"The Game Honors Toughness": Boston Celtics NBA 2K20 MyLeague

[patriotway]

WEEK 3 GAMES TO WATCH

Matchup Preview *|* November 6, 2019
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Sacramento Kings (5-2, 1-2 Away)		Toronto Raptors (4-2, 3-0 Home)
Projected Starters De'Aaron fox Point Guard Kyle Lowry Buddy Hield Shooting Guard Fred FanVleet Harrison Barnes Small Forward O.G. Anunoby Nemanja Bjelica Power Forward Pascal Siakam Richaun Holmes Center Marc Gasol Injury Report M. Bagley III/Right Hand Fracture (4-6 Weeks) P. McCaw/Sore Right Knee (4-6 Weeks) D. Fox.Bruised Sternum (Day-to-Day) R. Hollis-Jefferson/Sore Right Knee (Day-to-Day)

With a 5-2 record, the Sacramento Kings are way ahead of expectations. Wednesdays matchup against the Toronto Raptors will be a big test for the Kings. One thing the Kings have been able to rely on is fourth-year guard Buddy Hield. Hield is averaging a career-high 23.4 points through the team's first seven games.

Hield and the Kings will be facing one of the better defenses in the league when they face the Raptors. Allowing just under 100 points a game, the Raptors will make it tough score for players like Kings' guards Hield and De'Aaron Fox. The one thing the Raptors will want to tighten up is there perimeter defense. So far they have been serviceable, allowing opponents to complete 34.7 percent of their shots from beyond the arc. The Kings, who are sixth in 3-point percentage and fifth in 3-pointers made, may test how well the Raptors can defend the perimeter.

Matchup Preview *|* November 6, 2019
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Philadelphia 76ers (2-3, 0-3 Away)		Utah Jazz (3-4, 2-1 Home)
Projected Starters Ben Simmons Point Guard Donovan Mitchell Josh Richardson Shooting Guard Joe Ingles Tobias Harris Small Forward Bojan Bogdanovic Al Horford Power Forward Royce O'Neale Joel Embiid Center Rudy Gobert Injury Report NONE E. Davis/Fractured Left Leg (2-4 Weeks) M. Conley/Right Knee Tendinitis (1-2 Weeks) D. Exum/Torn Right Patellar Tendon (1-2 Weeks)

The Philadelphia 76ers have struggled mightily when playing on the road. In those games they have allowed 124.3 points per game. What's also surprising is their shooting percentages take a sharp decline. Away from home the 76ers have shot 41.1 percent shooting from the floor and 27.8 percent from the 3-point line.

The difference between playing on the road and at home has been the same for the Utah Jazz. In home games the Jazz average 113.7 points on 46.0 percent shooting overall and 41.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The main difference between the 76ers and Jazz is that the latter's defence has been great. Utah defense allows just over 100 points per game at home.

Matchup Preview *|* November 8, 2019
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Brooklyn Nets (4-2, 1-1 Away)		Portland Trailblazers (4-2, 1-1 Home)
Projected Starters Kyrie Irving Point Guard Damian Lillard Caris LeVert Shooting Guard C.J. McCollum Rodions Kurucs Small Forward Rodney Hood Taurean Prince Power Forward Mario Hezonja Jarrett Allen Center Hassan Whiteside Injury Report K. Durant/Torn Left Achilles (SEASON) J. Nurkic/Sore Right Foot (4-6 Months) J. Harris/Broken Nose (Day-to-Day) Z. Collins/Dislocated Left Shoulder (4-6 Months) D. Jordan/Bruised Right Heel (Day-to-Day)

The game between the Brooklyn Nets and Portland Trail Blazers will feature two of the best point guards in the NBA. Brooklyn's Kyrie Irving is the second leading scorer among point guards at 29.8 points per game. Irving's shooting splits are also impressive at 51.9 percent from field, 46.3 percent on 3-point shots and 95.2 percent at the free throw line.

Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard has been as impressive as Irving. Lillard is the third best scorer among point guards this season with 27.0 points per game. Lillard's scoring has been crucial this season as his backcourt teammate C.J. McCollum has gotten off to a slow start. Despite McCollum's struggles, the Trail Blazers still have one the the NBA's best offenses. Portland is 10th in offensive rating and sixth in points per game.

