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Game plans · Thursday, November 20

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
at

Celtics at Nets

How the Celtics beat the Nets

  1. AttackAttack the above-the-break 338.5% of Celtics shots come from above the break (1st most), and the Nets allow 36.4% there (28th of 30).
  2. AttackAttack the corner 3The Celtics shoot 41.8% from the corners (4th), and the Nets allow 42.3% there (30th of 30).
  3. AttackAttack the paintThe Celtics shoot 48.2% in the paint (3rd), and the Nets allow 46.6% there (25th 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%).
  5. TempoSlow it downThe Celtics play at 94.2 possessions per 48 minutes (30th in pace), the Nets at 96.2 (25th). Make it a half-court game.

How the Nets beat the Celtics

  1. 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 Nets defense there ranks 28th (36.4% allowed).
  2. AttackAttack the above-the-break 333.9% of Nets shots come from above the break (6th most), and the Celtics allow 35.7% there (24th of 30).
  3. Key scorerKey scorer: Jayson TatumTatum (21.8 points per game): best from above the break (31% on 131 shots, league 35%), worst at the rim (62%, league 66%).
  4. TempoPush the paceThe Nets play at 96.2 possessions per 48 minutes (25th in pace), the Celtics at 94.2 (30th). Run and make them keep up.
FG% by zone. Offense rank: 1st = best shooting. Defense rank: 1st = lowest FG% allowed, 30th = most.
ZoneBOS offenseBKN defenseBKN offenseBOS defense
At the rim70.5% (2nd)67.0% (19th)63.4% (27th)64.8% (7th)
Paint48.2% (3rd)46.6% (25th)40.1% (27th)41.4% (4th)
Midrange39.9% (21st)41.2% (13th)36.8% (28th)42.5% (21st)
Corner 341.8% (4th)42.3% (30th)36.8% (26th)36.2% (2nd)
Above-the-break 335.6% (10th)36.4% (28th)33.2% (27th)35.7% (24th)

Matchups on Thu, Nov 20

4 games
  • Clippers at MagicFinal

    How the Clippers 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 rimThe Clippers shoot 69.4% at the rim (3rd), and the Magic allow 67.5% there (21st of 30).

    How the Magic 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 Magic play at 99.3 possessions per 48 minutes (12th in pace), the Clippers at 95.6 (28th). Run and make them keep up.

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Kings at GrizzliesFinal

    How the Kings beat the Grizzlies

    1. AttackAttack midrange15.1% of Kings shots come from midrange (1st most), and the Grizzlies allow 43.1% there (24th of 30).
    2. Take awayTake away the paint22.1% of Grizzlies shots come in the paint (4th most) and they make 45.9% (8th). The Kings defense there ranks 29th (48.7% allowed).

    How the Grizzlies beat the Kings

    1. AttackAttack the paint22.1% of Grizzlies shots come in the paint (4th most), and the Kings allow 48.7% there (29th of 30).
    2. AttackAttack the above-the-break 333.0% of Grizzlies shots come from above the break (8th most), and the Kings allow 37.6% there (30th of 30).

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • 76ers at BucksFinal

    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%).

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Hawks at SpursFinal

    How the Hawks beat the Spurs

    1. 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%).

    How the Spurs beat the Hawks

    1. Key scorerKey scorer: Jalen JohnsonJohnson (22.5 points per game): best at the rim (69% on 397 shots, league 66%), worst in the paint (42%, league 44%).

    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.