Enter the Dragan [35-11] Final three games

10/12/18

Indiana Pacers [4-17] vs Phoenix Suns [13-7]

Suns dominate struggling Pacers in Indiana



IND - 20 16 22 21 179
PHX - 31 24 26 31 112

Player of the Game: Jonathan Jeanne
(19pts, 5reb, 1ast, 1stl, 3blk)
(8-8 FG, 3-3 FT)


Top Scorers
Jonathan Jeanne - 19
Devin Booker - 15
Alex Len - 15
Jaylen Brown - 13
Myles Turner - 12
Victor Oladipo - 12
Dragan Bender - 11
Kevin Knox - 10
Michael Carter-Williams - 9
Andre Iguodala - 9
Al Jefferson - 9
Markelle Fultz - 8

Rebounds
Myles Turner - 7
Wendell Carter - 7
Dragan Bender - 6
Kevin Knox - 5
Alex Len - 5
Jonathan Jeanne - 5
Cole Aldrich - 5
Victor Oladipo - 5

Assists
Markelle Fultz - 10
Marcus Smart - 8
Michael Carter-Williams - 7
Dragan Bender - 6

Steals
Victor Oladipo - 3
Marcus Smart - 2
Dragan Bender - 2
Mirza Teletovic - 2

Blocks
Jonathan Jeanne - 3
Myles Turner - 3
Wendell Carter - 2
Cole Aldrich - 2
Andre Iguodala - 2
Dragan Bender - 2

Simmed Game

PHX - 32 24 24 22 102
ATL - 22 26 23 25 196

POTG: Devin Booker (23pts, 7reb, 5ast)

Record: 15-7

Jeanne didn't even play in the first half. He just came in when I was already up by 20+ and dominated the second half.

Glad you upgraded the jerseys to realistic Nike ones. I stopped following this one after I saw the adidas jerseys you used. Hope these remain

Four game win streak since the trade, looks like it sparked something in your guys

Jonathan Jeanne....shows once again that size = everything in 2K

Glad you upgraded the jerseys to realistic Nike ones. I stopped following this one after I saw the adidas jerseys you used. Hope these remain

No plans to change them again (unless they update them in RL and someone makes them in-game to download).

Four game win streak since the trade, looks like it sparked something in your guys

Jonathan Jeanne....shows once again that size = everything in 2K

Smart has definitely taken over pretty seamlessly from Bledsoe. It's great having a guy who can pretty effectively lockdown the amazing point guards of the western conference.

JJ is similar to Alex Len in a lot of ways. Both are surprisingly effective at the offensive end, even though you'd expect them to be more defensively oriented players due to their size.

Been a while since I checked in. Was fun to catch up.

That's an interesting trade you made. While you sacrifice some spacing in that starting five, you have a deep bench and seemingly good defense. Also, if I remember correctly Jonathan Jeanne becomes a beast in 2K. I recall him becoming an all-star for some other team in my game.

Keep up the good work, Phil!

14/12/18

Phoenix Suns [15-7] vs Portland Trail Blazers [14-8]

Len guides Suns to hard-fought win against Blazers



PHX - 29 33 20 28 110
POR - 22 24 23 31 100

Player of the Game: Alex Len
(31pts, 10reb, 1stl)
(12-15 FG, 7-7 FT)


Top Scorers
Alex Len - 31
CJ McCollum - 31
Damian Lillard - 24
Jusuf Nurkic - 21
Robin Lopez - 14
Devin Booker - 10
Dragan Bender - 10
Michael Carter-Williams - 8
Marcus Smart - 8
Jonathan Jeanne - 8
Marquese Chriss - 8

Rebounds
Jusuf Nurkic - 12
Alex Len - 10
Dragan Bender - 6
Andrew Nicholson - 5
Kevin Knox - 5

Assists
Marcus Smart - 9
Damian Lillard - 9
CJ McCollum - 6
Michael Carter-Williams - 5

Steals
Jusuf Nurkic - 3
Ed Davis - 2
Damian Lillard - 2
Andrew Nicholson - 2
Andre Iguodala - 2

Simmed Game

PHX - 38 26 19 40 123
WAS - 42 30 33 30 135

POTG: Jahlil Okafor (26pts, 8reb, 1ast, 2blk)

Record: 16-8

Been a while since I checked in. Was fun to catch up.

