The Reset - An NBA Fantasy Draft

[Dynasty4Kobe]

First Half

The first quarter displayed how even these two teams matchup, ending in a 24-24 tie. The New Orleans Pelicans got off to a faster start than the Lakers did, starting the game with back to back threes, but Anthony Davis and the Lakers fought back with some solid three point shooting of their own. Davis finished the quarter with 11 points, while Jimmy Butler had 10 for the Pelicans. The Lakers assisted on all nine of their field goals in the quarter and the coaching staff as generally happy with the shot selection that they saw.

The second quarter was more of the same, with the teams battling back and forth. The point guards really came to play in this first half. Malcolm Brogdon was a problem, pouring in 17 points, including three 3-pointers in his 18 points of play. For the Lakers, Mike Conley led all scorers on the team with 16 points and three 3-pointers of his own. His back-up, Tony Parker, also played big with six points and five assists, two of which were alley-oops to Davis. Both teams banged home seven 3-pointers in the first half on very efficient shooting (47% for the Lakers, 50% for the Pelicans). No team pulled away with more than a six point lead in the half. Notably, Lauri Markkanen went scoreless in the first half, taking only two shots, while his Lakers counterpart, Pascal Siakam, also only took two shots and scored just a single bucket.

Second Half

That biggest lead hit 14 points in the third quarter, with the Lakers pulling away due to an ugly shooting performance by the Pelicans. The Pelicans shot 6 for 18 in the quarter, with Butler and Elfrid Payton going a combined 2 for 10. Through three quarters, Payton was shooting just 20% for the game, drastically averaging out his 9 for 11 performance in his first game. The fourth quarter was a complete 180-turn for the teams. Pelicans came out firing and the Lakers went cold. Austin Rivers in particular continued to have a horrible game, missing his first nine shots in the game. With the Lakers down six points with three and a half minutes to go, a Butler flagrant foul on Siakam gave the slumbering Lakers some hope. Siakam split the free throws and pulled the Lakers within five, and Rivers finally broke his slump with a big three pointer that cut the Pelicans lead to two. However, a flurry of points by Butler and a big Jaren Jackson three pointer put the Pelicans out of reach. The Lakers ultimately suffered a 99-107 loss.

Butler finished with a big 32 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. He found help from four teammates who all reached double figures. Off the bench, while Payton struggled all game to hit a shot, he was 5 for 6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter. Remarkably, Markkanen finished the game 0 for 5 for ZERO points in 31 minutes of action. On the losing side, Davis got his 31 and 10, but the rest of the team struggled from the field. Conley, Joe Ingles, and Rivers went a combined 12 for 39 in the game. Siakam finished with just five points, taking only four shots.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS at NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Nov 8, 2018	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Los Angeles (2-1)	24	30	27	18	-	99
New Orleans (2-0)	24	29	18	36	-	107

Los Angeles Lakers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	B+S	TO	PTS	+/-
Mike Conley	30	7-18	4-11	1-2	3	7	1	1	19	-4
Austin Rivers	31	1-11	1-6	0-0	5	2	0	5	3	-15
Joe Ingles	34	4-10	2-2	1-2	6	5	1	0	11	-10
Pascal Siakam	34	2-4	0-0	1-2	11	0	1	1	5	-9
Anthony Davis	32	14-21	1-4	2-2	10	1	1	1	31	-13
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	B+S	TO	PTS	+/-
Tony Parker	18	4-9	2-4	1-2	2	7	2	2	11	-4
Avery Bradley	17	2-5	2-3	4-4	2	1	2	1	10	7
Aron Baynes	16	2-2	0-0	2-2	1	1	1	1	6	-3
Amir Johnson	15	1-1	0-0	1-4	4	1	2	0	3	12
Kyle Korver	13	0-5	0-4	0-0	3	1	1	1	0	-1
Andre Iguodala	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jamal Crawford	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Matthew Dellavedova	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS	48	37-86	12-34	13-20	52	26	12	13	99	-8

