A Little Bit Of Luck: Boston Celtics NBA 2K18 MyLeague

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Chicago Bulls
Z. LaVine (SG) - Broken Right Leg - 6/8 Weeks
M. Scott (PF) - Right Knee Tendinitis - 6/8 Weeks
N. Mirotic (PF) - SPrained Right Knee - Day-to-Day


Boston Celtics
M. Morris (PF) - Strained Left Schilles - Day-to-Day


Charlotte Hornets
J. Simmons (SG) - Sore Right Hamstring - Day-to-Day


New York Knicks
C. Lee (SG) - Bruised Right Hip - 1/2 Weeks


Orlando Magic
K. Walker (PG) - Hyperextended Left Knee - 1/2 Weeks


Dallas Mavericks
B. Wright (C) - Twisted Right Ankle - Day-to-Day


Portland Trail Blazers
T. Black (C) - High Left Ankle Sprain - 8/10 Weeks
N. Powell (SF) - Lower Back Bruise - 1/2 Weeks


Washington Wizards
M. Plumlee (C) - Sprained Right Toe - Day-to-Day

[patriotway]

Chicago Bulls (8-5) at Milwaukee Bucks (6-4)
Nov 16, 2018 1 2 3 4 Final Chicago 34 30 27 29 120 Milwaukee 28 28 29 31 116 Top Performers Chicago Bulls Carmelo Anthony (SF): 34 Pts, 6 Reb Lauri Markkanen (PF): 18 Pts, 7 Reb, 4-8 3-pt Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo (PF): 26 Pts, 7 Reb, 7 Ast Khris Middleton (SF): 20 Pts (8-16 FG), 9 Reb	Team Stats Comparison CHI MIL FG Made-Att 42-88 44-89 3PT Made-Att 15-39 13-34 FT Made-Att 21-25 15-16 Rebounds 42 52 Assists 29 33 Turnovers 8 15 Steals 8 6 Blocks 2 3

The Chicago Bulls beat the Milwaukee Bucks 120-116 behind a big night from Carmelo Anthony. Anthony scored a game-high 34 points and had six rebounds. The Bulls bench also played well with the unit scoring 50 points. Denzel Valentine led the bench with 15 points on 4 of 4 shooting in just 15 minutes.

Even though the Bucks did not play terribly, they just made a few more mistakes than the Bulls did. Milwaukee committed 15 turnovers compared to the eight turnovers Chicago had. Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had a team-high four turnovers, scored 26 points and had seven rebounds and assists. Malcolm Brogdon, who started in place of an injured Eric Bledsoe, struggled in the game. Brogdon shot 2 of 11 from the field. However, Brogdon finished with eight assists and had only one turnover in 32 minutes on the court.

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Matchup Preview *|* November 16, 2018
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Boston Celtics (10-1, 5-1 Away)		Portland Trailblazers (7-4, 6-1 Home)
Stats Comparison 103.5 (T - 14th) Points Per Game 105.0 (T - 9th) 48.9% (T - 3rd)) Field Goal % 47.2% (12th) 84.3% (3rd) Free Throw % 82.0% (4th) 42.4% (1st) 3-Point % 40.5% (2nd) 49.6 (T - 5th) Rebounds 46.5 (23rd) 2.6 (30th) Blocks 5.5 (9th) 6.4 (25th) Steals 6.1 (27th) 8.9 (1st) Turnovers 13.3 (13th) 88.0 (1st) PPG Allowed 101.9 (11th) Projected Starters Kyrie Irving Point Guard Damian Lillard Jaylen Brown Shooting Guard C.J. McCollum Gordon Hayward Small Forward Jeff Green Daniel Theis Power Forward Jon Leuer Al Horford Center Elton Westphal Injury Report R. Neal/Strained Left MCL (2-4 Weeks) T. Black/High Left Ankle Sprain (8-10 Weeks) M. Morris/Strained Left Achilles (Day-to-Day) N. Powell/Lower Back Bruise (1-2 Weeks) Game Notes LOCATION: Moda Center STREAK: Boston Celtics W1 Portland Trail Blazers W1 LAST FIVE: Boston Celtics 4-1 Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 LAST GAME: Boston Celtics 94 - Utah Jazz 77 San Antonio Spurs 91 - Portland Trail Blazers 103

[patriotway]

Great defensive effort gets Celtics to 11th win of season

Portland, Oregon -- Coming into this game against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Boston Celtics allowed the fewest points per game this season at 88. In this game, they had held the Trail Blazers to a season low 69 points. The Blazers shot a scant 34 percent from the field and made only 25 percent of their 3-pointers.