That's an interesting trade you made. While you sacrifice some spacing in that starting five, you have a deep bench and seemingly good defense. Also, if I remember correctly Jonathan Jeanne becomes a beast in 2K. I recall him becoming an all-star for some other team in my game.

Keep up the good work, Phil!

I'm liking the trade so far. My play style leans more towards defense on 2k17, so Smart is a solid upgrade on Bledsoe in that regard. Plus the age difference and long-term contract are benefits as well


Jeanne really reminds me of Rudy Gobert. He is super long and challenges everything on the defensive end. If this save goes for a few more seasons I can definitely see him taking over the starting role from Alex Len.

17/12/18

Houston Rockets [11-12] vs Phoenix Suns [16-8]

Suns escape from Houston with impressive win



HOU - 21 15 30 21 187
PHX - 29 29 29 19 106

Player of the Game: Marcus Smart
(19pts, 3reb, 7ast, 3stl)
(7-11 FG, 5-5 FT)


Top Scorers
James Harden - 20
Alex Len - 20
Marcus Smart - 19
Devin Booker - 17
Robin Lopez - 14
Ryan Anderson - 14
Patrick Beverley - 12
Sam Dekker - 10
Dragan Bender - 9

Rebounds
Alex Len - 11
Clint Capela - 8
Andre Iguodala - 7
Dragan Bender - 6
Robin Lopez - 5
Donatas Motiejunas - 5

Assists
James Harden - 9
Patrick Beverley - 7
Marcus Smart - 7
Devin Booker - 6

Steals
Donatas Motiejunas - 3
Ryan Anderson - 3
Marcus Smart - 3
Clint Capela - 2
Sam Dekker - 2
James Harden - 2
Eric Gordon - 2
Patrick Beverley - 2

Blocks
Alex Len - 2
Michael Carter-Williams - 2
Dragan Bender - 2

Simmed Game

PHX - 27 30 20 22 99
MIN - 24 29 19 19 91

POTG: Dragan Bender (20pts, 9reb, 4blk)

Record: 18-8

Bender! 4 blocks in a sim game, nice!

Great job with the presentation so far. Looks like the trade is paying off, too.

21/12/18

Los Angeles Clippers [18-7] vs Phoenix Suns [18-8]

Melo turns back the clock to sink Suns



LAC - 23 29 18 28 98
PHX - 27 21 26 17 91

Player of the Game: Carmelo Anthony
(28pts, 4reb, 3ast, 2stl)
(10-25 FG, 3-8 3PT, 5-5 FT)


Top Scorers
Carmelo Anthony - 28
Chris Paul - 21
Lance Stephenson - 16
Blake Griffin - 16
Devin Booker - 14
Dragan Bender - 13
Jonathan Jeanne - 10
Michael Carter-Williams - 10
Marcus Smart - 10
Jerryd Bayless - 9
Robin Lopez - 8

Rebounds
Blake Griffin - 13
Alex Len - 10
Kosta Koufos - 8
DeAndre Jordan - 7
Dragan Bender - 6
Chris Paul - 5

Assists
Chris Paul - 10
Michael Carter-Williams - 7
Lance Stephenson - 7

Steals
Blake Griffin - 4
DeAndre Jordan - 4
Andre Iguodala - 2
Maurice N'Dour - 2
Carmelo Anthony - 2

Blocks
Jonathan Jeanne - 4
Kosta Koufos - 3
Andre Iguodala - 2
Alex Len - 2
Dragan Bender - 2
DeAndre Jordan - 2

Simmed Game

TOR - 23 26 13 32 17 101
PHX - 25 26 24 19 17 111

POTG: DeMar DeRozan (38pts, 4reb, 4ast, 1stl, 1blk)

Record: 19-9

Chris Paul fouled out with 6 minutes left, but I couldn't take advantage of it though.

Bender! 4 blocks in a sim game, nice!