Matchup Preview *|* November 8, 2019
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Miami Heat (4-2, 1-2 Away)		Los Angeles Lakers (5-1, 3-0 Home)
Projected Starters Kendrick Nunn Point Guard LeBron James Duncan Robinson Shooting Guard Avery Bradley Jimmy Butler Small Forward Danny Green Bam Adebayo Power Forward Anthony Davis Meyers Leonard Center JaVale McGee Injury Report M. Leonard/Bruised Tailbone (Day-to-Day) D. Cousins/Torn Right ACL (SEASON) R. Rondo/Pulled Left Hamstring (1-2 Weeks)

Even though Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard is on the injury list, he is expected to be ready for Friday night's game. The Heat will need all hands on deck when they face the league's third ranked scoring offense. One strength for the Heat is their perimeter defense. They are third in opponents 3-point percentage.

The Los Angeles Lakers already have had a difficult time connecting on their 3-point shots. Currently, they are 28th in the NBA in 3-point percentage. The Lakers also rank in the bottom five when it comes to 3-pointers made. What they lack in 3-point shooting they more than make up for with being able to finish around the rim. Forward Anthony Davis makes 82.5 percent of shots five feet from the rim while LeBron James connects on nearly 80 percent of those shots.

[patriotway]

Week 3 NBA.com Power Rankings
RK (LW)	Team	Record	Week 3 Schedule
1 (2)	Denver Nuggets	5-1	MIA (11/5), PHI (11/8), @ MIN (11/10)
2 (1)	Los Angeles Lakers	5-1	@ CHI (11/5), MIA (11/8), TOR (11/10)
3 (15)	Brooklyn Nets	4-2	NOR (11/4), @ POR (11/8), @ PHO (11/10)
4 (21)	Toronto Raptors	4-2	SAC (11/6), @ NOR (11/8), @ LAL (11/10)
5 (22)	Portland Trailblazers	4-2	@ GSW (11/4), @ LAC (11/7), BKN (11/8), ATL (11/10)
6 (13)	Houston Rockets	3-3	@ MEM (11/4), GSW (11/6), @ CHI (11/9)
7 (4)	Memphis Grizzlies	3-2	HOU (11/4), MIN (11/6), @ ORL (11/8), DAL (11/9)
8 (20)	Miami Heat	4-2	@ DEN (11/5), @ PHO (11/7), @ LAL (11/8)
9 (9)	New Orleans Pelicans	3-3	@ BKN (11/4), TOR (11/8), @ CHA (11/9)
10 (7)	Cleveland Cavaliers	4-2	BOS (11/5), @ WAS (11/8), @ NYK (11/10)
11 (24)	Utah Jazz	3-4	PHI (11/6), MIL (11/8)
12 (12)	Boston Celtics	3-2	@ CLE (11/5), @ CHA (11/7), @ SAS (11/9)
13 (11)	Minnesota Timberwolves	3-2	MIL (11/4), @ MEM (11/6), GSW (11/8), DEN (11/10)
14 (25)	Sacramento Kings	5-2	@ TOR (11/6), @ ATL (11/8)
15 (19)	Milwaukee Bucks	3-3	@ MIN (11/4), @ LAC (11/6), @ UTA (11/8), @ OKC (11/10)
16 (29)	Los Angeles Clippers	3-4	MIL (11/6), POR (11/7)
17 (10)	Detroit Pistons	4-3	@ WAS (11/4), NYK (11/6), @ IND (11/8)
18 (6)	San Antonio Spurs	2-4	@ ATL (11/5), OKC (11/7), BOS (11/9)
19 (23)	Dallas Mavericks	2-4	ORL (11/6), NYK (11/8), @ MEM (11/9)
20 (3)	Orlando Magic	3-3	@ OKC (11/5). @ DAL (11/6), MEM (11/8), IND (11/10)
21 (17)	Golden State Warriors	3-3	POR (11/4), @ HOU (11/6), @ MIN (11/8), @ OKC (11/9)
22 (16)	Philadelphia 76ers	2-3	@ PHO (11/4), @ UTA (11/6), @ DEN (11/8), CHA (11/10)
23 (14)	New York Knicks	3-4	@ DET (11/6), @ DAL (11/8), CLE (11/10)
24 (5)	Phoenix Suns	2-4	PHI (11/4), MIA (11/7), BKN (11/10)
25 (8)	Oklahoma City Thunder	3-3	ORL (11/5), @ SAS (11/7), GSW (11/9), MIL (11/10)
26 (27)	Chicago Bulls	2-5	LAL (11/5), @ ATL (11/6), HOU (11/9)
27 (30)	Atlanta Hawks	1-4	SAS (11/5), CHI (11/6). SAC (11/8), @ POR (11/10)
28 (18)	Indiana Pacers	2-4	@ CHA (11/5), WAS (11/6), DET (11/8), @ ORL (11/10)
29 (28)	Washington Wizards	1-4	DET (11/4), @ IND (11/6), CLE (11/8)
30 (26)	Charlotte Hornets	1-5	IND (11/5), BOS (11/7), NOR (11/9), @ PHI (11/10)