Damian Lillard was the most consistent Trail Blazers player on the court.

Jeff Green, who spent four seasons in Boston, was 1 for 7 from the three-point line but had a team-high 15 points. Marco Belinelli also struggled with his 3-pointers and overall in the game. He missed all five of his attempts from outside the arc and just made 1 of his 8 field goal attempts, finishing with two points. Damian Lillard was the most consistent shooter in the game, finishing with 14 points on 5 of 16 shooting and 4 of 9 from the 3-point line.

Jaylen Brown had trouble scoring, ending the game with just three points, while Terry Rozier had some success with eight points off the bench.

The Celtics struggled on offense as well, especially in the first half. In the first two quarters, the Celtics shot just 42 percent from the field. They were also uncharacteristically poor at the free throw line, making just 8 of their 14 first half attempts and 14 of 21 of their attempts in the game. Their defense, which held the Trail Blazers to 26 points in the second half, was the difference in the game. The only Celtics players to score in double figures were Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, and Al Horford. Irving, Hayward and Horford finished with 19, 16, and 13 points respectively.

Al Horford had double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds while Kyrie Irving led the team with 19 points to go with his season-high eight rebounds.

Jayson Tatum, who has scored in double figures in 8 of the Celtics' 11 games, had a difficult time scoring from the field. Five of his eight points came at the free throw line. Overall, the Celtics' bench outscored the Trail Blazer's bench 36-15, despite shooting just over 40 percent for the game. Out of the Trail Blazer's 15 bench points, Al-Farouq Aminu had 11 points on 4 of 10 shooting.

Second-year forward Semi Ojeleye finds himself wide open for his first made 3-pointer of the year.

With this game in the books, the Celtics will conclude their five-game road trip by visiting the Oklahoma City Thunder. Just playing good defense may not be enough when playing against Russell Westbrook and Paul George. The Celtics will need to execute on offense as well if they hope to extend their current winning streak.

Boston Celtics (11-1) at Portland Trailblazers (7-5)
Nov 16, 2018 1 2 3 4 Final Boston 21 24 25 17 87 Portland 21 22 8 18 69 Top Performers Boston Celtics K. Irving (PG): 19 Pts, 8 Reb, 6 Ast A. Horford (PF): 13 Pts, 11 Reb, 2 Blk Portland Trailblazers J. Green (SF): 15 Pts, 5 Reb, 4 Ast D. Lillard (PG): 14 Pts, 5 Reb, 2 Ast	Team Stats Comparison BOS POR FG Made-Att 34-82 29-84 3PT Made-Att 5-18 8-32 FT Made-Att 14-21 3-3 Rebounds 65 45 Assists 14 12 Turnovers 10 10 Steals 7 8 Blocks 7 2
Boston Celtics STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS K. Irving (PG) 32 8-19 0-2 3-3 8 6 2 0 1 19 A. Horford (PF) 29 6-12 1-4 0-0 11 0 0 2 1 13 G. Hayward (SF) 28 6-12 1-1 0-0 3 0 1 0 0 16 J. Brown (SG) 25 1-4 0-1 1-2 2 1 1 0 1 3 D. Theis (PF) 18 0-3 0-1 0-0 8 2 1 2 0 0 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS J. Tatum 24 1-5 1-2 5-6 4 2 0 1 1 8 M. Smart 24 4-8 0-1 0-2 3 2 0 0 1 8 D. Dedmon 24 2-4 0-0 0-0 11 0 1 2 0 4 T. Rozier 17 3-8 1-5 1-2 3 1 1 0 2 8 J. Rodman 13 1-4 0-0 0-0 5 0 0 0 0 2 S. Ojeleye 11 2-3 1-1 1-2 1 0 0 0 1 6 A. Nader 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 A. Baynes -- DID NOT PLAY --
Portland Trailblazers STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS J. Green (SF) 34 6-17 1-7 2-2 5 4 0 1 3 15 J. Leuer (PF) 33 3-8 0-0 0-0 9 2 1 0 0 6 E. Westphal (C) 33 4-7 0-0 0-0 12 0 2 1 1 8 D. Lillard (PG) 31 5-16 4-9 0-0 2 5 1 0 0 14 C. McCollum (SG) 28 5-13 1-4 0-0 1 0 1 0 2 11 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS M. Belinelli 25 1-8 0-5 0-0 0 0 1 0 3 2 A. Aminu 23 4-10 2-6 1-1 5 1 1 0 0 11 N. Vonleh 21 0-2 0-0 0-0 7 0 0 0 0 0 J. Calderon 17 1-3 0-1 0-0 2 0 1 0 1 2 M. Harkless -- DID NOT PLAY -- Z. Collins -- DID NOT PLAY -- C. Swanigan -- DID NOT PLAY -- N, Powell -- DID NOT PLAY (BACK)--

