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

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The Boston Celtics turned a small lead into a blowout in the fourth quarter.

by Edward Kincade | October 27, 2021
BOSTON, MA

Forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown get the lion's share of credit for the success of the Boston Celtics. As the team's leading scorers and most talented players, it's only right that they do. There are other players that stand out and one of those players is third-year forward Grant Williams.

Nothing about Williams' production stands out as before this game he was just averaging 4.5 points in 18 minutes off the bench. Against the Washington Wizards, Williams took advantage of the opportunities he was presented. In the fourth quarter, Williams shot 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and scored nine points Until this game, Williams had shot 2-for-7 from beyond the arc.

With the help of Williams, the Celtics offense exploded for 39 points on 75 percent shooting while also shooting a scorching 6-of-7 from deep. Tatum led the scoring burst with 12 of his game-high 30 points coming on the final frame. Brown was the only other starter to break into double figures as he scored 11 points, matching a season-low set against the Toronto Raptors.

As for the Wizards, guard Bradley Beal led the team in scoring with 26 points and was 4-of-11 from deep. Unfortunately, as the Wizards' offense slowed down, so did Beal and backcourt teammate Spencer Dinwiddie. The guards combined for a total of nine points on 2-of-9 shooting in the fourth quarter. As a team, the Wizards shot 30 percent from the floor and scored 18 points.

Until the fourth quarter the game had been close. The Wizards had a six-point lead in the first half. That lead was erased in the third as they were outscored 31-22. In the second half, the Wizards were held to 40 points on 39 percent shooting.

It won't be long before these teams see each other as their next game is Saturday night. The Celtics won't have a game until then while the Wizards will have to play the second of their back-to-back set tomorrow against the Atlanta Hawks.

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Washington Wizards (0-4) at Boston Celtics (4-1)
Oct 27, 2021 1 2 3 4 Final Washington 20 22 22 18 82 Boston 16 20 31 39 106 Top Performers Washington Wizards B. Beal (SG): 26 pts (4-11 3pt), 3 reb, 6 ast D. Gafford (C): 12 pts (6-8 fg), 5 reb Boston Celtics J. Tatum (SF): 30 pts (13-20 fg), 7 reb, 5 ast D. Schroder (PG): 12 pts (5-9 fg), 3 reb, 9 ast, 4 to	Team Stats Comparison WAS BOS FG Made-Att 32-81 46-76 3PT Made-Att 10-30 10-26 FT Made-Att 8-9 4-4 Rebounds 32 48 Assists 21 27 Turnovers (Pts Off) 4 (14) 11 (7) Steals 11 3 Blocks 2 3
Washington Wizards STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS B. Beal (SG) 39 10-23 4-11 2-2 3 6 1 0 1 26 S. Dinwiddie (PG) 33 3-14 1-4 6-7 4 3 1 0 0 13 K. Kuzma (PF) 33 4-8 2-3 0-0 5 2 2 0 1 10 M. Harrell (C) 26 4-6 0-1 0-0 6 0 1 0 0 8 K. Caldwell-Pope (SF) 26 2-3 2-2 0-0 5 0 0 0 1 6 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS D. Gafford 23 6-8 0-0 0-0 5 0 1 1 0 12 D. Bertans 18 1-7 1-3 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 3 D. Avdija 14 1-4 0-2 0-0 1 3 1 1 0 2 C. Kispert 12 1-2 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 2 R. Neto 21 0-6 0-3 0-0 0 5 3 0 1 0 A. Gill -- DID NOT PLAY (Coach's Decision)-- A. Holiday -- DID NOT PLAY (Coach's Decision)-- I. Todd -- DID NOT PLAY (Coach's Decision)--
Boston Celtics STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS J. Tatum (SF) 41 13-20 4-6 0-0 7 5 1 0 1 30 J. Brown (SG) 33 5-10 1-4 0-0 7 3 0 0 3 11 M. Smart (PG) 26 4-7 1-4 0-0 1 3 0 0 3 9 R. Williams III (C) 29 4-4 0-0 1-1 8 3 1 2 0 9 A. Horford (C) 30 3-6 0-2 0-0 4 2 1 0 0 6 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS D. Schroder 28 5-9 1-2 1-1 3 9 0 1 4 12 E. Kanter 20 5-7 0-0 0-0 13 2 0 0 0 10 G. Williams 14 3-4 3-4 0-0 4 0 0 0 0 9 J. Richardson 15 4-7 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 8 P. Pritchard 10 0-2 0-2 2-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 J. Hernangomez -- DID NOT PLAY (Coach's Decision)-- J. Parker -- DID NOT PLAY (Coach's Decision)-- R. Langford -- DID NOT PLAY (Coach's Decision)--

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by Brooke Fox | October 27, 2021
BROOKLYN, NY

Wednesday night, the Miami Heat were able to win their fourth consecutive game when they beat the Brooklyn Nets 103-84. Veteran point guard Kyle Lowry led the all scorers with 23 points while shooting 4-of-11 from deep. It was Bam Adebayo that look the most impressive. The fifth-year center had an 18 point, 10 rebound double-double to go with six assists. Even more impressive than the Heat's individual performances was there defense.

