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Breakdown · Wed, Jan 21 · Regular season · ATL game 46 · MEM game 42

Hawks124atGrizzlies122

The Hawks won by 2. 21 lead changes, 14 ties. Biggest run: MEM 12-1 run, Q1 11:40-9:06.

FinalBox scoreShot chart

01Line score

TeamQ1Q2Q3Q4Final
Hawks31352830124
Grizzlies32273627122

02How the lead moved

21 lead changes · 14 ties
MEM 12-1 run, Q1 11:40-9:06+15+10+5Tied+5+10+15Q1Q2Q3Q4MEM aheadATL aheadTiedTiedTiedTiedTiedTiedTiedTiedTiedTiedTiedTiedTiedTiedLead change: ATL 21-19Lead change: MEM 22-21Lead change: ATL 23-22Lead change: MEM 25-23Lead change: ATL 28-27Lead change: MEM 32-31Lead change: ATL 34-32Lead change: MEM 41-39Lead change: ATL 45-43Lead change: MEM 72-70Lead change: ATL 73-72Lead change: MEM 74-73Lead change: ATL 75-74Lead change: MEM 76-75Lead change: ATL 94-93Lead change: MEM 95-94Lead change: ATL 101-100Lead change: MEM 103-102Lead change: ATL 105-103Lead change: MEM 110-108Lead change: ATL 111-110MEM +11ATL +11
MEM leads ATL leads lead change tie biggest run (MEM)
  • Largest leadMEM +11 · ATL +11
  • Lead changes / ties21 / 14
  • Biggest runMEM 12-1 run, Q1 11:40-9:06
  • Other runMEM 13-2 run, Q3 11:26-7:59
  • Other runATL 11-2 run, Q1 8:45-6:28

Loading win probability…

03Four factors and why they won

FactorATLMEMEdge
Effective FG%Shooting, with 3s worth 1.5 makes57.6%52.7%ATL
Turnover %Turnovers per 100 plays13.5%13.9%ATL
Offensive rebound %Share of own misses rebounded26.8%29.5%MEM
Free throw rateFree throws made per shot19.6%25.8%MEM

Why the Hawks won

  • Made more 3s, 20-12, worth about 24 points.

Rough point values from simple rules. See How this works at the bottom.

04Top performers

By Game Score

05Where they shot from

This game vs regular season

Hawks

ZoneFGShareSeason shareFG% vs season
At the rim12-2426%30%50% vs 65%
Paint9-1820%20%50% vs 45%
Midrange2-55%8%40% vs 42%
Corner 38-1213%12%67% vs 39%
Above-the-break 312-3336%31%36% vs 36%

Grizzlies

ZoneFGShareSeason shareFG% vs season
At the rim23-3538%26%66% vs 64%
Paint6-1617%22%38% vs 46%
Midrange2-78%8%29% vs 40%
Corner 33-89%11%38% vs 37%
Above-the-break 39-2729%33%33% vs 35%

Share is the percent of the team's shots from that zone. Season numbers are the team's full regular season, also for playoff games. Blue means 5 or more points above its season number, red means 5 or more below. See every shot on the game shot chart

How this works

Where the numbers come from. The line score and every scoring change come from ESPN's play-by-play, loaded the morning after the game. The margin chart plots the home team's lead after each score against game time. Team totals and player lines come from Courtside's box scores.

Runs. A run starts with one team's basket and ends with its last basket before the other team scores more than 2 points. It needs at least 8 points, and we rank runs by net points, so a 14-0 run beats a 15-2 run.

Why they won. Simple rules, not a model. Each extra turnover forced and each extra offensive rebound is one more possession, worth about 1.1 points because NBA teams score about 1.1 points per possession. Each extra 3 made is worth 3, each extra 2 made is worth 2 and each extra free throw made is worth 1. We show the three biggest gaps in the winner's favor worth at least 2 points. They overlap (an extra possession often becomes one of those extra makes), so they don't add up to the final margin.

Four factors are Dean Oliver's: effective FG% (a 3 counts as 1.5 makes), turnovers per 100 plays, the share of your own misses you rebound, and free throws made per shot. Game Score is John Hollinger's one-number box score: points plus credit for makes, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, minus missed shots, fouls and turnovers. About 10 is a solid game and 30 is a great one.

What we checked. Across 1,322 loaded games, the ESPN line score added up to our final score in 100.0% of them and the play-by-play reached the final score on its own in 99.2% (for the rest, a few late scores were missing, so the chart jumps to the official final at the buzzer). To test the possession value, we fit final margin on the turnover, offensive rebound, shooting (effective FG%) and free throw gaps over 1,315 games: each turnover was worth 1.01 points and each offensive rebound 1.05 (the fit explains 95% of margins). That is a little under the 1.1 we use, so those two bullets can run about 5 to 10% high.

What it can't see. A live-ball turnover that becomes a fast-break dunk costs more than one out of bounds; the rules value them the same. Garbage time, foul trouble, injuries and matchups are not in these numbers. Shot zones only count shots ESPN logged with a location, and the season numbers cover the whole regular season, including games played after this one.