Dallas (7 - 20)

Expert Pick
0% >< 0%

Sacramento (12 - 18)

Not All Fights are up the top!


Week 7 is upon us and the season has taken shape now. It’s become clear who is up the top, who is down the bottom and who is wanting to win games or not. This one, we showcase two of the teams that currently sit down near the bottom, one who is fighting for everything to get to a Play In, and the other that might not be quiet as eager. The Mavs: The Mavs currently sit 2^nd last in the West and their only saving grace their pride is the fact that Golden State despite the new GM and the new outlook, hasn’t clicked and can’t buy a win, otherwise, they’d be squarely down the bottom. Their current record sees them in the bottom 4 of the whole league and things don’t project to ease in the near future. They surprised everyone by winning a few games last week with the return of Mark Williams to the line up but struggling with a lack of talent on the roster and then missing games from key guys like Williams, D’Angelo Russell and Miles McBride, and it’s easy to see why the team that needs everything to go right to even consider competing for a playoff spot, simply isn’t there. Unfortunately, they are now looking a little too hard at going the other way about things, with Mark Williams purposely benched this week after causing them to win games last week, and it remains to be seen how Devin Vassell fits into the mix next week since he was conveniently left out of the rotation this week, also. They’ve started to make some moves, getting a first by trading Camcan Johnbinson for Duncan Robinson and a 1^st, which is just good business, and they’re looking at options for Obi Toppin and probably Russell now too. Can the Mavs get some more wins? Do they even want to? Sanctions might ensue if they make their true intentions too obvious, but for now we hope they look to push the right way. The Kings: The Kings are here again looking to fight for a play in spot because they don’t have any of their own picks until 2028, but really still showing no clear direction in terms of a rebuild or a true playoff push, and hence end up in this no mans land hoping for a play in spot which probably won’t project much even if it lands. They manage to squeeze the juice out of what they have in the best way every year however and that is being done again with Tyler Herro really pushing the chips in for them this year, but then they go an make moves like trading Duncan Robinson and a 1^st for Duncan Robinson who can only play PF, and you definitely don’t want that type of player playing PF in 2k. Which means, they still have few 1^st in the pocket and the team has talent and age issues right through it, with guys trending towards negative asset territory like FVV, Grant Williams, Cam Johnson and a borderline Bogdanovic who has only managed to play 2 weeks this season so far. The return of Mitch Robinson will be a shot in the arm when it happens and will allow them to bench Cam and try the all out run and gun, and you know Klemm is always going to try and get himself as high up the standings as possible which is in complete contrast to the opposition this week. Cam joins Mitch, Bogdan and Grant Williams on the sidelines this week, which might actually bode alright for them, and I would expect them to get a win over the Mavs at the least this week. The Projected Match-Ups: C: Zach Collins Vs Charles Bassey Collins has been starting for the Mavs most of the year and doing solidly at it averaging 10 points, 8 rebounds 1.2 steals and 1.7 blocks, but it was most evident last week that they would be much better served with a paint beast defensive C starting with the overall line up, which is why it was changed this week. Collins gets a match up with one of those low end paint beast athletic Cs that do so well in this league in Bassey whom has started every game this year averaging 7 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists 1.4 steals and 2 blocks anchoring that middle for the Kings who haven’t had a 2^nd C all year and keep calling up the fill in. I expect Bassey to impact this game more and give the Kings the edge at C. PF: Miles Bridges Vs Kyle Anderson Bridges has unfortunately missed time for the Mavs this year but when healthy he has poured in 21 points a game as a starter and 24 a night at this PF spot, which will help the Mavs who need that go to scorer. This line though highlights why the bigger, defensive paint guy is a better fit next to a Bridges PF type, though he’s going to get a favourable match up tonight against Kyle Anderson. Anderson has started at PF for 4 weeks prior to this one and only averaged 8 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, but you can get away with having a poor rebounding PF next to a Bassey type somewhat. He won’t set the world alight though and will be tasked with trying to slow Bridges mostly, which might be an uphill battle. SF: Dalton Knecht Vs Gary Trent Jnr. Knecht has started every game this year, half at SF and half at SG, but he’s definitely been better at the SF spot he’s lined up at this week. 12.5 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists playing this spot and better shooting overall. The SG experiment didn’t work all that well and tonight he’ll be faced up with a guy who won’t bother him too much defensively. Gary Trent started at SF last week for the first time this year and it paid dividends where he dropped 21 a night on efficient shooting and so he gets a nod there again this week, as Klemm tries to get that all out firepower game going again. It’s a good 2k strategy and Trent is a good 2k scorer who should best the rookie. SG: Duncan Robinson Vs Christian Braun Duncan came to Dallas from Sac and immediately assumed the starting SG spot after only playing reserve SF in Sactown, and he’s been solid in the role spacing the floor averaging 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists on 53/48/89 splits. He thrived last week, too. This week he gets Braun who is one of the top up and coming young SGs in the league by ratings and NBA, but he’s not their yet in 2k due to the year or 2 lag in tendency updates. He’s been the SF most the year, but in his SG starts he’s averaged only 6 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists (slightly down from SF numbers) and it’s just a matter of not having the presence to demand the ball and shots yet. For that reason, Ducan should be more impactful in this game. PG: Malaki Branham Vs Tyler Herro With Russell out this week, the starting PG spot falls to Branham who has been the reserve SG role all year prior. In his reserve role he averaged 5 points, 2 rebounds and 1.5 assists despite brilliant efficiency so the bar is set pretty low on his starting PG showing this week. And he of course comes up against one of the bust out guys of the year in Tyler Herro. Herro has started at SG for all but last week this year and averaged 31 a game in that role, but he took over as starting PG with FVV moving to the bench due to his lack of production. It resulted in 26 points per game, so maybe not the ideal role, but still a scoring feast for Herro who won’t have any problem beating up on Branham and the Mavs. Bench V Bench: Mark Williams, Obi Toppin, Brice Sensabaugh, Leonard Miller, Mac McClung Vs Fred VanVleet, Kyshawn George, Spencer Jones, Sam Hauser The Mavs bench has some strong talent down low in Williams and Toppin, who really shouldn’t be there, but the depth ends after that with the injuries they’re currently facing. The Kings are running a 4 man with similar lack of depth past Fred VanVleet, including the fill in C and rookie George. The Mavs bench is still the stronger one.

