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Game plans · Sunday, February 8

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

Jazz at Grizzlies

How the Jazz 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 Jazz defense there ranks 30th (48.8% allowed).
  2. AttackAttack the paint22.8% of Jazz shots come in the paint (3rd most), and the Grizzlies allow 44.9% there (21st of 30).
  3. 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.
  4. AttackAttack the corner 311.9% of Jazz shots come from the corners (7th most), and the Grizzlies allow 39.6% there (23rd of 30).
  5. TurnoversTake care of the ballThe Grizzlies force turnovers on 12.8% of plays (8th) and the Jazz give it away on 12.8% (24th of 30).

How the Grizzlies beat the Jazz

  1. 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%).
  2. AttackAttack the paint22.1% of Grizzlies shots come in the paint (4th most), and the Jazz allow 48.8% there (30th of 30).
  3. Take awayTake away the paint22.8% of Jazz shots come in the paint (3rd most) and they make 47.6% (5th). The Grizzlies defense there ranks 21st (44.9% allowed).
  4. AttackAttack the above-the-break 333.0% of Grizzlies shots come from above the break (8th most), and the Jazz allow 36.4% there (27th of 30).
  5. TurnoversPressure the ballThe Grizzlies force turnovers on 12.8% of plays (8th), and the Jazz give it away on 12.8% (24th of 30).
FG% by zone. Offense rank: 1st = best shooting. Defense rank: 1st = lowest FG% allowed, 30th = most.
ZoneUTA offenseMEM defenseMEM offenseUTA defense
At the rim66.5% (14th)68.4% (24th)64.1% (25th)72.0% (30th)
Paint47.6% (5th)44.9% (21st)45.9% (8th)48.8% (30th)
Midrange38.8% (25th)43.1% (24th)40.3% (19th)44.1% (28th)
Corner 338.1% (16th)39.6% (23rd)36.5% (27th)39.2% (21st)
Above-the-break 332.9% (29th)35.2% (18th)34.8% (18th)36.4% (27th)

Matchups on Sun, Feb 8

4 games
  • Knicks at CelticsFinal

    How the Knicks 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 Knicks defense there ranks 21st (35.5% allowed).
    2. AttackAttack midrangeThe Knicks shoot 44.9% from midrange (2nd), and the Celtics allow 42.5% there (21st of 30).

    How the Celtics 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 Celtics defense there ranks 2nd (36.2% allowed).

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Heat at WizardsFinal

    How the Heat beat the Wizards

    1. Take awayTake away midrange12.1% of Wizards shots come from midrange (5th most) and they make 43.4% (8th). The Heat defense there ranks 4th (39.5% allowed).
    2. TempoPush the paceThe Heat play at 102.8 possessions per 48 minutes (1st in pace), the Wizards at 100.8 (5th). Run and make them keep up.

    How the Wizards beat the Heat

    1. Key scorerKey scorer: Giannis AntetokounmpoAntetokounmpo (27.6 points per game): best at the rim (76% on 411 shots, league 66%), worst from midrange (27%, league 42%).
    2. TempoSlow it downThe Wizards play at 100.8 possessions per 48 minutes (5th in pace), the Heat at 102.8 (1st). Make it a half-court game.

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Pacers at RaptorsFinal

    How the Pacers 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 Pacers defense there ranks 17th (66.3% allowed).

    How the Raptors beat the Pacers

    1. AttackAttack midrangeThe Raptors shoot 44.1% from midrange (6th), 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.

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Clippers at TimberwolvesFinal

    How the Clippers beat the Timberwolves

    1. AttackAttack the corner 3The Clippers shoot 41.6% from the corners (5th), and the Timberwolves allow 40.7% there (26th of 30).
    2. TempoSlow it downThe Clippers play at 95.6 possessions per 48 minutes (28th in pace), the Timberwolves at 99.8 (9th). Make it a half-court game.

    How the Timberwolves 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 3The Timberwolves shoot 36.5% from above the break (3rd), and the Clippers allow 35.6% there (22nd of 30).

    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.