[patriotway]

Matchup Preview *|* November 17, 2018
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Boston Celtics (11-1, 6-1 Away)		Oklahoma City Thunder (9-3, 6-2 Home)
Stats Comparison 102.2 (15th) Points Per Game 104.8 (9th) 48.3% (6th) Field Goal % 46.4% (14th) 82.8% (3rd) Free Throw % 75.1% (21st) 41.4% (1st) 3-Point % 34.3% (T - 15th) 50.9 (3rd) Rebounds 48.3 (T - 13th) 3.0 (30th) Blocks 4.4 (T - 19th) 6.4 (25th) Steals 8.7 (7th) 9.0 (1st) Turnovers 12.8 (T - 7th) 86.4 (1st) PPG Allowed 97.3 (5th) Projected Starters Kyrie Irving Point Guard Russell Westbrook Jaylen Brown Shooting Guard Dwayne Wade Gordon Hayward Small Forward Paul George Daniel Theis Power Forward Ersan Ilyasova Al Horford Center Pau Gasol Injury Report R. Neal/Strained Left MCL (1-2 Weeks) T. McConnell/Left Arm Hairline Fracture (1-2 Weeks) M. Morris/Strained Left Achilles (Day-to-Day) A. Abrines/Right Hand Fracture (Day-to-Day) Game Notes LOCATION: Chesapeake Energy Arena Streak: Boston Celtics W2 Oklahoma City Thunder W3 LAST FIVE: Boston Celtics 4-1 Oklahoma City Thunder 3-2 LAST GAME: Boston Celtics 87 - Portland Trail Blazers 69 Miami Heat 86 - Oklahoma City Thunder 105

[patriotway]

Celtics withstand 81 point storm from Westbrook and George

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA -- The Boston Celtics knew that in order to win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, they would have to stop both Russell Westbrook and Paul George. In the Celtics 104-102 victory against the Thunder, they found it was all but impossible to stop the dynamic scorers. Westbrook and George dominated the ball so much that none of their teammates were apart of the offense. Between Westbrook and George combined for 59 of the Thunder's 88 shots in the game. Dwayne Wade was the only player to take 10 or more shots in the game. Wade only scored six points on three made baskets. Ersan Ilyasova went 1 for 6 and scored only two points. Ilyasova did get nine rebounds.

Russell Westbrook and Paul George were unstoppable throughout the game.

Shot distribution for the Celtics was more balanced for the Celtics. Kyrie Irving, who had a team-high 28 points, also had seven assists and two steals. Four of the Celtics starters were in double figures, with Gordon Hayward second on the team with 19 points. Hayward was great from beyond the arc, shooting 5 of 6 from the 3-point line. Jaylen Brown, who had 13 points in the game, did not have that same success shooting threes. He made only 1 of his 8 3-point shots in the game.

