Knicks have been outscored by 8 points, shooting 4-for-12 (0-for-4 from 3) w/ both Brunson & Towns on the bench.

It takes into account the type of shot & how much it was contested. Ingram has a shot w/ an xFG% of 3.3%, because it got swallowed by Mobley.

It's just FG%, so doesn't account for 3s. But yeah, the plot on that page sorts the shots from difficult (left) to easy (right).

Gotta be Durant-level to be a No. 1 option with that shot diet.

Shot plot from the Raptors-Cavs game, based on difficulty of the shots.

FYI, if you haven't checked it out, NBA.com has running expected FG% data for all of today's games as they're going on...

www.nba.com/inside-the-g...

A year ago, the Thunder won Game 1 of the first round by 51 points. This time, they only won by 35, beginning their title defense by holding the Suns to just 84 points on 93 possessions, their fourth-worst offensive performance of the season. The case for the Thunder: There have been seven teams in NBA history that outscored their opponents by at least 11 points per game in the regular season. Six of them went on to win the championship, while the seventh (the 1971-72 Bucks, +11.2 per game) lost in the conference finals to a team (the Lakers, +12.3) above them on the list. The Thunder outscored their opponents by 11.1 points per game, not quite as good as last season (12.9), but still remarkable given the absence of Jalen Williams for 49 games. The Thunder defense allowed 8.3 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average, the second-best differential in the 30 seasons for which we have play-by-play data. The most efficient shots come at the basket, and no team protected the basket better than the champs. They ranked first (by a wide margin) in opponent field goal percentage in the restricted area (60.7%) and second in the (lowest) percentage of opponent shots that came in the restricted area (24%). The case against the Thunder: Jalen Williams hasn’t been the same player that he was a year ago, especially regarding perimeter shooting. The Thunder also saw a big drop in transition opportunities this season. So there’s a greater burden on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to create in the half-court, and their offense hasn’t been nearly as good (2.8 points per 100 possessions better than league average) as it was last season (5.6 per 100 better). Something to watch in Game 2: Gilgeous-Alexander finding his jumper. While Williams shot 9-for-15 on Sunday, the reigning MVP was just 5-for-18, including 0-for-8 from outside the paint. This was both the best mid-range shooting season (54.9%) and the second-best 3-point shooting season (38.7%) of his career.

New #NBA Playoff Power Rankings, featuring lots of notes & numbers for the 16 teams still playing.

www.nba.com/news/power-r...

A year ago, the Thunder won Game 1 of the first round by 51 points. This time, they only won by 35, beginning their title defense by holding the Suns to just 84 points on 93 possessions, their fourth-worst offensive performance of the season. The case for the Thunder: There have been seven teams in NBA history that outscored their opponents by at least 11 points per game in the regular season. Six of them went on to win the championship, while the seventh (the 1971-72 Bucks, +11.2 per game) lost in the conference finals to a team (the Lakers, +12.3) above them on the list. The Thunder outscored their opponents by 11.1 points per game, not quite as good as last season (12.9), but still remarkable given the absence of Jalen Williams for 49 games. The Thunder defense allowed 8.3 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average, the second-best differential in the 30 seasons for which we have play-by-play data. The most efficient shots come at the basket, and no team protected the basket better than the champs. They ranked first (by a wide margin) in opponent field goal percentage in the restricted area (60.7%) and second in the (lowest) percentage of opponent shots that came in the restricted area (24%). The case against the Thunder: Jalen Williams hasn’t been the same player that he was a year ago, especially regarding perimeter shooting. The Thunder also saw a big drop in transition opportunities this season. So there’s a greater burden on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to create in the half-court, and their offense hasn’t been nearly as good (2.8 points per 100 possessions better than league average) as it was last season (5.6 per 100 better). Something to watch in Game 2: Gilgeous-Alexander finding his jumper. While Williams shot 9-for-15 on Sunday, the reigning MVP was just 5-for-18, including 0-for-8 from outside the paint. This was both the best mid-range shooting season (54.9%) and the second-best 3-point shooting season (38.7%) of his career.

