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Breakdown · Sat, Jan 24 · Regular season · WAS game 44 · CHA game 46

Wizards115atHornets119

The Hornets won by 4. 10 lead changes, 6 ties. Biggest run: CHA 15-0 run, Q2 5:21-1:25.

FinalBox scoreShot chart

01Line score

TeamQ1Q2Q3Q4Final
Wizards34242334115
Hornets35312726119

02How the lead moved

10 lead changes · 6 ties
CHA 15-0 run, Q2 5:21-1:25+20+15+10+5Tied+5+10+15+20Q1Q2Q3Q4CHA aheadWAS aheadTiedTiedTiedTiedTiedTiedLead change: WAS 3-2Lead change: CHA 5-3Lead change: WAS 14-13Lead change: CHA 23-21Lead change: WAS 36-35Lead change: CHA 37-36Lead change: WAS 38-37Lead change: CHA 39-38Lead change: WAS 40-39Lead change: CHA 42-40CHA +18WAS +5
CHA leads WAS leads lead change tie biggest run (CHA)
  • Largest leadCHA +18 · WAS +5
  • Lead changes / ties10 / 6
  • Biggest runCHA 15-0 run, Q2 5:21-1:25
  • Other runCHA 13-0 run, Q1 6:27-4:12
  • Other runWAS 12-2 run, Q4 9:26-6:04

Loading win probability…

03Four factors and why they won

FactorWASCHAEdge
Effective FG%Shooting, with 3s worth 1.5 makes55.7%60.8%CHA
Turnover %Turnovers per 100 plays11.5%18.6%WAS
Offensive rebound %Share of own misses rebounded22.7%33.3%CHA
Free throw rateFree throws made per shot8.3%29.1%CHA

Why the Hornets won

  • Made more free throws, 23-8, worth about 15 points.
  • Made more 2s, 27-25, worth about 4 points.
  • Won the offensive glass 12-10, worth about 2 points.

Rough point values from simple rules. See How this works at the bottom.

04Top performers

By Game Score

05Where they shot from

This game vs regular season

Wizards

ZoneFGShareSeason shareFG% vs season
At the rim19-2728%28%70% vs 67%
Paint4-1111%19%36% vs 39%
Midrange2-55%12%40% vs 43%
Corner 34-88%9%50% vs 39%
Above-the-break 315-4547%31%33% vs 35%

Hornets

ZoneFGShareSeason shareFG% vs season
At the rim19-2633%28%73% vs 65%
Paint6-1114%18%55% vs 43%
Midrange2-56%6%40% vs 36%
Corner 36-1215%11%50% vs 43%
Above-the-break 38-2431%37%33% vs 36%

Share is the percent of the team's shots from that zone. Season numbers are the team's full regular season, also for playoff games. Blue means 5 or more points above its season number, red means 5 or more below. See every shot on the game shot chart

How this works

Where the numbers come from. The line score and every scoring change come from ESPN's play-by-play, loaded the morning after the game. The margin chart plots the home team's lead after each score against game time. Team totals and player lines come from Courtside's box scores.

Runs. A run starts with one team's basket and ends with its last basket before the other team scores more than 2 points. It needs at least 8 points, and we rank runs by net points, so a 14-0 run beats a 15-2 run.

Why they won. Simple rules, not a model. Each extra turnover forced and each extra offensive rebound is one more possession, worth about 1.1 points because NBA teams score about 1.1 points per possession. Each extra 3 made is worth 3, each extra 2 made is worth 2 and each extra free throw made is worth 1. We show the three biggest gaps in the winner's favor worth at least 2 points. They overlap (an extra possession often becomes one of those extra makes), so they don't add up to the final margin.

Four factors are Dean Oliver's: effective FG% (a 3 counts as 1.5 makes), turnovers per 100 plays, the share of your own misses you rebound, and free throws made per shot. Game Score is John Hollinger's one-number box score: points plus credit for makes, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, minus missed shots, fouls and turnovers. About 10 is a solid game and 30 is a great one.

What we checked. Across 1,322 loaded games, the ESPN line score added up to our final score in 100.0% of them and the play-by-play reached the final score on its own in 99.2% (for the rest, a few late scores were missing, so the chart jumps to the official final at the buzzer). To test the possession value, we fit final margin on the turnover, offensive rebound, shooting (effective FG%) and free throw gaps over 1,315 games: each turnover was worth 1.01 points and each offensive rebound 1.05 (the fit explains 95% of margins). That is a little under the 1.1 we use, so those two bullets can run about 5 to 10% high.

What it can't see. A live-ball turnover that becomes a fast-break dunk costs more than one out of bounds; the rules value them the same. Garbage time, foul trouble, injuries and matchups are not in these numbers. Shot zones only count shots ESPN logged with a location, and the season numbers cover the whole regular season, including games played after this one.