For the fourth straight game the Heat were able to hold an opponent under 100 points. This feat is made even more impressive because of two particular players on the Nets roster. Forward Kevin Durant and guard James Harden weren't a factor on offense. The All-NBA duo had a combined 23 points on 6-of-21 shooting. Neither Harden nor Durant made a three-pointer on their combined seven attempts. As a team the Nets were held to 35 percent shooting and made only 24 percent of their three-point attempts.

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by Aaron Ramirez | October 27, 2021
MILWAUKEE, WI

The Milwaukee Bucks will be without MVP forward Giannis Antetokounmpo for a few games as he deals with a hip injury. The injury appeared occur in the fourth quarter of the Bucks' win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Antetokounmpo's absence, though it won't appear to be for long, will leave a big whole in the Bucks' rotation. Through five games this season, Antetokounmpo is averaging a team-high 28.8 points, 12.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 3.0 blocks. The five-time All-Star is second on the team in assists, averaging 4.8 per game.

Fifth-year forward Semi Ojeleye should see a significant increase in minutes along with second-year forward Jordan Nwora. With center Brook Lopez already out because of a back injury, the Bucks have called up center Sandro Mamukelashvili from the their G-League team the Wisconsin Heard.

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Milwaukee Bucks
Pos	Player	Injury	Status	Duration
PF	Giannis Antetokounmpo	Bruised Right Hip	DOUBTFUL	1-2 Weeks

Memphis Grizzlies
Pos	Player	Injury	Status	Duration
PF	Xavier Tillman	Bruised Left Hip	QUESTIONABLE	2-4 Weeks

Orlando Magic
Pos	Player	Injury	Status	Duration
PF	Wendell Carter Jr.	Bruised Rib	QUESTIONABLE	Day-to-Day

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by Benny Reinsdorf | October 28, 2021
CHICAGO, IL

New York Knicks' center Mitchell Robinson has been one of the better rim defenders in the NBA with an average of two blocks a game. Against the Chicago Bulls, Robinson will have to spend some time around the perimeter as he will be defending Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic. That could have a ripple effect as players won't have to fear Robinson's seven foot four inch wingspan. It will be important for the other players on the Knicks to keep their man out of the paint especially when Robinson isn't their.

Vucevic has been shooting well from beyond the arc, averaging 47.6 percent on such shots. Among players on the Bulls shooting more than four three-point attempts, Vucevic is second on the team trailing fifth-year guard Lonzo Ball. Collectively, the Bulls have done well shooting from deep. The Bulls three-point shooting compliments their smothering defense. They are third in defensive rating and ninth in points allowed per game.

by Bear Gregory | October 28, 2021
SAN FRANCISCO, CA

The Memphis Grizzlies have been one of the better teams on defense through the early going. A defensive rating of 98.4 is ninth in the NBA while they are allowing 93.8 points per game. It's the Grizzlies offense that seems to be the weak link. They are in the bottom third of the NBA in scoring with 94.8 points per game. The team's leading scorer, Ja Morant, has the 22nd best average in the league.

The Golden State Warriors haven't been without their own troubles this season as it seems their defense isn't complimenting their offense. Through four games the Warriors have a net rating of -4.5 points per 100 possessions. This is happening despite point guard Stephen Curry averaging 29.5 points, a mark that is tied for best in the NBA. The Warriors also have five players averaging more than 10 points and two of them are coming off the bench. Forwards Nemanja Bjelica and Otto Porter are putting up 14.5 and 14 points per game, respectively.

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by Benny Reinsdorf | October 28, 2021
CHICAGO, IL

New York Knicks' center Mitchell Robinson put his shot blocking on display as he managed to swat five shots against the Chicago Bulls. Robinson also recorded a season-high three steals in Thursday night's loss. Robinson's three steals were tied with swingman Alec Burks who finished with 13 points. As a team the Knicks ended the night with 11 steals which is ahead of their average of 7.8 on the season.

Bulls center Nikola Vucevic had his best game of the young season recording his fourth straight double-double. The surprise of the game was fifth-year guard Alex Caruso who recorded a season-high 23 points. Caruso had a total of 27 points in the Bulls' previous two games and averaged 11.2 points through the four games. Caruso also drained a season-high six of his nine three-point shots. The Bulls did well as a team shooting from three-point range converting 44 percent of those shots.

by Bear Gregory | October 28, 2021
SAN FRANCISCO, CA

After falling behind by double digits in the first quarter to the Golden State Warriors, the Memphis Grizzlies rallied. They outscored the Warriors by 13 in the second quarter and never looked back. The Grizzlies shot 55 percent from the floor and were led by their point guard Ja Morant. The third-year point guard out of Murray State a season-high 30 points after just scoring a total of 34 points in the team's prior two games. Six other players scored in double figures for the Grizzlies.

Warriors' point guard Stephen Curry matched Morant's 30 points but it was not enough to get his team the victory. Defensively, the Warriors gave little resistance as the Grizzlies scored 52 points in the paint. The Grizzlies also outrebounded the Warriors 53-43. This loss leaves the Warriors winless at home through the team's first two games at home.

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