New Orleans Pelicans
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	B+S	TO	PTS	+/-
Malcolm Brogdon	31	6-10	3-5	5-5	5	6	1	1	20	14
Jimmy Butler	37	11-20	4-7	6-6	11	5	6	2	32	11
Bojan Bogdanovic	31	4-8	0-1	0-2	9	3	0	4	8	15
Lauri Markkanen	30	0-5	0-3	0-0	3	2	1	1	0	4
Jaren Jackson Jr.	31	7-13	2-4	0-0	6	2	4	0	16	7
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	B+S	TO	PTS	+/-
Elfrid Payton	28	2-11	1-4	8-10	4	4	1	1	13	-9
John Henson	18	2-2	1-1	0-0	3	0	2	3	5	4
Taj Gibson	17	1-2	0-0	0-0	3	0	0	0	2	1
Maurice Harkless	17	4-9	1-3	2-2	2	3	2	1	11	-7
Raul Neto	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Deandre Bembry	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nik Stauskas	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tyler Dorsey	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS	48	37-80	12-28	21-25	51	25	17	13	107	+8

[Dynasty4Kobe]

Matchup Preview | November 11, 2018
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Los Angeles Lakers (2-1, 1-1 Away)		Orlando Magic (2-1, 1-0 Home)
Stats Comparison 101.7 Points Per Game 118.0 49.2% Field Goal % 49.7% 34.7% 3-Point % 39.8% 77.5% Free Throw % 76.7% 53.0 Rebounds 57.0 27.3 Assists 35.0 92.3 PPG Allowed 110.3 8.0 Blocks+Steals 12.3 9.7 Turnovers 16.0 Projected Starters Mike Conley (14.3 PPG, 5.3 APG) Point Guard Lonzo Ball (16.7 PPG, 9.3 APG) Austin Rivers (5.3 PPG, 21.7% FG%) Shooting Guard Jeremy Lamb (17.3 PPG, 51.1% FG%) Joe Ingles (10.7 PPG, 83.3% 3P%) Small Forward Nicolas Batum (11.7 PPG, 7.3 APG) Pascal Siakam (11.3 PPG, 68.2% FG%) Power Forward Aaron Gordon (17.7 PPG, 7.7 RPG) Anthony Davis (30.7 PPG, 16.0 RPG) Center Joel Embiid (26.7 PPG, 14.0 RPG) Injury Report Andre Iguodala, Strained Left MCL (1-2 Weeks) Game Notes The Orlando Magic bring in a formidable team to matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers, who will be trying to avenge the first loss of their season. All eyes will be on the matchup between the young, and already dominant, centers. For the Lakers, Anthony Davis has poured in three straight big games, averaging 31 points and 16 rebounds on the season. For the Magic, Joel Embid mans the middle and is coming off of a 28 point, 13 rebound game in a blowout win against the Dallas Mavericks. The Magic’s supporting cast includes a versatile group, led by Lonzo Ball, who has started off his sophomore campaign in impressive fashion. Ball is coming off a career game in which he shot 13 for 17 from the field and poured in 35 points and 10 assists. Even with that offensive explosion, Ball is shooting just 41% on the season and is far from clear from the “offensive liability” tag he earned in his rookie year. While the rest of the starting group has talent sprawled all over, the Magic come in with a less-than-impressive bench that features Royce O’Neale, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and Tristan Thompson. The Lakers have gotten great production off the bench from Tony Parker, who is averaging 12.7 points and 4.7 assists per game. The Laker reserves being able to outplay the Magic bench could be a big factor in this game, as the starting lineups of both groups seem to be evenly matched.

[volsman]

Are you using real player % for shooting or stick skills? I ask because your stats look amazing.

[Dynasty4Kobe]

Quote: Originally Posted by volsman

Are you using real player % for shooting or stick skills? I ask because your stats look amazing.

These are cpu vs cpu games I’m running, so I guess it would be real player % since the stick skills wouldn’t apply. I’ve been really happy with these early results I’ve gotten from the ATD sliders

[Dynasty4Kobe]

First Half

The first quarter was one to forget for both teams. The first bucket of the game for either side came on a Mike Conley jumper with 9:50 to go in the quarter. Joe Ingles started the game 0-3 with all attempts coming deep against the shot clock and two fouls that sent him to the bench. On the Orlando Magic’s side, the team started the game 0 for 10 before Aaron Gordon hit a jumper with 6:50 left in the quarter. Even despite the Magic’s struggles (and a scoreless quarter from Joel Embiid), the Lakers held just a 19-17 lead exiting the quarter. The Lakers shot 41% to the Magic’s 30%, but shot 0 for 7 from three point land and committed seven turnovers. Inexplicably, Anthony Davis only took two shots in the quarter for four points, while Avery Bradley shot a horrid 1 for 7.