[patriotway]

[patriotway]

Wizards' defense at center of horrible start

by Greg Mann
November 4, 2019

WASHINGTON D.C -- The Washington Wizards' 2019-20 season seems to be starting the same way that their previous season started. In fact, through the Wizards' first six games, they have the same 1-5 record that they had last season. The Wizards only win so far this season was a 109-108 nail-biter against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The game against the Thunder seems to be an outlier as every other opponent has scored 120 or more points in each of the Wizards' five losses. When looking at the Wizards' last four games it only gets worse. During their current four-game losing streak the Wizards have allowed 135.5 points per game.

Last season the Wizards defense was also near the bottom of the league. When all was said and done the Wizards were second to last in scoring defense at 116.9 points per game and they had the third worst defensive rating with 113.9 points per 100 possessions. This season, they find themselves in a similar position. Through six games, the Wizards have allowed 128.5 points per game and they have a defensive rating of 126.8 points per 100 possessions.

One of the reasons the Wizards have allowed so many points is because of their perimeter defense. Last season the Wizards' opponents connected on 37 percent of their 3-point attempts. Through the first six games of this season the Wizards' perimeter defense has been much worse, allowing opponents to make 42 percent of their 3-point shots.

The offense, despite point guard John Wall not being available, has performed admirably. Shooting guard Bradley Beal has been averaging a career-high 27.8 points per game so far this season and the team is scoring 110.3 points per game. Beal is doing the heavy lifting, accounting for roughly a quarter of the team's offense when just considering points scored. Being as talented as he is on offense, Beal is also making reading the opposing team's defense and making the right play. Through Washington's first six games, Beal trails only point guard Ish Smith in assists with 6.2 per game, a career-high.

The only problem is that last season, the Wizards had one of the NBA's best scoring offense, averaging 119.1 points per game. That offense didn't translate to wins because they weren't performing on the defensive side of the court. That same story seems to be playing out this season.

[patriotway]

Milwaukee Bucks
Pos	Player	Injury	Duration	Status
PF	Ersan Ilysova	Bruised Left Knee	Day-to-Day	HURT

Minnesota Timberwolves
Pos	Player	Injury	Duration	Status
C	Gorgui Dieng	Bruised Tailbone	Day-to-Day	HURT

[patriotway]

Matchup Preview *|* November 5, 2019
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Boston Celtics (3-2, 1-1 Away)		Cleveland Cavaliers (4-2, 3-0 Home)
Stats Comparison 104.6 (21st) Points Per Game 108.7 (T - 13th) 47.1% (6th) Field Goal % 43.1% (20th) 81.4% (T - 8th) Free Throw % 70.3% (28th) 40.8% (2nd) 3-Point % 33.5% (18th) 50.8 (18th) Rebounds 56.7 (3rd) 2.4 (30th) Blocks 4.3 (T - 11th) 6.8 (19th) Steals 6.5 (T - 22nd) 14.6 (10th) Turnovers 12.2 (28th) 104.2 (8th) PPG Allowed 105.7 (14th) Projected Starters Kemba Walker Point Guard Darius Garland Jaylen Brown Shooting Guard Brandon Knight Gordon Hayward Small Forward Cedi Osman Jayson Tatum Power Forward Kevin Love Daniel Theis Center Tristan Thompson Injury Report E. Kanter/Sore Left Knee (Day-to-Day) D. Windler/Torn Left Foot Ligament (4-6 Weeks) A. Zizic/Sore Left Foot (1-2 Weeks) C. Sexton/Bruised Left Shoulder (1-2 Weeks) K. Love/Lower Back Bruise (Day-to-Day) Game Notes LOCATION: QUICKEN LOANS ARENA - Cleveland, OH STREAK: Boston Celtics L1 Cleveland Cavaliers W3 LAST GAME: New York Knicks 123 - Boston Celtics 108 Dallas Mavericks 95 - Cleveland Cavaliers 102 LAST MEETING: (March 26, 2019) Boston Celtics 116 - Cleveland Cavaliers 106

[RolePlayer]

Always curious to see if Brad will ask out of there

[patriotway]

Quote: Originally Posted by RolePlayer

Always curious to see if Brad will ask out of there

Nothing from Beal yet. Mostly role or bench players make a fuss about wanting trades or not wanting to re-sign.