Game plans · Thursday, November 12
How each team beats its opponent. Where to attack, and what to take away.
Plan any matchup
Magic at Kings
How the Magic beat the Kings
- AttackAttack the rim32.6% of Magic shots come at the rim (6th most), and the Kings allow 69.8% there (28th of 30).
- Take awayTake away the paint26.4% of Kings shots come in the paint (1st most) and they make 45.7% (9th). The Magic defense there ranks 23rd (45.3% allowed).
- AttackAttack midrangeThe Magic shoot 43.0% from midrange (10th), and the Kings allow 43.7% there (27th of 30).
- Key scorerKey scorer: Zach LaVineLaVine (19.2 points per game): best from the corners (45% on 55 shots, league 39%), worst from midrange (40%, league 42%). 37% on the left side, 45% on the right; push him left.
How the Kings beat the Magic
- AttackAttack the paint26.4% of Kings shots come in the paint (1st most), and the Magic allow 45.3% there (23rd of 30).
- Key scorerKey scorer: Paolo BancheroBanchero (22.2 points per game): best from the corners (44% on 52 shots, league 39%), worst in the paint (35%, league 44%).
- AttackAttack the rimThe Kings shoot 68.2% at the rim (6th), and the Magic allow 67.5% there (21st of 30).
| Zone | ORL offense | SAC defense | SAC offense | ORL defense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| At the rim | 65.4% (19th) | 69.8% (28th) | 68.2% (6th) | 67.5% (21st) |
| Paint | 40.3% (26th) | 48.7% (29th) | 45.7% (9th) | 45.3% (23rd) |
| Midrange | 43.0% (10th) | 43.7% (27th) | 41.8% (16th) | 42.1% (18th) |
| Corner 3 | 38.4% (15th) | 39.0% (17th) | 35.1% (28th) | 38.5% (13th) |
| Above-the-break 3 | 32.6% (30th) | 37.6% (30th) | 33.7% (25th) | 34.2% (7th) |
Matchups on Thu, Nov 12
- Raptors at 76ers
How the Raptors beat the 76ers
- Key scorerKey scorer: Jaylen BrownBrown (28.7 points per game): best in the paint (50% on 434 shots, league 44%), worst from midrange (40%, league 42%).
How the 76ers beat the Raptors
- Key scorerKey scorer: Kawhi LeonardLeonard (27.9 points per game): best in the paint (55% on 339 shots, league 44%), worst from above the break (38%, league 35%).
- Take awayTake away the rim31.2% of Raptors shots come at the rim (8th most) and they make 67.7% (7th). The 76ers defense there ranks 14th (65.4% allowed).
- Pistons at Wizards
How the Pistons beat the Wizards
- GlassCrash the offensive glassThe Pistons grab 30.9% of their misses (3rd), and the Wizards rank 30th on the defensive glass (70.2%).
- TurnoversPressure the ballThe Pistons force turnovers on 14.1% of plays (1st), and the Wizards give it away on 13.2% (26th of 30).
How the Wizards beat the Pistons
- GlassFinish possessions: box outThe Pistons grab 30.9% of their misses (3rd) and the Wizards rank 30th on the defensive glass (70.2%).
- TurnoversTake care of the ballThe Pistons force turnovers on 14.1% of plays (1st) and the Wizards give it away on 13.2% (26th of 30).
- Mavericks at Timberwolves
How the Mavericks beat the Timberwolves
- Key scorerKey scorer: Anthony EdwardsEdwards (28.8 points per game): best from the corners (46% on 54 shots, league 39%), worst from midrange (44%, league 42%).
How the Timberwolves beat the Mavericks
- Key scorerKey scorer: Cooper FlaggFlagg (21.0 points per game): best in the paint (46% on 360 shots, league 44%), worst from above the break (30%, league 35%).
- Hornets at Suns
How the Hornets beat the Suns
- GlassCrash the offensive glassThe Hornets grab 30.5% of their misses (4th), and the Suns rank 27th on the defensive glass (71.9%).
- TurnoversTake care of the ballThe Suns force turnovers on 13.9% of plays (3rd) and the Hornets give it away on 12.8% (24th of 30).
How the Suns beat the Hornets
- Take awayTake away the above-the-break 337.3% of Hornets shots come from above the break (2nd most) and they make 36.3% (5th). The Suns defense there ranks 5th (34.0% allowed).
- GlassFinish possessions: box outThe Hornets grab 30.5% of their misses (4th) and the Suns rank 27th on the defensive glass (71.9%).
How this works
Each plan is a short list of rules applied to both teams' season numbers. Every item shows its numbers and ranks out of 30 so you can check it. At most 5 items per team, the biggest edges first.
- Attack: a shot zone where the team is good (top 10 in FG% or in share of its shots) and the opponent's defense there is bottom 8 in FG% allowed (bottom 10 if that finds fewer than 2).
- Take away: the opponent's favorite zone (top 5 in share, top 8 if fewer than 2 qualify) where they are also efficient (top 10 FG%), with the team's own defensive rank there.
- Target: of the opponent's 5 most-used lineups, the one that allows the most points per 100 possessions, with at least 100 possessions and at least 3 points worse than the team's own defensive rating. All 5 players must still be on the team.
- Key scorer: the opponent's top scorer on the current roster (100+ shots). Best and worst zones compare his FG% with the league average there (50+ shots per zone). A side lean shows only when he has 60+ shots on each side and a gap of 6+ points. Left and right are as our shot charts draw them (rim at the bottom), and shots at the rim are left out of the side split.
- Tempo and glass: a pace gap of 2+ possessions per 48 minutes; offensive rebounding, defensive rebounding and turnovers when one team is top 5 and the other bottom 5 (widened to 8 when fewer than 2 edges show up).
Data: team zones come from every counted regular season shot (made and missed; backcourt heaves left out; left and right corner 3s combined). Defense zones use the shots each team allowed. Lineups come from our play-by-play lineup stints. Before a team has played 10 games this season, its plan uses last season's numbers with today's roster, and lineups that no longer exist are skipped.
What it cannot see: there is no tracking data, so no defender distance, individual matchups or play types (pick and roll, isolation, post ups). Team zone numbers include every player a team used, even ones who have left. Injuries and rest are not in the plan, and season numbers can hide a recent change in form.