Week 7 is upon us and the season has taken shape now. It’s become clear who is up the top, who is down the bottom and who is wanting to win games or not. This one, we showcase two of the teams that currently sit down near the bottom, one who is fighting for everything to get to a Play In, and the other that might not be quiet as eager.

The Mavs:

The Mavs currently sit 2^nd last in the West and their only saving grace their pride is the fact that Golden State despite the new GM and the new outlook, hasn’t clicked and can’t buy a win, otherwise, they’d be squarely down the bottom. Their current record sees them in the bottom 4 of the whole league and things don’t project to ease in the near future. They surprised everyone by winning a few games last week with the return of Mark Williams to the line up but struggling with a lack of talent on the roster and then missing games from key guys like Williams, D’Angelo Russell and Miles McBride, and it’s easy to see why the team that needs everything to go right to even consider competing for a playoff spot, simply isn’t there. Unfortunately, they are now looking a little too hard at going the other way about things, with Mark Williams purposely benched this week after causing them to win games last week, and it remains to be seen how Devin Vassell fits into the mix next week since he was conveniently left out of the rotation this week, also. They’ve started to make some moves, getting a first by trading Camcan Johnbinson for Duncan Robinson and a 1^st, which is just good business, and they’re looking at options for Obi Toppin and probably Russell now too. Can the Mavs get some more wins? Do they even want to? Sanctions might ensue if they make their true intentions too obvious, but for now we hope they look to push the right way.

