Fire and Ice: A 2K22 and Beyond Boston Celtics MyNBA

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by Edward Kincaid | October 18, 2021
BOSTON, MA

The Boston Celtics will open the 2021-22 campaign in Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks. This will be the Celtics first time seeing point guard Kemba Walker since he was traded in the offseason. Shooting guard Evan Fournier, who spent the latter half of the season with the Celtics, also joined the Knicks in the offseason.

Following their trip to MSG, the Celtics will make a quick stop at home to take on the Toronto Raptors. The Celtics have played well against the Raptors over the last couple of seasons winning six of their seven regular season matchups.

The Celtics will wrap up the week with their first game of a back-to-back set. That game will be on the road against the Houston Rockets. Like the game against the Knicks, the Celtics will see another former teammate in center Daniel Theis.

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Weak 1 NBA.com Power Rankings
RK (LW)	Team	Record	Week 1 Schedule
1 (-)	Los Angeles Lakers	0-0	GSW (10/19), PHO (10/22)*, MEM (10/24)
2 (-)	Milwaukee Bucks	0-0	BKN (10/19)*, @ MIA (10/21), @ SAS (10/23)
3 (-)	Golden State Warriors	0-0	@ LAL (10/19), LAC (10/21)*, @ SAC (10/24)
4 (-)	Brooklyn Nets	0-0	@ MIL (10/19)*, @ PHI (10/22), CHO (10/24)
5 (-)	Portland Trailblazers	0-0	SAC (10/20), PHO (10/23)
6 (-)	Miami Heat	0-0	MIL (10/21), @ IND (10/23)
7 (-)	Boston Celtics	0-0	@ NYK (10/20)*, TOR (10/22), @ HOU (10/24)
8 (-)	San Antonio Spurs	0-0	ORL (10/20), @ DEN (10/22), MIL (10/23)
9 (-)	Toronto Raptors	0-0	WAS (10/20), @ BOS (10/22), DAL (10/23)
10 (-)	Chicago Bulls	0-0	@ DET (10/20)*, NOP (10/22), DET (10/23)
11 (-)	Utah Jazz	0-0	OKC (10/20), @ SAC (10/22)
12 (-)	Los Angeles Clippers	0-0	@ GSW (10/21)*, MEM (10/23)
13 (-)	Denver Nuggets	0-0	@ PHO (10/20), SAS (10/22)
14 (-)	Houston Rockets	0-0	@ MIN (10/20), OKC (10/22), BOS (10/24)
15 (-)	Atlanta Hawks	0-0	DAL (10/21), CLE (10/23)
16 (-)	Indiana Pacers	0-0	@ CHO (10/20), @ WAS (10/22), MIA (10/23)
17 (-)	Dallas Mavericks	0-0	@ ATL (10/21), @ TOR (10/23)
18 (-)	New York Knicks	0-0	BOS (10/20)*, @ ORL (10/22), ORL (10/24)
19 (-)	Memphis Grizzlies	0-0	CLE (10/20), @ LAC (10/23), @ LAL (10/24)
20 (-)	Phoenix Suns	0-0	DEN (10/20), @ LAL (10/22)*, @ POR (10/23)
21 (-)	Philadelphia 76ers	0-0	@ NOP (10/20), BKN (10/22), @ OKC (10/24)
22 (-)	Washington Wizards	0-0	@ TOR (10/20), IND (10/22)
23 (-)	Charlotte Hornets	0-0	IND (10/20), @ CLE (10/22), @ BKN (10/24)
24 (-)	Minnesota Timberwolves	0-0	HOU (10/20), NOP (10/23)
25 (-)	Sacramento Kings	0-0	@ POR (10/20), UTA (10/22), GSW (10/24)
26 (-)	Detroit Pistons	0-0	CHI (10/20)*, @ CHI (10/23)
27 (-)	Oklahoma City Thunder	0-0	@ UTA (10/20), @ HOU (10/22), PHI (10/24)
28 (-)	New Orleans Pelicans	0-0	PHI (10/20), @ CHI (10/22), @ MIN (10/23)
29 (-)	Orlando Magic	0-0	@ SAS (10/20), NYK (10/22), @ NYK (10/24)
30 (-)	Cleveland Cavaliers	0-0	@ MEM (10/20), CHO (10/22), ATL (10/23)

[patriotway]

A large rift between the Philadelphia 76ers and guard Ben Simmons is still unresolved as the regular season begins.

by Monifa Abara | October 18, 2021
SECAUCUS, NJ

The start of this NBA season is no different than the ones that came before it when it comes to player availability. Teams have been working around the clock to adjust rosters for players that won't be able to or choose not to play.