Paul George is helpless in defending Jayson Tatum's thunderous dunk in the first quarter.

The score remained close for most of the contest with neither team able to gain the upper hand. In the third quarter, that changed when the Celtics went on a 12-0 run. The Thunder cut into the Celtics lead going into the fourth quarter. The Celtics would then go on another run late in the fourth quarter, giving them a 102-92 lead with 2:53 left in the game. A 7-0 run by the Thunder was ended when Irving hit a jumper with 9.7 seconds left in the game. George responded with a 3-pointer to make it a 104-102 game. Irving received the inbound pass from Brown and ran out the clock, giving the Celtics the win.

Dewayne Dedmon only scored six points, but had a game-high 14 rebounds.

After hitting a bump in the road trip with a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Celtics rebounded by winning their next three games. With the stretch of games over, the Celtics head back home for a three game stretch which will start with the New York Knicks.

Boston Celtics (12-1) at Oklahoma City Thunder (9-4)
Nov 17, 2018 1 2 3 4 Final Boston 30 23 33 18 104 Oklahoma City 31 21 26 24 102 Top Performers Boston Celtics K. Irving (PG): 28 Pts, 7 Ast, 2 Stl J. Brown (SG): 13 Pts, 8 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 Stl Oklahoma City Thunder R. Westbrook (PG): 45 Pts, 8 Reb, 9 Ast P. George (SF): 36 Pts (14-24 FG), 8 Reb	Team Stats Comparison BOS OKC FG Made-Att 42-92 40-88 3PT Made-Att 10-25 12-31 FT Made-Att 10-15 10-14 Rebounds 61 46 Assists 25 18 Turnovers 14 10 Steals 8 9 Blocks 5 3
Boston Celtics STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS K. Irving (PG) 34 9-17 3-3 7-7 2 7 2 0 3 28 J. Brown (SG) 34 6-19 1-8 0-2 8 5 3 0 2 13 G. Hayward (SF) 31 7-15 5-6 0-0 4 2 0 0 2 19 A. Horford (PF) 27 6-10 0-1 0-0 13 0 1 2 0 12 D. Theis (PF) 24 3-5 0-0 2-2 6 1 0 0 0 8 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS M. Smart 24 3-3 1-1 0-2 6 1 0 0 0 7 D. Dedmon 22 3-7 0-1 0-0 14 2 2 2 0 6 J. Tatum 20 4-7 0-2 0-0 5 2 0 0 0 8 T. Rozier 15 0-4 0-0 0-0 2 2 0 0 1 0 J. Rodman 13 1-5 0-3 1-2 2 1 0 0 0 3 A. Baynes -- DID NOT PLAY -- S. Ojeleye -- DID NOT PLAY -- A. Nader -- DID NOT PLAY --
Oklahoma City Thunder STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS R. Westbrook (PG) 48 17-35 5-12 6-8 8 9 2 0 4 45 P. George (SF) 41 14-24 6-13 2-2 8 1 0 0 1 36 D. Wade (SG) 33 3-10 0-0 0-0 2 2 0 0 3 6 E. Ilyasova (PF) 31 1-6 0-1 0-0 9 1 0 0 0 2 P. Gasol (C) 22 2-3 0-0 0-0 4 4 3 2 2 4 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS J. Lauvergne 20 1-2 1-1 2-2 6 0 1 0 0 5 P. Patterson 18 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 0 2 1 0 0 T. Ferguson 15 0-3 0-3 0-0 3 1 0 0 0 0 D. Johnson 12 2-3 0-0 0-2 3 0 1 0 0 4 K. Singler 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 J. Meeks 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 J. Smith -- DID NOT PLAY -- A. Abrines -- DID NOT PLAY --

[patriotway]

As of the end of the fourth week of the 2018-19 NBA season, it appears as though the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors are the top tier teams in the NBA. Golden State is currently on a seven-game winning streak. During that streak, they have beaten the Chicago Bulls by 20 points on the road and narrowly won against the Minnesota Timberwolves at home. The Celtics saw their nine-game streak snapped by the Los Angeles Clippers on the road, but recovered with three consecutive wins.