The Kings:

The Kings are here again looking to fight for a play in spot because they don’t have any of their own picks until 2028, but really still showing no clear direction in terms of a rebuild or a true playoff push, and hence end up in this no mans land hoping for a play in spot which probably won’t project much even if it lands. They manage to squeeze the juice out of what they have in the best way every year however and that is being done again with Tyler Herro really pushing the chips in for them this year, but then they go an make moves like trading Duncan Robinson and a 1^st for Duncan Robinson who can only play PF, and you definitely don’t want that type of player playing PF in 2k. Which means, they still have few 1^st in the pocket and the team has talent and age issues right through it, with guys trending towards negative asset territory like FVV, Grant Williams, Cam Johnson and a borderline Bogdanovic who has only managed to play 2 weeks this season so far. The return of Mitch Robinson will be a shot in the arm when it happens and will allow them to bench Cam and try the all out run and gun, and you know Klemm is always going to try and get himself as high up the standings as possible which is in complete contrast to the opposition this week. Cam joins Mitch, Bogdan and Grant Williams on the sidelines this week, which might actually bode alright for them, and I would expect them to get a win over the Mavs at the least this week.

The Projected Match-Ups:

C: Zach Collins Vs Charles Bassey

Collins has been starting for the Mavs most of the year and doing solidly at it averaging 10 points, 8 rebounds 1.2 steals and 1.7 blocks, but it was most evident last week that they would be much better served with a paint beast defensive C starting with the overall line up, which is why it was changed this week. Collins gets a match up with one of those low end paint beast athletic Cs that do so well in this league in Bassey whom has started every game this year averaging 7 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists 1.4 steals and 2 blocks anchoring that middle for the Kings who haven’t had a 2^nd C all year and keep calling up the fill in. I expect Bassey to impact this game more and give the Kings the edge at C.

PF: Miles Bridges Vs Kyle Anderson

Bridges has unfortunately missed time for the Mavs this year but when healthy he has poured in 21 points a game as a starter and 24 a night at this PF spot, which will help the Mavs who need that go to scorer. This line though highlights why the bigger, defensive paint guy is a better fit next to a Bridges PF type, though he’s going to get a favourable match up tonight against Kyle Anderson. Anderson has started at PF for 4 weeks prior to this one and only averaged 8 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, but you can get away with having a poor rebounding PF next to a Bassey type somewhat. He won’t set the world alight though and will be tasked with trying to slow Bridges mostly, which might be an uphill battle.

SF: Dalton Knecht Vs Gary Trent Jnr.

Knecht has started every game this year, half at SF and half at SG, but he’s definitely been better at the SF spot he’s lined up at this week. 12.5 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists playing this spot and better shooting overall. The SG experiment didn’t work all that well and tonight he’ll be faced up with a guy who won’t bother him too much defensively. Gary Trent started at SF last week for the first time this year and it paid dividends where he dropped 21 a night on efficient shooting and so he gets a nod there again this week, as Klemm tries to get that all out firepower game going again. It’s a good 2k strategy and Trent is a good 2k scorer who should best the rookie.

SG: Duncan Robinson Vs Christian Braun

Duncan came to Dallas from Sac and immediately assumed the starting SG spot after only playing reserve SF in Sactown, and he’s been solid in the role spacing the floor averaging 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists on 53/48/89 splits. He thrived last week, too. This week he gets Braun who is one of the top up and coming young SGs in the league by ratings and NBA, but he’s not their yet in 2k due to the year or 2 lag in tendency updates. He’s been the SF most the year, but in his SG starts he’s averaged only 6 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists (slightly down from SF numbers) and it’s just a matter of not having the presence to demand the ball and shots yet. For that reason, Ducan should be more impactful in this game.

PG: Malaki Branham Vs Tyler Herro

With Russell out this week, the starting PG spot falls to Branham who has been the reserve SG role all year prior. In his reserve role he averaged 5 points, 2 rebounds and 1.5 assists despite brilliant efficiency so the bar is set pretty low on his starting PG showing this week. And he of course comes up against one of the bust out guys of the year in Tyler Herro. Herro has started at SG for all but last week this year and averaged 31 a game in that role, but he took over as starting PG with FVV moving to the bench due to his lack of production. It resulted in 26 points per game, so maybe not the ideal role, but still a scoring feast for Herro who won’t have any problem beating up on Branham and the Mavs.