New #NBA Playoff Power Rankings, featuring lots of notes & numbers for the 16 teams still playing.

www.nba.com/news/power-r...

San Antonio nearing OKC's ratio of free-t-shirt wearing.

The Thunder only won Game 1 by 35 points.

They won by 51 last year.

One other note on Rockets-Lakers last night...

The Rockets got 27 more shot opportunities (FGA or trips to the line) than the Lakers.

That was the 4th biggest differential in any game across the league this season & the biggest for a team that lost.

Among the 8 teams that played on Saturday, the Lakers had...

- The lowest expected FG% (44.6%).

- The highest actual FG% (60.6%).

Madison Square Garden before the start of Hawks-Knicks.

Playoffs!

Best regular-season point differential for a team that missed the playoffs in the 43 years of the 16-team format...

1. Charlotte '25-26: 44-38, +4.8 per game

2. Minnesota '13-14: 40-42, +2.7 per game

3. Phoenix '13-14: 48-34, +2.6 per game

The first team listed is the team that suffered the defeat.

Largest margins of defeat, NBA Play-In history.

31 - Charlotte @ Orlando, April 17, 2026
29 - Charlotte @ Atlanta, April 13, 2022
27 - Charlotte @ Indiana, May 18, 2021
27 - Indiana @ Washington, May 20, 2021

Or the Hornets who lost Play-In games by 27 & 29 points in 2021 & 2022.

Hornets-Magic on Friday to determine 2nd place in the Southeast Division.

Also if the Sixers win. 😉

Not the game winner. The one during the Prime outage. He hopped on one foot right before the layup.

Heat never had a chance, obv.

Sure looked like Ball traveled on that last bucket.

*Bush League (not sure why I always think that term is about a league sponsored by a beer company).

Also, I'm pretty sure that Spo is gonna have some things to say about that play after the game.

My guess is that Ball will be hit with a retroactive flagrant foul tomorrow. Maybe a flagrant 2.

Busch League play, obviously.

Hornets 26, Heat 24 after the 1st quarter.

The Heat were 4-26 (1-23 since Thanksgiving) when trailing after the 1st quarter this season.

Only the Nets (4-44) were worse.

Random one to keep in mind for the East Play-In games...

Biggest difference in record when winning the 1st quarter vs. losing the 1st quarter.

1. Miami: 38-13 vs. 4-26
2. Philadelphia: 31-9 vs. 12-23
3. Toronto: 34-11 vs. 11-22

Best offenses (most points scored per 100 poss.) vs. top 10 defenses.

1. Denver (18-11): 119.4
2. San Antonio (19-7): 116.3
3. LA Clippers (12-16): 116.2
4. Boston (12-14): 115.5
5. Detroit (16-8): 115.4

Best defenses (fewest points allowed per 100 poss.) vs. top 10 offenses.

1. Oklahoma City (17-9): 109.6
2. Detroit (17-7): 109.6
3. San Antonio (17-10): 113.0
4. Houston (10-14): 114.3
5. Cleveland (11-13): 114.3

Table showing the 9 teams that finished the season with at least 50 wins & their records in games played between them. 1. Oklahoma City: 16-8 1. Detroit: 14-7 3. San Antonio: 16-9 4. New York: 10-10 5. Denver: 10-13 6. Boston: 9-12 7. Houston: 0-13 8. Cleveland: 8-12 9. L.A. Lakers: 7-15

Records in games played between the 9 teams that finished with 50+ wins.

The Pistons outscored their opponents by 13.9 points per game in the restricted area, the 3rd biggest differential for any team in the last 15 seasons & the biggest this season by a wide margin.

1. Detroit: +13.9
2. San Antonio: +7.7
3. Oklahoma City: +6.8