The game was very perimeter-centric for both teams, largely because Davis and Embiid were both shutting down the paint. Embiid did not score until there were 5 minutes to go in the second quarter, but finished the half with 7 points and 5 rebounds. Davis scored just 8 points, himself, but had a stellar defensive quarter with a combined 8 blocks+steals. Conley led the Lakers in scoring with 10 points on 5 of 11 shooting. The Magic saw putrid shooting from its wings, with Gordon going 2 for 10, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson going 0 for 6, and Jeremy Lamb shooting 1 for 5. The low-scoring first half ended in a 38-34 Laker lead.

Second Half

By now, both teams had realized that this was going to be a 90’s-style grind fest to the very end. The Lakers jumped out to a 10 point lead to start the quarter and the Magic went on their third 2+ minute dry spell of the game. Lonzo Ball had an especially rough quarter, shooting 1 for 6 from the field and 1 for 4 from the foul line, though this aggressiveness was welcomed by the coaching staff. The Lakers did little to take advantage as they went on their own 3 minute dry spell that was riddled with turnovers. With both teams taking turns to struggle, the game came to a screeching halt at a 57-55 Laker lead at the end of the third quarter. Going into the fourth quarter, you got the feeling that 80 points would be all it would take to win this game.

The one thing you can’t have against a team that is struggling to score is to bail them out by putting them on the line. The Lakers began to do just that, as the team was out of fouls with 9:39 left to go in the game. Despite the foul trouble, things were looking fine as Davis was starting to find an offensive groove and Embiid relegated himself to shooting jumpers as he was having no success inside against Davis. But foul trouble raised its head at the very end at the very same time that Ball, of all players, started finding his offensive game. Davis fouled out of the game with 1:35 left in the game and the Lakers down 72-75. Davis exited the game with 12 points 13 rebounds, an amazing 12 blocks+steals, all while holding Embiid to just 8 points on 3 of 11 shooting. The second Davis left the game, Embiid got loose. He immediately drew a shooting foul on Aron Baynes, converted two free throws, scored a layup on the next trip down, and then drew a double-team that led to an Aaron Gordon dunk. After all that, the Lakers found themselves down by four with 30 seconds left. The Lakers never scored again and never hit that 80-point mark, and ultimately suffered a 78-85 loss. Bradley continued his horrific shooting, finishing 2-17 with many of those shots being good looks. Pascal Siakam after producing back to back strong games to start the season, has now disappeared completely in the last two games. The question now becomes whether this Laker team was deemed as contenders too early, beating up on two weaker teams to start the season, and since losing to some stronger competition.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS at ORLANDO MAGIC
Nov 11, 2018	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Los Angeles (2-2)	19	19	19	21	-	78
Orlando (3-1)	17	17	21	30	-	85

Los Angeles Lakers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	B+S	TO	PTS	+/-
Mike Conley	32	7-20	0-5	0-0	2	4	1	4	14	1
Austin Rivers	33	5-11	1-4	0-0	2	5	0	2	11	-4
Joe Ingles	31	4-11	1-3	2-2	5	0	2	4	11	3
Pascal Siakam	33	1-4	0-0	3-4	10	2	1	0	5	2
Anthony Davis	33	6-14	0-1	0-0	13	3	12	1	12	7
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	B+S	TO	PTS	+/-
Avery Bradley	20	2-17	0-8	3-4	1	2	1	0	7	-12
Aron Baynes	18	1-2	0-0	2-2	7	0	2	0	4	-13
Tony Parker	17	1-4	0-1	1-2	2	2	1	1	3	-8
Amir Johnson	15	3-4	0-0	2-2	4	2	0	0	8	-10
Kyle Korver	14	1-1	1-1	0-0	4	2	0	1	3	-1
Andre Iguodala	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jamal Crawford	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Matthew Dellavedova	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS	49.2	31-88	3-23	13-16	56	22	20	15	78	-7

Orlando Magic
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	B+S	TO	PTS	+/-
Lonzo Ball	35	5-14	2-6	5-12	10	5	4	4	17	0
Jeremy Lamb	34	3-9	0-4	0-0	4	6	1	3	6	3
Nicolas Batum	27	2-7	1-4	4-4	4	0	1	4	9	7
Aaron Gordon	36	5-15	1-1	2-2	10	2	2	1	13	1
Joel Embiid	31	4-13	1-4	4-6	12	2	5	0	13	7
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	B+S	TO	PTS	+/-
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson	33	3-13	1-1	3-4	5	2	3	3	10	4
Tristan Thompson	18	2-2	0-0	1-2	7	0	1	1	5	7
Royce O'Neale	18	2-3	2-2	0-0	3	1	1	1	6	7
Anthony Tolliver	13	2-3	1-2	1-1	3	0	2	0	6	6
Emmanuel Mudiay	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Damian Jones	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Mike James	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Alfonzo Mckinnie	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS	49	28-79	9-24	20-31	66	18	20	17	85	+7