His offensive output has been a bit inconsistent lately. I can always count on him to be a disruptive force on defense though.

Great job with the presentation so far. Looks like the trade is paying off, too.

Thanks. Smart isn't as good an athlete as Bledsoe, but his extra height and wingspan allow him to be a better defender. He fits right in with my play style with this team.

SERIOUS QUESTION: Do you think Dragan Bender is a lost cause IRL?

SERIOUS QUESTION: Do you think Dragan Bender is a lost cause IRL?

I'm not really sure. We don't get many Phoenix games shown in Australia, so I haven't really seen him play much IRL.

He seems to have the tools to be a good NBA player. I think he was kind of unlucky to come into the league with everyone expecting him to be the next Porzingis.

I'd give him another year or two to develop before writing him off. He is a year younger than most of his draft class, and none of them are really showing much either (apart from Ben Simmons and maybe Jaylen Brown and Domantas Sabonis).

The Suns just hired a Euro coach, so maybe Dragan will get a bigger role next season.

24/12/18

Phoenix Suns [19-9] vs Orlando Magic [15-12]

Suns win ugly against scrappy Magic



PHX - 23 19 17 28 87
ORL - 16 17 23 27 83

Player of the Game: Alex Len
(15pts, 8reb, 1ast, 2blk)
(6-9 FG, 3-7 FT)


Top Scorers
Nikola Vucevic - 20
Devin Booker - 18
Alex Len - 15
Michael Carter-Williams - 12
Aaron Gordon - 11
Evan Fournier - 11
Mario Hezonja - 10
Marcus Smart - 10
Elfrid Payton - 9
Robin Lopez - 8

Rebounds
Aaron Gordon - 13
Nikola Vucevic - 8
Alex Len - 8
Dragan Bender - 6
Robin Lopez - 5

Assists
Elfrid Payton - 6
Evan Fournier - 5
Mario Hezonja - 5

Steals
Andre Iguodala - 4
Elfrid Payton - 3
Evan Fournier - 3
Dragan Bender - 3
Aaron Gordon - 2
Nikola Vucevic - 2

Blocks
Alex Len - 2

Simmed Game

PHX - 19 23 21 20 183
LAC - 33 25 30 25 113

POTG: Carmelo Anthony (25pts, 8reb, 7ast, 3blk)

Record: 20-10

28/12/18

Oklahoma City [19-8] vs Phoenix Suns [20-10]

Booker and Smart lead Suns to thrilling win in Oklahoma City



OKC - 25 27 27 20 199
PHX - 25 26 18 31 100

Player of the Game: Devin Booker
(23pts, 3reb, 1ast)
(9-13 FG, 1-4 3PT, 4-4 FT)


Top Scorers
Russell Westbrook - 28
Devin Booker - 23
Alex Abrines - 15
Alex Len - 15
Jae Crowder - 14
Robin Lopez - 13
Derrick Favors - 12
Michael Carter-Williams - 11
Steven Adams - 10
Amir Johnson - 9

Rebounds
Steven Adams - 11
Derrick Favors - 7
Jonathan Jeanne - 6
Alex Len - 5
Marquese Chriss - 5

Assists
Russell Westbrook - 8
Marcus Smart - 7
Alex Abrines - 5

Steals
Steven Adams - 3
Alexis Ajinca - 3
Andre Iguodala - 2
Alex Len - 2
Jayson Tatum - 2
Derrick Favors - 2

Blocks
Dragan Bender - 4
Kevin Knox - 3
Andre Iguodala - 2


Smart with the game-winning block

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Simmed Game

PHX - 25 15 23 29 192
TOR - 25 28 25 23 101

POTG: DeMar DeRozan (36pts, 5reb, 6ast, 1stl, 2blk)

Record: 21-11

Adams fouled out with 50 seconds left.

We were down 97-89 with 1:15 left. Then Booker scored 10 points to spearhead a 11-2 run. 20 seconds left.

Westbrook gets it in the corner, 1 vs 1 with Smart, and Marcus comes up with a huge block. OKC ball with 1.8 seconds left.

