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Game plans · Tuesday, January 27

How each team beats its opponent. Where to attack, and what to take away.

Plan any matchup

Based on 2025-26, with the current roster
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Nets at Suns

How the Nets beat the Suns

  1. TurnoversTake care of the ballThe Suns force turnovers on 13.9% of plays (3rd) and the Nets give it away on 13.7% (29th of 30).
  2. AttackAttack the rim30.7% of Nets shots come at the rim (10th most), and the Suns allow 67.9% there (23rd of 30).
  3. Key scorerKey scorer: Devin BookerBooker (26.1 points per game): best from midrange (46% on 314 shots, league 42%), worst from above the break (33%, league 35%).

How the Suns beat the Nets

  1. TurnoversPressure the ballThe Suns force turnovers on 13.9% of plays (3rd), and the Nets give it away on 13.7% (29th of 30).
  2. AttackAttack the above-the-break 334.9% of Suns shots come from above the break (4th most), and the Nets allow 36.4% there (28th of 30).
  3. AttackAttack the corner 3The Suns shoot 39.6% from the corners (7th), and the Nets allow 42.3% there (30th of 30).
  4. Key scorerKey scorer: Michael Porter Jr.Porter (24.2 points per game): best at the rim (75% on 227 shots, league 66%), worst from the corners (32%, league 39%).
FG% by zone. Offense rank: 1st = best shooting. Defense rank: 1st = lowest FG% allowed, 30th = most.
ZoneBKN offensePHX defensePHX offenseBKN defense
At the rim63.4% (27th)67.9% (23rd)65.8% (17th)67.0% (19th)
Paint40.1% (27th)44.1% (14th)43.7% (19th)46.6% (25th)
Midrange36.8% (28th)42.0% (16th)42.3% (11th)41.2% (13th)
Corner 336.8% (26th)36.4% (3rd)39.6% (7th)42.3% (30th)
Above-the-break 333.2% (27th)34.0% (5th)35.1% (13th)36.4% (28th)

Matchups on Tue, Jan 27

7 games
  • Trail Blazers at WizardsFinal

    How the Trail Blazers beat the Wizards

    1. GlassCrash the offensive glassThe Trail Blazers grab 31.3% of their misses (2nd), and the Wizards rank 30th on the defensive glass (70.2%).
    2. AttackAttack the corner 312.2% of Trail Blazers shots come from the corners (5th most), and the Wizards allow 40.9% there (28th of 30).

    How the Wizards beat the Trail Blazers

    1. GlassFinish possessions: box outThe Trail Blazers grab 31.3% of their misses (2nd) and the Wizards rank 30th on the defensive glass (70.2%).
    2. TurnoversTake care of the ballThe Trail Blazers force turnovers on 13.0% of plays (7th) and the Wizards give it away on 13.2% (26th of 30).

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Kings at KnicksFinal

    How the Kings beat the Knicks

    1. TargetTarget this lineupWhen Anunoby, Bridges, Brunson, Towns and McBride share the floor (91 min), they allow 129.1 per 100, against 114.1 for the team: attack it.
    2. Take awayTake away the corner 313.6% of Knicks shots come from the corners (2nd most) and they make 41.6% (6th). The Kings defense there ranks 17th (39.0% allowed).

    How the Knicks beat the Kings

    1. AttackAttack midrangeThe Knicks shoot 44.9% from midrange (2nd), and the Kings allow 43.7% there (27th of 30).
    2. Take awayTake away the paint26.4% of Kings shots come in the paint (1st most) and they make 45.7% (9th). The Knicks defense there ranks 17th (44.2% allowed).

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Bucks at 76ersFinal

    How the Bucks beat the 76ers

    1. TurnoversTake care of the ballThe 76ers force turnovers on 12.8% of plays (8th) and the Bucks give it away on 13.3% (27th of 30).
    2. 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 Bucks

    1. Key scorerKey scorer: Tyler HerroHerro (20.5 points per game): best in the paint (58% on 165 shots, league 44%), worst from midrange (36%, league 42%).
    2. Take awayTake away the corner 313.4% of Bucks shots come from the corners (3rd most) and they make 42.9% (2nd). The 76ers defense there ranks 20th (39.1% allowed).

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Pelicans at ThunderFinal

    How the Pelicans beat the Thunder

    1. Key scorerKey scorer: Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderGilgeous-Alexander (31.1 points per game): best from midrange (54% on 332 shots, league 42%), worst from above the break (39%, league 35%).
    2. AttackAttack the corner 3The Pelicans shoot 39.2% from the corners (9th), and the Thunder allow 39.9% there (24th of 30).

    How the Thunder beat the Pelicans

    1. TargetTarget this lineupWhen Bey, Murphy, McGowens, Fears and Queen share the floor (96 min), they allow 132.1 per 100, against 119.9 for the team: attack it.
    2. Key scorerKey scorer: Trey Murphy IIIMurphy (21.5 points per game): best from the corners (49% on 59 shots, league 39%), worst in the paint (38%, league 44%).

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Pistons at NuggetsFinal

    How the Pistons beat the Nuggets

    1. Key scorerKey scorer: Nikola JokicJokic (27.7 points per game): best from midrange (57% on 109 shots, league 42%), worst from above the break (37%, league 35%).
    2. AttackAttack the rim36.0% of Pistons shots come at the rim (3rd most), and the Nuggets allow 69.1% there (27th of 30).

    How the Nuggets beat the Pistons

    1. Key scorerKey scorer: Cade CunninghamCunningham (23.9 points per game): best from midrange (49% on 174 shots, league 42%), worst at the rim (61%, league 66%).

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Nets at SunsFinal

    How the Nets beat the Suns

    1. TurnoversTake care of the ballThe Suns force turnovers on 13.9% of plays (3rd) and the Nets give it away on 13.7% (29th of 30).
    2. AttackAttack the rim30.7% of Nets shots come at the rim (10th most), and the Suns allow 67.9% there (23rd of 30).

    How the Suns beat the Nets

    1. TurnoversPressure the ballThe Suns force turnovers on 13.9% of plays (3rd), and the Nets give it away on 13.7% (29th of 30).
    2. AttackAttack the above-the-break 334.9% of Suns shots come from above the break (4th most), and the Nets allow 36.4% there (28th of 30).

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Clippers at JazzFinal

    How the Clippers beat the Jazz

    1. AttackAttack the rimThe Clippers shoot 69.4% at the rim (3rd), and the Jazz allow 72.0% there (30th of 30).
    2. Key scorerKey scorer: Lauri MarkkanenMarkkanen (26.7 points per game): best from the corners (43% on 76 shots, league 39%), worst from midrange (29%, league 42%).

    How the Jazz beat the Clippers

    1. Key scorerKey scorer: Brandon IngramIngram (21.5 points per game): best from the corners (52% on 93 shots, league 39%), worst from above the break (33%, league 35%).
    2. TempoPush the paceThe Jazz play at 101.6 possessions per 48 minutes (3rd in pace), the Clippers at 95.6 (28th). Run and make them keep up.

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
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.