The Philadelphia 76ers are dealing with the latter after fallout between them and three-time All-Star guard Ben Simmons. Not too far from Philadelphia, the Brooklyn Nets have their own situation. The case with three-time All-NBA point guard Kyrie Irving is a bit more complicated. New York City has a vaccine mandate and since Irving is not vaccinated, he won't be able to play in home games and against the New York Knicks. The Nets are unwilling to let Irving participate on a part-time basis, leaving the team without one of their "big three".

Meanwhile, other teams around the league will be without key players because of injuries. Some notable players on the list include forwards Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam and Zion Williamson, along with guards Jamal Murray and Klay Thompson.

Below is a full list of injuries coming into the season for the NBA.

Spoiler

Philadelphia 76ers
Pos	Player	Injury	Status	Duration
PG	Ben Simmons	Personal Reasons	OUT	UNKNOWN
C	Joel Embiid	Self Isolating	HURT	2-4 Weeks

Milwaukee Bucks
Pos	Player	Injury	Status	Duration
SG	Donte DiVincenzo	Torn Left Foot Ligament	OUT	1-2 Months
C	Brook Lopez	Sore Back	OUT	Indefinite

Chicago Bulls
Pos	Player	Player	Status	Duration
PF	Patrick Williams	Torn Left Hand Ligament	OUT	6-8 Months
PG	Coby White	Broken Right Foot	OUT	2-4 Weeks

Cleveland Cavaliers
Pos	Player	Injury	Status	Duration
SG	Collin Sexton	Torn Left Meniscus	OUT	SEASON

Boston Celtics
Pos	Player	Injury	Status	Duration
PF	Al Horford	Self Isolating	OUT	Day-to-Day
SF	Josh Richardson	Migraine	OUT	Day-to-Day

Los Angeles Clippers
Pos	Player	Injury	Status	Duration
SF	Kawhi Leonard	Torn Right MCL	OUT	SEASON
PF	Marcus Morris Sr.	Sore Left Knee	OUT	4-6 Weeks
C	Serge Ibaka	Pinched Nerve in the Back	OUT	4-6 Weeks

Atlanta Hawks
Pos	Player	Injury	Duration	Status
SF	De'Andre Hunter	Torn Left Hand Ligament	8-10 Weeks	OUT
C	Onyeka Okongwu	Torn Right Labrum	8-10 Weeks	OUT

Miami Heat
Pos	Player	Injury	Duration	Status
SG	Victor Oladipo	Broken Right Thigh	4-6 Months	OUT
PF	Markief Morris	Neck Strain	6-8 Weeks	OUT

New York Knicks
Pos	Player	Injury	Duration	Status
C	Nerlens Noel	Broken Left Ankle	1-2 Weeks	OUT

Los Angeles Lakers
Pos	Player	Injury	Duration	Status
PG	Kendrick Nunn	Bruised Left Knee	4-6 Months	OUT
PF	Trevor Ariza	Right Foot Surgery	8-10 Weeks	OUT
SF	Talen Horton-Tucker	Right Hand Surgery	2-4 Weeks	OUT

Orlando Magic
Pos	Player	Injury	Duration	Status
PF	Jonathan Isaac	Left Knee Surgery	4-6 Months	OUT
PG	Markelle Fultz	Torn Left ACL	4-6 Months	OUT

Brooklyn Nets
Pos	Player	Injury	Duration	Status
PG	Kyrie Irving	Personal Reasons	UNKNOWN	OUT
C	Nicholas Claxton	Stomach Virus	6-8 Weeks	OUT

Denver Nuggets
Pos	Player	Injury	Duration	Status
SF	Michael Porter Jr.	Pinched Nerve in the Back	SEASON	OUT
PG	Jamal Murray	Torn Left ACL	4-6 Months	OUT

Indiana Pacers
Pos	Player	Injury	Duration	Status
SF	T.J. Warren	Arthroscopic Left Knee Surgery	4-6 Months	OUT

New Orleans Pelicans
Pos	Player	Injury	Duration	Status
PF	Zion Williamson	Broken Left Foot	4-6 Months	OUT

Detroit Pistons
Pos	Player	Injury	Duration	Status
C	Kelly Olynyk	Sprained Left Knee	1-2 Months	OUT
SG	Cade Cunningham	Sprained Right Ankle	1-2 Weeks	OUT

Toronto Raptors
Pos	Player	Injury	Duration	Status
SF	Yuta Watanabe	Left Calf Cramp	4-6 Weeks	OUT
PF	Pascal Siakam	2-4 Weeks	2-4 Weeks	OUT

Houston Rockets
Pos	Player	Injury	Duration	Status
PG	John Wall	Personal Reasons	UNKNOWN	OUT

San Antonio Spurs
Pos	Player	Injury	Duration	Status
PF	Zach Collins	Broken Left Foot	4-6 Months	OUT

