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Game plans · Wednesday, January 14

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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Wizards at Suns

How the Wizards beat the Suns

  1. GlassFinish possessions: box outThe Suns grab 28.9% of their misses (7th) and the Wizards rank 30th on the defensive glass (70.2%).
  2. TurnoversTake care of the ballThe Suns force turnovers on 13.9% of plays (3rd) and the Wizards give it away on 13.2% (26th of 30).
  3. TempoPush the paceThe Wizards play at 100.8 possessions per 48 minutes (5th in pace), the Suns at 96.3 (24th). Run and make them keep up.
  4. AttackAttack the rimThe Wizards shoot 67.3% at the rim (9th), and the Suns allow 67.9% there (23rd of 30).
  5. Key scorerKey scorer: Devin BookerBooker (26.1 points per game): best from midrange (46% on 314 shots, league 42%), worst from above the break (33%, league 35%).

How the Suns beat the Wizards

  1. GlassCrash the offensive glassThe Suns grab 28.9% of their misses (7th), and the Wizards rank 30th on the defensive glass (70.2%).
  2. TurnoversPressure the ballThe Suns force turnovers on 13.9% of plays (3rd), and the Wizards give it away on 13.2% (26th of 30).
  3. AttackAttack the corner 3The Suns shoot 39.6% from the corners (7th), and the Wizards allow 40.9% there (28th of 30).
  4. Take awayTake away midrange12.1% of Wizards shots come from midrange (5th most) and they make 43.4% (8th). The Suns defense there ranks 16th (42.0% allowed).
  5. TempoSlow it downThe Suns play at 96.3 possessions per 48 minutes (24th in pace), the Wizards at 100.8 (5th). Make it a half-court game.
FG% by zone. Offense rank: 1st = best shooting. Defense rank: 1st = lowest FG% allowed, 30th = most.
ZoneWAS offensePHX defensePHX offenseWAS defense
At the rim67.3% (9th)67.9% (23rd)65.8% (17th)68.5% (26th)
Paint38.9% (28th)44.1% (14th)43.7% (19th)40.6% (2nd)
Midrange43.4% (8th)42.0% (16th)42.3% (11th)41.9% (14th)
Corner 339.2% (10th)36.4% (3rd)39.6% (7th)40.9% (28th)
Above-the-break 334.9% (16th)34.0% (5th)35.1% (13th)35.5% (20th)

Matchups on Wed, Jan 14

7 games
  • Raptors at PacersFinal

    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.

    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).

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Cavaliers at 76ersFinal

    How the Cavaliers 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 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.

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Jazz at BullsFinal

    How the Jazz beat the Bulls

    1. Key scorerKey scorer: Norman PowellPowell (21.7 points per game): best in the paint (51% on 159 shots, league 44%), worst from the corners (33%, league 39%).

    How the Bulls beat the Jazz

    1. AttackAttack the rim36.1% of Bulls shots come at the rim (2nd most), and the Jazz allow 72.0% 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
  • Nets at PelicansFinal

    How the Nets 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 Nets

    1. AttackAttack the corner 3The Pelicans shoot 39.2% from the corners (9th), and the Nets allow 42.3% there (30th 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%).

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Nuggets at MavericksFinal

    How the Nuggets beat the Mavericks

    1. AttackAttack the paintThe Nuggets shoot 48.4% in the paint (2nd), and the Mavericks allow 45.5% there (24th of 30).
    2. AttackAttack midrangeThe Nuggets shoot 44.8% from midrange (3rd), and the Mavericks allow 42.7% there (23rd of 30).

    How the Mavericks 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 paint21.5% of Mavericks shots come in the paint (8th most), and the Nuggets allow 45.3% there (22nd of 30).

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Knicks at KingsFinal

    How the Knicks beat the Kings

    1. AttackAttack midrangeThe Knicks shoot 44.9% from midrange (2nd), and the Kings allow 43.7% there (27th of 30).
    2. Take awayTake away the paint26.4% of Kings shots come in the paint (1st most) and they make 45.7% (9th). The Knicks defense there ranks 17th (44.2% allowed).

    How the Kings 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 Kings defense there ranks 17th (39.0% allowed).

    2025-26 so far

    Full preview →Full plan
  • Wizards at ClippersFinal

    How the Wizards 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 Wizards play at 100.8 possessions per 48 minutes (5th in pace), the Clippers at 95.6 (28th). Run and make them keep up.

    How the Clippers beat the Wizards

    1. AttackAttack the rimThe Clippers shoot 69.4% at the rim (3rd), and the Wizards allow 68.5% there (26th of 30).
    2. AttackAttack the corner 3The Clippers shoot 41.6% from the corners (5th), and the Wizards allow 40.9% there (28th 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.