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Breakdown · Tue, Mar 31 · Regular season · POR game 77 · LAC game 76

Trail Blazers114atClippers104

The Trail Blazers won by 10. 8 lead changes, 2 ties. Biggest run: POR 16-2 run, Q2 8:15-5:01.

FinalBox scoreShot chart

01Line score

TeamQ1Q2Q3Q4Final
Trail Blazers34282923114
Clippers31152830104

02How the lead moved

8 lead changes · 2 ties
POR 16-2 run, Q2 8:15-5:01+20+15+10+5Tied+5+10+15+20Q1Q2Q3Q4LAC aheadPOR aheadTiedTiedLead change: LAC 3-2Lead change: POR 5-3Lead change: LAC 14-13Lead change: POR 25-24Lead change: LAC 26-25Lead change: POR 28-26Lead change: LAC 29-28Lead change: POR 31-29LAC +4POR +19
LAC leads POR leads lead change tie biggest run (POR)
  • Largest leadLAC +4 · POR +19
  • Lead changes / ties8 / 2
  • Biggest runPOR 16-2 run, Q2 8:15-5:01
  • Other runLAC 11-2 run, Q4 10:21-7:59
  • Other runLAC 8-0 run, Q1 7:34-6:14

Loading win probability…

03Four factors and why they won

FactorPORLACEdge
Effective FG%Shooting, with 3s worth 1.5 makes53.3%56.6%LAC
Turnover %Turnovers per 100 plays12.4%14.0%POR
Offensive rebound %Share of own misses rebounded45.0%21.1%POR
Free throw rateFree throws made per shot18.7%23.7%LAC

Why the Trail Blazers won

  • Made more 3s, 15-10, worth about 15 points.
  • Won the offensive glass 18-8, worth about 11 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

Trail Blazers

ZoneFGShareSeason shareFG% vs season
At the rim20-3235%33%63% vs 65%
Paint4-1011%14%40% vs 39%
Midrange2-44%6%50% vs 37%
Corner 32-910%12%22% vs 34%
Above-the-break 313-3640%35%36% vs 34%

Clippers

ZoneFGShareSeason shareFG% vs season
At the rim20-2837%29%71% vs 69%
Paint6-1418%22%43% vs 45%
Midrange2-45%9%50% vs 41%
Corner 31-23%10%50% vs 42%
Above-the-break 39-2837%30%32% vs 35%

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.