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Game plans · Friday, January 1

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 Pistons

How the Nets beat the Pistons

  1. TurnoversTake care of the ballThe Pistons force turnovers on 14.1% of plays (1st) and the Nets give it away on 13.7% (29th of 30).
  2. 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%).
  3. TempoSlow it downThe Nets play at 96.2 possessions per 48 minutes (25th in pace), the Pistons at 98.3 (18th). Make it a half-court game.

How the Pistons beat the Nets

  1. TurnoversPressure the ballThe Pistons force turnovers on 14.1% of plays (1st), and the Nets give it away on 13.7% (29th of 30).
  2. 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%).
  3. AttackAttack the paint20.8% of Pistons shots come in the paint (10th most), and the Nets allow 46.6% there (25th of 30).
  4. TempoPush the paceThe Pistons play at 98.3 possessions per 48 minutes (18th in pace), the Nets at 96.2 (25th). Run and make them keep up.
FG% by zone. Offense rank: 1st = best shooting. Defense rank: 1st = lowest FG% allowed, 30th = most.
ZoneBKN offenseDET defenseDET offenseBKN defense
At the rim63.4% (27th)61.9% (2nd)66.3% (15th)67.0% (19th)
Paint40.1% (27th)43.8% (12th)42.0% (24th)46.6% (25th)
Midrange36.8% (28th)39.7% (5th)41.9% (15th)41.2% (13th)
Corner 336.8% (26th)38.5% (11th)37.3% (20th)42.3% (30th)
Above-the-break 333.2% (27th)33.1% (1st)34.8% (19th)36.4% (28th)

Matchups on Fri, Jan 1

6 games
  • Spurs at Wizards5:00 PM ET

    How the Spurs beat the Wizards

    1. AttackAttack the corner 313.9% of Spurs shots come from the corners (1st most), and the Wizards allow 40.9% there (28th of 30).
    2. AttackAttack the rim32.3% of Spurs shots come at the rim (7th most), and the Wizards allow 68.5% there (26th of 30).

    How the Wizards beat the Spurs

    1. AttackAttack midrange12.1% of Wizards shots come from midrange (5th most), and the Spurs allow 42.5% there (22nd of 30).
    2. Key scorerKey scorer: Victor WembanyamaWembanyama (25.0 points per game): best at the rim (75% on 389 shots, league 66%), worst from midrange (39%, league 42%).

    Based on 2025-26, with the current roster

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Magic at Pistons7:30 PM ET

    How the Magic 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%).

    How the Pistons beat the Magic

    1. 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%).
    2. AttackAttack the rim36.0% of Pistons shots come at the rim (3rd most), and the Magic allow 67.5% there (21st of 30).

    Based on 2025-26, with the current roster

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Clippers at Raptors7:30 PM ET

    How the Clippers beat the Raptors

    1. 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%).
    2. Take awayTake away the rim31.2% of Raptors shots come at the rim (8th most) and they make 67.7% (7th). The Clippers defense there ranks 20th (67.2% allowed).

    How the Raptors 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%).

    Based on 2025-26, with the current roster

    Full preview →Full plan
  • 76ers at Bucks8:00 PM ET

    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).

    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%).

    Based on 2025-26, with the current roster

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Mavericks at Rockets8:30 PM ET

    How the Mavericks beat the Rockets

    1. Key scorerKey scorer: Kevin DurantDurant (26.0 points per game): best in the paint (59% on 393 shots, league 44%), worst from above the break (40%, league 35%).
    2. TempoPush the paceThe Mavericks play at 101.1 possessions per 48 minutes (4th in pace), the Rockets at 95.2 (29th). Run and make them keep up.

    How the Rockets beat the Mavericks

    1. TempoSlow it downThe Rockets play at 95.2 possessions per 48 minutes (29th in pace), the Mavericks at 101.1 (4th). Make it a half-court game.
    2. AttackAttack the paint23.5% of Rockets shots come in the paint (2nd most), and the Mavericks allow 45.5% there (24th of 30).

    Based on 2025-26, with the current roster

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Celtics at Jazz9:30 PM ET

    How the Celtics beat the Jazz

    1. TempoSlow it downThe Celtics play at 94.2 possessions per 48 minutes (30th in pace), the Jazz at 101.6 (3rd). Make it a half-court game.
    2. AttackAttack the rimThe Celtics shoot 70.5% at the rim (2nd), and the Jazz allow 72.0% there (30th of 30).

    How the Jazz beat the Celtics

    1. TempoPush the paceThe Jazz play at 101.6 possessions per 48 minutes (3rd in pace), the Celtics at 94.2 (30th). Run and make them keep up.
    2. Take awayTake away the above-the-break 338.5% of Celtics shots come from above the break (1st most) and they make 35.6% (10th). The Jazz defense there ranks 27th (36.4% allowed).

    Based on 2025-26, with the current roster

    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.