[Dynasty4Kobe]

Matchup Preview | November 22, 2018
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Milwaukee Bucks (2-3, 0-3 Away)		Los Angeles Lakers (2-2, 1-0 Home)
Stats Comparison 97.4 Points Per Game 95.8 42.2% Field Goal % 45.6% 40.0% 3-Point % 29.6% 67.5% Free Throw % 78.6% 51.6 Rebounds 53.8 23.4 Assists 26.0 103.6 PPG Allowed 90.5 13.6 Blocks+Steals 11.0 15.4 Turnovers 11.0 Projected Starters Mike Conley (14.3 PPG, 5.0 APG) Point Guard Terry Rozier III (11.4 PPG, 4.8 APG) Austin Rivers (6.8 PPG, 29.4% FG%) Shooting Guard Klay Thompson (17.8 PPG, 51.6% 3P%) Joe Ingles (10.7 PPG, 66.7% 3P%) Small Forward Luka Doncic (14.0 PPG, 7.0 APG) Pascal Siakam (10.0 RPG, 61.5% FG%) Power Forward Davis Bertans (6.4 PPG, 32.4% FG%) Anthony Davis (26.0 PPG, 15.2 RPG) Center Jusuf Nurkic (9.6 RPG, 32.8% FG%) Injury Report Game Notes The Milwaukee Bucks rely on a perimeter heavy attach led by Klay Thompson, Luka Doncic, and Terry Rozier. Additionally, off the bench they have Dennis Smith Jr. averaging 17.8 points per game on the season at 52.2% from field and Alec Burks, who is averaging 11.8 points per game as a reserve. The Lakers backcourt of Mike Conley, Austin Rivers, Tony Parker, and Avery Bradley will have their hands full with these guys. Luckily, the game might just come down to whether the Bucks’ bigs will be able to handle Anthony Davis. Davis is coming off of his weakest offensive game of the season, with Joel Embiid limiting him to just 12 points on under 50% shooting. Embiid is a formidable defensive presence, but against more average competition, Anthony Davis has absolutely feasted, averaging over 30 points per game. In addition to Davis, I expect Siakam to bounce back against Davis Bertans. Siakam has produced two very lackluster games in the last two losses, but has averaged 15 points per game in the two Laker wins. The Lakers will need to get their three point shooting back on track. Following last game (abysmal 3 for 23 shooting), the Lakers are now shooting under 30% from three point land on the season. The Bucks, meanwhile, come in shooting 40% from downtown, led by Klay Thompson’s blistering 51.6% shooting from beyond the arc. The game will be decided on whether the Lakers inside attack prevails or the Bucks’ outside accuracy.

[Dynasty4Kobe]

First Half

The Lakers brought the ugly from the last game with them into this matchup with the Bucks. The Lakers shot 32% from the field while the Bucks shot 27%. Free throw shooting by the Bucks kept them in the game, which was well-needed as Luka Doncic went 1 for 7 from the field in the first quarter. Terry Rozier picked up the slack, outscoring the Lakers 7 to 6 in the first three minutes of the quarter. On the Lakers side, Anthony Davis regained his form after a tough game against Joel Embiid. Davis finished the quarter with 9 points on 4 for 6 shooting. The teams were tied at 19 heading into the second quarter.

The Bucks came out hot in the second quarter, as Klay Thompson banged home two 3 pointers and another jumper. But the Bucks fell into a lull shortly after that, finishing the half with 29% from the field. As a team that relies on the jumper and therefore follows the boom or bust pattern, this game looked like it was heading to bust territory. The Lakers found some separation with back to back to back three pointers from Aron Baynes, Avery Bradley, and Andre Iguodala. Iguodala, in his first game back from injury, had a strong first half, finishing with 6 points, 2 assists, and a rebound. Davis played like his superstar self, recording 15 points and 11 rebounds in the first half, while putting up 12 shot attempts in a sign of aggression that the Lakers needed. The Lakers ended the half up 46 to 38.

