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Game plans · Monday, December 22

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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Pistons at Clippers

How the Pistons 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 Pistons play at 98.3 possessions per 48 minutes (18th in pace), the Clippers at 95.6 (28th). Run and make them keep up.

How the Clippers 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%).
  2. TempoSlow it downThe Clippers play at 95.6 possessions per 48 minutes (28th in pace), the Pistons at 98.3 (18th). Make it a half-court game.
FG% by zone. Offense rank: 1st = best shooting. Defense rank: 1st = lowest FG% allowed, 30th = most.
ZoneDET offenseLAC defenseLAC offenseDET defense
At the rim66.3% (15th)67.2% (20th)69.4% (3rd)61.9% (2nd)
Paint42.0% (24th)43.5% (10th)45.3% (12th)43.8% (12th)
Midrange41.9% (15th)39.4% (3rd)41.4% (17th)39.7% (5th)
Corner 337.3% (20th)38.8% (15th)41.6% (5th)38.5% (11th)
Above-the-break 334.8% (19th)35.6% (22nd)35.1% (14th)33.1% (1st)

Matchups on Mon, Dec 22

7 games
  • Hornets at CavaliersFinal

    How the Hornets beat the Cavaliers

    1. AttackAttack the above-the-break 337.3% of Hornets shots come from above the break (2nd most), and the Cavaliers allow 36.1% there (25th of 30).
    2. AttackAttack the corner 3The Hornets shoot 42.8% from the corners (3rd), and the Cavaliers allow 40.1% there (25th of 30).

    How the Cavaliers beat the Hornets

    1. Take awayTake away the above-the-break 337.3% of Hornets shots come from above the break (2nd most) and they make 36.3% (5th). The Cavaliers defense there ranks 25th (36.1% allowed).
    2. TempoPush the paceThe Cavaliers play at 99.1 possessions per 48 minutes (13th in pace), the Hornets at 96.1 (26th). Run and make them keep up.

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Pacers at CelticsFinal

    How the Pacers beat the Celtics

    1. TempoPush the paceThe Pacers play at 100.3 possessions per 48 minutes (8th 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 Pacers defense there ranks 8th (34.2% allowed).

    How the Celtics beat the Pacers

    1. TempoSlow it downThe Celtics play at 94.2 possessions per 48 minutes (30th in pace), the Pacers at 100.3 (8th). Make it a half-court game.
    2. AttackAttack the paintThe Celtics shoot 48.2% in the paint (3rd), and the Pacers allow 47.1% there (27th of 30).

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Mavericks at PelicansFinal

    How the Mavericks 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%).

    How the Pelicans beat the Mavericks

    1. 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%).

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Jazz at NuggetsFinal

    How the Jazz 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 paint22.8% of Jazz shots come in the paint (3rd most), and the Nuggets allow 45.3% there (22nd of 30).

    How the Nuggets beat the Jazz

    1. AttackAttack the paintThe Nuggets shoot 48.4% in the paint (2nd), and the Jazz allow 48.8% 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%).

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Grizzlies at ThunderFinal

    How the Grizzlies 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 above-the-break 333.0% of Grizzlies shots come from above the break (8th most), and the Thunder allow 35.6% there (23rd of 30).

    How the Thunder beat the Grizzlies

    1. AttackAttack midrangeThe Thunder shoot 48.1% from midrange (1st), 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 Thunder defense there ranks 1st (39.9% allowed).

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Magic at WarriorsFinal

    How the Magic beat the Warriors

    1. 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%).
    2. Take awayTake away the corner 313.4% of Warriors shots come from the corners (4th most) and they make 39.5% (8th). The Magic defense there ranks 13th (38.5% allowed).

    How the Warriors 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 Warriors shoot 68.9% at the rim (4th), and the Magic allow 67.5% there (21st of 30).

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Pistons at Trail BlazersFinal

    How the Pistons beat the Trail Blazers

    1. TurnoversPressure the ballThe Pistons force turnovers on 14.1% of plays (1st), and the Trail Blazers give it away on 14.0% (30th of 30).
    2. GlassCrash the offensive glassThe Pistons grab 30.9% of their misses (3rd), and the Trail Blazers rank 25th on the defensive glass (72.7%).

    How the Trail Blazers beat the Pistons

    1. TurnoversTake care of the ballThe Pistons force turnovers on 14.1% of plays (1st) and the Trail Blazers give it away on 14.0% (30th of 30).
    2. GlassFinish possessions: box outThe Pistons grab 30.9% of their misses (3rd) and the Trail Blazers rank 25th on the defensive glass (72.7%).

    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.