NBA Stat Central #14: Beating Up On The Lottery Teams
On today’s NBA Stat Central, we’re going to take a look at the league leaders and break down their games based on the teams they’re facing. Some players pad their stats by beating up on the lottery teams, while they struggle against the playoff teams. Other players don’t discriminate and dominate against everyone.
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Let’s get right into NBA Stat Central!
Points Per Game
| Player | Overall | Vs. Playoff Teams | Vs. Lottery Teams |
| 1. Kobe Bryant | 29.7 | 30.3 | 28.8 |
| 2. Carmelo Anthony | 29.2 | 29.1 | 29.2 |
| 3. Kevin Durant | 28.7 | 28.2 | 29.1 |
| 4. LeBron James | 26.3 | 26.4 | 26.3 |
| 5. James Harden | 26.3 | 25 | 27.6 |
It makes sense that Harden would do more of his damage against lottery teams, as he takes advantage of weaker defenses and matchup problems. However, Bryant does his damage more against playoff teams. Is it because of his insatiable desire to be considered the best, that he’s able to step up huge in big games?
Rebounds Per Game
| Player | Overall | Vs. Playoff Teams | Vs. Lottery Teams |
| 1. Anderson Varejao | 14.4 | 14.3 | 14.6 |
| 2. Kevin Love | 14 | 13.6 | 14.6 |
| 3. Dwight Howard | 12.7 | 12.6 | 12.8 |
| 4. Zach Randolph | 11.6 | 12.4 | 10 |
| 5. Omer Asik | 11.2 | 11 | 11.4 |
Interesting to note that DeMarcus Cousins is No. 15 on the list against playoff teams, yet he jumps all the way up to No. 4 against lottery teams.
Assists Per Game
| Player | Overall | Vs. Playoff Teams | Vs. Lottery Teams |
| 1. Rajon Rondo | 11.1 | 9.7 | 12.8 |
| 2. Chris Paul | 9.7 | 8.8 | 10.7 |
| 3. Greivis Vasquez | 9 | 8.4 | 10.2 |
| 4. Jrue Holiday | 8.8 | 8.6 | 9.1 |
| 5. Steve Nash | 8.8 | 9.5 | 7.4 |
We’ve got our first MAJOR jump, courtesy of Rondo. He averages a full 3.1 more assists against lottery teams. Also of note is Nash, who like Bryant, does much better against playoff teams. Again, is it because of increased focus when the spotlight shines the brightest?
Field Goal Percentage
| Player | Overall | Vs. Playoff Teams | Vs. Lottery Teams |
| 1. Tyson Chandler | 67.30% | 64.20% | 70.10% |
| 2. DeAndre Jordan | 59.80% | 61.60% | 57.50% |
| 3. Dwight Howard | 58.60% | 61.00% | 55.90% |
| 4. Serge Ibaka | 56.40% | 57.10% | 55.90% |
| 5. JaVale McGee | 55.90% | 58.80% | 52.40% |
Well, this one makes no sense at all. Aside from Chandler, who beats up lottery teams at a historic rate, everyone else is much better against playoff teams. Is it that their team plays a more disciplined style and the centers aren’t messing around outside of their comfort zone?
Team Field Goal Percentage
| Team | Overall | Vs. Playoff Teams | Vs. Lottery Teams |
| 1. Miami Heat | 48.80% | 47.90% | 50.00% |
| 2. San Antonio Spurs | 48.70% | 47.90% | 49.80% |
| 3. Oklahoma City Thunder | 47.90% | 48.10% | 47.80% |
| 4. Los Angeles Clippers | 47.80% | 47.20% | 48.40% |
| 5. Denver Nuggets | 46.40% | 46.80% | 46.10% |
The top teams are pretty consistent, but there are some real discrepancies as we get further down the list. The Dallas Mavericks shoot 42.2% against playoff teams and 47.7% against lottery teams. The Phoenix Suns shoot 42.5% against playoff teams and 46.6% against lottery teams.
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