Second Half

The Lakers came out of the half and produced probably their best quarter of the season. For all the buzz about the Bucks being the three point threat coming into the game, the Lakers uncharacteristically put on a three point barrage of their own. The Lakers canned 4 out of their first 5 three pointers in the quarter en route to a 57% field goal percentage shooting half. The Bucks did the exact opposite, shooting 17% from the field in the third quarter. Bradley bounced back in impressive fashion from an embarrassing game against the Magic, in which he shot 2 for 17. Bradley hit 5 of his 9 shots through the third quarter and was the second highest scorer on the team with 12 points. Tony Parker ended the half in fitting fashion, nailing a shot just past half court to give the Lakers a commanding 81 to 52 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

As long time Lakers color commentator, Stu Lantz, likes to say, we have entered extended garbage time. Both teams emptied the bench at the very beginning of the fourth quarter. With little basketball of consequence to talk about (other than Matthew Dellavedova’s dominating performance to the tune of 9 points on 4 for 4 shooting), we can spend some time commending the Lakers’ defensive personnel. The Lakers boast three players in the starting line-up that are All-NBA Defensive Team caliber, and an additional two players off the bench that have built defensive reputations of their own. Mike Conley (Second Team in 2013) and Davis (First team in 2018, Second Team in 2015 and 2017) already have a history of defensive accolades, and by all accounts, Pascal Siakam is on his way to his own defensive awards. Off the bench, Bradley (First Team in 2016 and Second Team in 2013) and Iguodala (First Team in 2014 and Second Team in 2011) are supported by their own accolades. With such a deep bench of defensive stalwarts, it is easy to see why fans are salivating over the Lakers’ defensive potential, and this game against the (albeit overmatched) Bucks further fans the optimistic sentiment in Los Angeles. The Bucks finished the game shooting a miserable 26% from the field, 22% from downtown, and gave up 59 defensive rebounds to the Lakers. Davis led the way with 21 points, 17 rebounds, and 4 blocks+steals in the 110-70 Lakers win. Fun fact, Amir Johnson led the Lakers in minutes played with 29. I told you, extended garbage time.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS at LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Nov 22, 2018	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Milwaukee (2-4)	19	19	14	18	-	70
Los Angeles (3-2)	19	27	35	29	-	110

Milwaukee Bucks
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	B+S	TO	PTS	+/-
Terry Rozier III	27	3-18	1-9	4-4	3	4	1	1	11	-13
Klay Thompson	27	6-16	3-4	2-2	5	1	0	0	17	-24
Luka Doncic	23	2-13	0-3	1-2	4	2	1	1	5	-20
Davis Bertans	21	0-3	0-1	0-0	8	1	0	0	0	-16
Jusuf Nurkic	22	1-3	0-0	0-0	12	0	0	1	2	-19
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	B+S	TO	PTS	+/-
Alec Burks	27	2-9	1-3	8-8	3	1	1	1	13	-22
Justice Winslow	25	2-5	0-0	1-2	4	3	3	0	5	-10
Harry Giles	22	3-7	0-0	2-3	7	0	3	1	8	-10
Dennis Smith Jr.	15	3-9	1-3	0-0	2	2	1	1	7	-15
Omari Spellman	13	1-1	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	2	-11
Furkan Korkmaz	10	0-2	0-2	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	-15
Cheick Diallo	6	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	-13
Hamidou Diallo	6	0-3	0-2	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	-12
TEAM TOTALS	48	23-89	6-27	18-21	57	15	10	7	70	-40

Los Angeles Lakers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	B+S	TO	PTS	+/-
Mike Conley	22	3-11	0-3	4-4	3	2	2	1	10	18
Austin Rivers	22	1-3	1-3	0-0	3	3	0	1	3	18
Joe Ingles	25	2-8	1-4	5-6	4	7	0	0	10	13
Pascal Siakam	21	4-4	1-1	0-1	8	1	0	0	9	19
Anthony Davis	28	10-15	1-1	0-0	17	2	4	3	21	34
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	B+S	TO	PTS	+/-
Amir Johnson	29	2-3	0-0	2-5	8	2	2	0	6	16
Avery Bradley	21	5-11	2-4	0-0	2	3	0	1	12	7
Aron Baynes	21	2-6	1-2	0-0	6	2	2	0	5	11
Tony Parker	21	2-8	1-4	0-0	3	4	0	1	5	8
Andre Iguodala	18	4-12	0-0	2-2	4	3	2	0	10	14
Jamal Crawford	7	4-6	2-2	0-0	1	1	0	0	10	14
Matthew Dellavedova	7	4-4	1-1	0-0	2	1	0	0	9	15
Kyle Korver	6	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	2	0	0	0	13
TEAM TOTALS	48	43-91	11-25	13-18	65	33	12	9	110	+40