 per team ( 24 total ) , conference games from 3 to 4 ( 40 total ) , and decreased inter-conference games to at least one per team , with three extra games ( 18 in total ) .