Bench V Bench:

Mark Williams, Obi Toppin, Brice Sensabaugh, Leonard Miller, Mac McClung
Vs
Fred VanVleet, Kyshawn George, Spencer Jones, Sam Hauser

The Mavs bench has some strong talent down low in Williams and Toppin, who really shouldn’t be there, but the depth ends after that with the injuries they’re currently facing. The Kings are running a 4 man with similar lack of depth past Fred VanVleet, including the fill in C and rookie George. The Mavs bench is still the stronger one.

Mavericks Star

Miles Bridges
Prior to yesterday, you might have had a dogfight for star of this Mavs team, but Kyle Kuzma is now gone and Devin Vassell’s fit remains to be seen, which leaves Bridges as the man. He’s struggled to stay on the court so far but he’s leading the team in scoring easily and is up there in assists and blocks too. A few more weeks like last week though and maybe Mark Williams takes this mantle.

PPG 22.9

RPG 5.1

APG 2.8

SPG 0.5

BPG 0.8

FPG 1.9

TPG 1.7

PPG 29.4

RPG 4.0

APG 3.4

SPG 0.5

BPG 0.1

FPG 1.4

TPG 1.1

Kings Star

Tyler Herro
Herro hasn’t missed a game or a beat this year and easily leads the team in scoring and PER and really is turning that corner in the NBA, too, so the future is bright for this man. The Kings lucked out big time only having to move off the perennial disappointment in Andrew Wiggins to get him too. Big ups to Klemm!

X-Factor
- One of the biggest factors in this game I feel is going to be the rebound battle. The Kings are notoriously poor on the boards and it’s probably just about THE reason why they aren’t doing better when they have the offensive threats they have. After Bassey they have no one working in this space opting for PFs who hate this endeavour and so maybe, just maybe, the Mavs strength on the boards might help them make a play for this game. That said, the main advantage they had in this space is now sitting on their bench.

X-Factor

- One of the biggest factors in this game I feel is going to be the rebound battle. The Kings are notoriously poor on the boards and it’s probably just about THE reason why they aren’t doing better when they have the offensive threats they have. After Bassey they have no one working in this space opting for PFs who hate this endeavour and so maybe, just maybe, the Mavs strength on the boards might help them make a play for this game. That said, the main advantage they had in this space is now sitting on their bench.

Injury Report
Injured Players: Bogdan Bogdanovic (Hamstring/Quad/Leg/Injury Management) - 21 NBA Games missed this season Mitchell Robinson (Ankle) - 38 NBA Games missed this season Grant Williams (Knee Acl) - 19 NBA Games missed this season Cameron Johnson (Ankle) - 4 NBA Games missed this season Returning Players: Kyshawn George (returning from Ankle) - 5 NBA Games missed this season	Injured Players: DAngelo Russell (Illness/Thumb/Shin) - 4 NBA Games missed this season Kyle Kuzma (Groin/Ribs) - 17 NBA Games missed this season Naji Marshall (Illness) - 12 NBA Games missed this season Miles McBride (Knee/Hamstring) - 9 NBA Games missed this season Jalen Hood-Schifino (Illness/Groin/Hamstring) - 22 NBA Games missed this season

Prediction
Head to Head Prediction: In the end, only one team actually wants to win this game and they should do so comfortably. They have the right formula and strategy, with only the overall talent of that formula holding them back, but Klemm will always go for gold. This shouldn’t be close. Kings by 18.

Prediction

Head to Head Prediction:

In the end, only one team actually wants to win this game and they should do so comfortably. They have the right formula and strategy, with only the overall talent of that formula holding them back, but Klemm will always go for gold. This shouldn’t be close.

Kings by 18.

	CHI	114
	ORL	96

	IND	104
	DEN	97

	MEM	105
	NO	100

	MIN	99
	LAL	105

	SA	107
	POR	95