Skip to content
Courtside

Game plans · Thursday, March 4

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

Mavericks at Warriors

How the Mavericks beat the Warriors

  1. AttackAttack midrange12.4% of Mavericks shots come from midrange (4th most), and the Warriors allow 43.1% there (26th of 30).
  2. Key scorerKey scorer: Stephen CurryCurry (26.6 points per game): best from midrange (52% on 91 shots, league 42%), worst at the rim (68%, league 66%).
  3. Take awayTake away the corner 313.4% of Warriors shots come from the corners (4th most) and they make 39.5% (8th). The Mavericks defense there ranks 6th (37.2% allowed).
  4. AttackAttack the paint21.5% of Mavericks shots come in the paint (8th most), and the Warriors allow 47.0% there (26th of 30).
  5. TempoPush the paceThe Mavericks play at 101.1 possessions per 48 minutes (4th in pace), the Warriors at 98.3 (18th). Run and make them keep up.

How the Warriors beat the Mavericks

  1. TempoSlow it downThe Warriors play at 98.3 possessions per 48 minutes (18th in pace), the Mavericks at 101.1 (4th). Make it a half-court game.
  2. 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%).
FG% by zone. Offense rank: 1st = best shooting. Defense rank: 1st = lowest FG% allowed, 30th = most.
ZoneDAL offenseGSW defenseGSW offenseDAL defense
At the rim64.6% (24th)67.8% (22nd)68.9% (4th)66.2% (16th)
Paint45.4% (11th)47.0% (26th)43.4% (21st)45.5% (24th)
Midrange39.4% (24th)43.1% (26th)39.5% (23rd)42.7% (23rd)
Corner 337.1% (25th)40.9% (27th)39.5% (8th)37.2% (6th)
Above-the-break 333.2% (28th)34.4% (13th)34.1% (24th)34.2% (9th)

Matchups on Thu, Mar 4

8 games
  • Trail Blazers at Cavaliers7:00 PM ET

    How the Trail Blazers beat the Cavaliers

    1. Key scorerKey scorer: Donovan MitchellMitchell (27.9 points per game): best in the paint (55% on 309 shots, league 44%), worst at the rim (64%, league 66%). 39% on the left side, 45% on the right; push him left.
    2. AttackAttack the corner 312.2% of Trail Blazers shots come from the corners (5th most), and the Cavaliers allow 40.1% there (25th of 30).

    How the Cavaliers beat the Trail Blazers

    1. Key scorerKey scorer: Deni AvdijaAvdija (24.2 points per game): best in the paint (42% on 220 shots, league 44%), worst from above the break (31%, league 35%).

    Based on 2025-26, with the current roster

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Pacers at Magic7:00 PM ET

    How the Pacers 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%).

    How the Magic beat the Pacers

    1. AttackAttack midrangeThe Magic shoot 43.0% from midrange (10th), and the Pacers allow 45.4% there (30th of 30).
    2. Key scorerKey scorer: Pascal SiakamSiakam (24.0 points per game): best in the paint (47% on 330 shots, league 44%), worst from midrange (33%, league 42%). 34% on the left side, 43% on the right; push him left.

    Based on 2025-26, with the current roster

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Lakers at 76ers7:00 PM ET

    How the Lakers beat the 76ers

    1. 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 Lakers

    1. Key scorerKey scorer: Luka DoncicDoncic (33.5 points per game): best at the rim (79% on 174 shots, league 66%), worst from midrange (44%, league 42%).
    2. AttackAttack the rim33.4% of 76ers shots come at the rim (5th most), and the Lakers allow 70.5% there (29th of 30).

    Based on 2025-26, with the current roster

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Grizzlies at Hawks7:30 PM ET

    How the Grizzlies 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%).

    How the Hawks beat the Grizzlies

    1. Take awayTake away the paint22.1% of Grizzlies shots come in the paint (4th most) and they make 45.9% (8th). The Hawks defense there ranks 18th (44.2% allowed).
    2. Key scorerKey scorer: Ty JeromeJerome (19.7 points per game): best in the paint (53% on 64 shots, league 44%), worst from above the break (40%, league 35%). 40% on the left side, 47% on the right; push him left.

    Based on 2025-26, with the current roster

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Knicks at Mavericks9:30 PM ET

    How the Knicks beat the Mavericks

    1. AttackAttack midrangeThe Knicks shoot 44.9% from midrange (2nd), and the Mavericks allow 42.7% there (23rd of 30).
    2. TempoSlow it downThe Knicks play at 96.1 possessions per 48 minutes (26th in pace), the Mavericks at 101.1 (4th). Make it a half-court game.

    How the Mavericks 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 Mavericks defense there ranks 6th (37.2% allowed).

    Based on 2025-26, with the current roster

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Wizards at Warriors10:00 PM ET

    How the Wizards beat the Warriors

    1. TurnoversTake care of the ballThe Warriors force turnovers on 13.5% of plays (4th) and the Wizards give it away on 13.2% (26th of 30).
    2. AttackAttack midrange12.1% of Wizards shots come from midrange (5th most), and the Warriors allow 43.1% there (26th of 30).

    How the Warriors beat the Wizards

    1. AttackAttack the corner 313.4% of Warriors shots come from the corners (4th most), and the Wizards allow 40.9% there (28th of 30).
    2. AttackAttack the rimThe Warriors shoot 68.9% at the rim (4th), and the Wizards allow 68.5% there (26th of 30).

    Based on 2025-26, with the current roster

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Thunder at Kings10:00 PM ET

    How the Thunder beat the Kings

    1. AttackAttack midrangeThe Thunder shoot 48.1% from midrange (1st), and the Kings allow 43.7% there (27th of 30).
    2. AttackAttack the paintThe Thunder shoot 46.1% in the paint (7th), and the Kings allow 48.7% there (29th of 30).

    How the Kings 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%).

    Based on 2025-26, with the current roster

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Nets at Clippers10:30 PM ET

    How the Nets 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. AttackAttack the above-the-break 333.9% of Nets shots come from above the break (6th most), and the Clippers allow 35.6% there (22nd of 30).

    How the Clippers beat the Nets

    1. AttackAttack the corner 3The Clippers shoot 41.6% from the corners (5th), and the Nets allow 42.3% there (30th of 30).
    2. AttackAttack the paint21.5% of Clippers shots come in the paint (6th most), and the Nets allow 46.6% there (25th of 30).

    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.