In both conferences, there are several teams that are separated by only a couple of games in the standings. Among those teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Clippers stand out. The Cavaliers and Bucks currently hold the top two spots in the NBA for points per game with 112.7 for the Cavaliers and 112.0 for the Bucks. Meanwhile, the Thunder are fifth in points allowed. The Clippers are the best rebounding team with 51.8 boards per game and fifth in offensive rebounds with 12.4. For the Spurs, they have relied on their defense to help them to a 8-4 record. Their 98.6 points allowed per game is good for sixth in the league.

What continues to baffle everyone from analyst to fans are the Houston Rockets. The reigning NBA champions have stumbled to a 5-8 start. Their most recent loss was a 130-100 blowout at the hands of the Cavaliers. One of the things the Rockets have to improve is their defense of 3-point shooters. So far, their opponents have made 39.1 percent of their 3-pointers. The Miami Heat, who have also struggled, have been the worst team in the NBA when defending against the three point shot. The Heat have also had to deal with quite a few injuries to their starters.

If things continue like they are, the Rockets will not make a return trip to the NBA Finals. The Rockets, along with the Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz are trending downward. The Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings, and Memphis Grizzlies have all had some success this season and are in position to do good this season.

NBA Eastern Conference Standings - Updated: Nov 17, 2018
TEAM	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Boston Celtics	12	1	--	1-0	6-0
Cleveland Cavaliers	9	4	3.0	3-1	6-4
Chicago Bulls	8	5	4.0	2-1	4-3
New York Knicks	8	5	4.0	1-1	6-3
Milwaukee Bucks	7	4	4.0	0-2	4-3
Washington Wizards	7	6	5.0	2-1	4-6
Toronto Raptors	6	5	5.0	1-0	3-1
Detroit Pistons	6	6	5.5	1-2	4-4
Philadelphia 76ers	5	7	6.5	0-2	4-3
Indiana Pacers	5	7	6.5	1-1	3-4
Orlando Magic	4	8	7.5	1-0	2-3
Brooklyn Nets	4	8	7.5	1-1	3-3
Atlanta Hawks	4	8	7.5	0-2	2-5
Miami Heat	3	9	8.5	1-1	1-4
Charlotte Hornets	1	12	11.0	1-1	1-7

NBA Western Conference Standings - Updated: Nov 17, 2018
ATLANTIC	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Golden State Warriors	11	1	--	1-0	5-1
Oklahoma City Thunder	9	4	2.5	3-1	7-2
Los Angeles Clippers	9	5	3.0	1-2	5-3
San Antonio Spurs	8	4	3.0	3-3	6-4
Minnesota Timberwolves	7	5	4.0	3-2	4-3
Portland Trail Blazers	7	5	4.0	1-1	6-2
Sacramento Kings	7	6	4.5	1-0	2-6
Memphis Grizzlies	6	7	5.5	2-2	3-4
Dallas Mavericks	6	7	5.5	0-0	3-1
Denver Nuggets	5	7	6.0	0-3	3-5
Houston Rockets	5	8	6.5	2-2	4-5
Utah Jazz	5	8	6.5	1-1	1-3
Los Angeles Lakers	5	8	6.5	0-2	1-5
Phoenix Suns	4	8	7.0	2-1	3-7
New Orleans Pelicans	4	9	7.5	1-1	3-5

[patriotway]

Milwaukee Bucks
R. Vaughn (SG) - Hyperextended Left Knee - Day-to-Day


Charlotte Hornets
R. Gobert (C) - Bruised Right Heel - 1/2 Weeks


Dallas Mavericks
J. Grant (PF) - Sore Right Ankle - Day-to-Day


Indiana Pacers
P. Dunleavy (SF) - Twisted Right Knee - 1/2 Weeks


Detroit Pistons
T. Harris (PF) - Twisted Right Knee - Day-to-Day