Phoenix Suns
Pos	Player	Injury	Duration	Status
C	Dario Saric	Torn Left ACL	SEASON	OUT
C	Frank Kaminsky III	Lower Right Leg Stress Fracture	4-6 Months	OUT

Golden State Warriors
Pos	Player	Injury	Duration	Status
C	James Wiseman	Torn Right Meniscus	4-6 Monthe	OUT
SG	Klay Thompson	Torn Right Achilles	2-4 Months	OUT

Washington Wizards
Pos	Player	Injury	Duration	Status
PF	Rui Hachimura	Personal Reasons	UNKNOWN	OUT
C	Thomas Bryant	Broken Right Foot	2-4 Months	OUT

[patriotway]

Matchup Preview *|* October 19, 2021
	@
Brooklyn Nets (0-0, 0-0 Away)		Milwaukee Bucks (0-0, 0-0 Home)
Projected Starters Patty Mills Point Guard Jrue Holiday James Harden Shooting Guard Grayson Allen Joe Harris Small Forward Pat Connaughton Kevin Durant Power Forward Khris Middleton Lamarcus Aldridge Center Giannis Antetokounmpo Injury Report K. Irving/Personal Reasons (UNKNOWN) D. DiVincenzo/Torn Left Foot Ligament (late December) N. Claxton/Stomach Virus (early December) B. Lopez/Back Surgery (UNKNOWN) Game Notes LAST MEETING: (Game 7 Eastern Conference Semifinals) Milwaukee Bucks 115 - Brooklyn Nets 111 SPREAD CONSENSUS PICK: Milwaukee Bucks

by Aaron Ramirez l October 19, 2021
MILWAUKEE, WI

For the first time, in their first game of the season, the Brooklyn Nets will be facing the team that ousted them from the playoffs. Unlike the second round of the playoffs, the Nets' roster will be mostly intact. The one key piece that will be missing is All-NBA point guard Kyrie Irving. New York has a vaccine requirement and the Nets' stance on not playing Irving in just away games means Irving will not be apart of the team for the foreseeable future.

The Milwaukee Bucks are returning with a roster that, at it's core, is the same as last season's team. That means forwards Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton along with guard Jrue Holiday will get to battle with the Nets. The Bucks will be receiving their rings tonight giving the Nets a perfect opportunity to play spoiler. If the Bucks bring the level of focus that allowed them to win a championship then this should be an easy game to manage.

[RolePlayer]

Glad to see you back

[patriotway]

by Aaron Ramirez | October 19, 2021
MILWAUKEE, WI

The Brooklyn Nets were unable to hold on to an 11-point halftime lead in their loss to the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday night. Nets forward Kevin Durant played well finishing with 33 points. Combo guard James Harden had 21 points and eight assists. Despite scoring a combined 54 points on 21-of-39 shooting, the rest of the team shot 29 percent from the field. Veteran forward Blake Griffin did not help the cause as he made just four of his 16 attempts.

After trailing at halftime, the Bucks outscored the Nets 71-40 in the second half. Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was a large part of the Bucks' comeback, finishing with 36 points on 14-of-18 from the floor. With Khris Middleton struggling like Griffin was for the Nets, guard Jrue Holiday stepped up with 24 points.

MORE NBA SCORES

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Matchup Preview *|* October 20, 2021
	@
Chicago Bulls (0-0, 0-0 Away)		Detroit Pistons (0-0, 0-0 Home)
Projected Starters Lonzo Ball Point Guard Cory Joseph Zach LaVine Shooting Guard Killian Hayes Javonte Green Small Forward Saddiq Bey DeMar DeRozan Power Forward Jerian Grant Nikola Vucevic Center Isaiah Stewart Injury Report P. Williams/Torn Left Hand Ligament (April 2022) K. Olynyk/Sprained Left Knee (late December) C. White/Broken Right Foot (mid November) C. Cunningham/Sprained Right Ankle (October 29) Game Notes LAST MEETING: (May 9, 2021) Chicago Bulls 108 - Detroit Pistons 96 SPREAD CONSENSUS PICK: Chicago Bulls

by Ella Adubato | October 20, 2021
DETROIT, MI

The Detroit Pistons will be the first teams to see the revamped Chicago Bulls this season. Over the summer the Chicago Bulls made several significant trades in an attempt to build a competitive roster. Two of the more notable additions to the squad are swingman DeMar DeRozan and point guard Lonzo Ball. Those two, along with big man Nikola Vucevic, should make for tough competition for the Pistons Wednesday night.

The Pistons major offseason move was selecting guard Cade Cunningham with the first overall pick in the draft. Although the rookie guard out of Oklahoma State won't be available because of an ankle sprain, the Pistons do have veteran to turn to in forward Jerami Grant. The former second-round pick led the Pistons in scoring last season with 22.3 points per game.

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