Favors tries to get the inbound pass to Westbrook, but Alex Len intercepts it and the clock runs out. We won 100-99!

Awesome win! Those always feel immensely satisfying, especially when the game often stacks the deck against you. Guess it had to get you back in the simulation, though.

The Suns just hired a Euro coach, so maybe Dragan will get a bigger role next season.

Kokoskov's a fantastic coach, and Bender is still really young so he's got a chance.

A bit jealous of Phoenix actually, got a capable coach who will prob get the front office to take Doncic. Meanwhile, Bulls are stuck with GarPax Hoiball.

Great win over OKC, Booker took over for sure.

Awesome win! Those always feel immensely satisfying, especially when the game often stacks the deck against you. Guess it had to get you back in the simulation, though.

It was a tense finish. I went from almost rage quitting to punching the air within the space of a few minutes

The cpu seems to enjoy evening the ledger in the sim games. It's unfortunate, but I suppose it keeps a touch of realism to my team's record.

The Suns just hired a Euro coach, so maybe Dragan will get a bigger role next season.

Kokoskov's a fantastic coach, and Bender is still really young so he's got a chance.

A bit jealous of Phoenix actually, got a capable coach who will prob get the front office to take Doncic. Meanwhile, Bulls are stuck with GarPax Hoiball.

Great win over OKC, Booker took over for sure.

It will be interesting to see what they do if they manage to get the first overall pick. Will they take the "local" big man prospect Ayton or back their new coach if he wants Doncic?

I saw a report today that said they are supposedly targeting Clint Capela in free agency. So maybe they are leaning towards Doncic.

31/12/18

Phoenix Suns [21-11] vs Miami Heat [17-18]

Third quarter surge propels Suns to easy win over Heat



PHX - 20 26 28 26 100
MIA - 15 24 14 23 176

Player of the Game: Alex Len
(19pts, 10reb, 2ast, 2blk)
(8-8 FG, 3-4 FT)


Top Scorers
Alex Len - 19
Josh Richardson - 16
Hassan Whiteside - 14
Devin Booker - 13
Kevin Knox - 13
Jonathan Jeanne - 12
Justise Winslow - 12
Michael Carter-Williams - 11
Dragan Bender - 10
Gorgui Dieng - 8

Rebounds
Alex Len - 10
Hassan Whiteside - 7
Kevin Love - 6
Kevin Knox - 6
Dragan Bender - 6
Jonathan Jeanne - 5

Assists
Frank Ntilikina - 6
Josh Richardson - 6
Dragan Bender - 5
Marcus Smart - 5

Steals
Hassan Whiteside - 5
Kevin Love - 4
Andre Iguodala - 2
Michael Carter-Williams - 2
Justise Winslow - 2
Terrence Jones - 2
Josh Richardson - 2

Blocks
Alex Len - 2
Marcus Smart - 2
Dragan Bender - 2

Simmed Game

WAS - 14 10 31 40 95
PHX - 29 19 22 28 98

POTG: Devin Booker (29pts, 3reb, 3ast, 2stl)

Record: 23-11

1/1/19

December 2018 Summary




Division Standings

Eastern Conference











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Western Conference











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Playoff Seeds & Power Rankings

Eastern Conference





Western Conference





Power Rankings




-----



League Leaders

Points


Rebounds


Assists


Steals


Blocks




-----



Monthly and Weekly Awards

Players of the Week



Players of the Month



Rookies of the Month




-----



Rookies Ranking





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Award Race Leaders

Most Valuable Player


Defensive Player of the Year


Sixth Man of the Year


Most Improved Player


Rookie of the Year




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All-Star Votes

East Frontcourt


East Backcourt


West Frontcourt


West Backcourt

Transactions
05/12/18 - Boston traded Marcus Smart and EC Matthews to Suns
05/12/18 - Milwaukee traded Malcolm Brogdon and Shaun Livingston to Celtics, Mirza Teletovic to Suns
05/12/18 - Phoenix traded Eric Bledsoe, Alan Williams and Allonzo Trier to Bucks

22/12/18 - Seattle re-signed Enes Kanter (3 years / $54 million)

26/12/18 - Chicago traded Nikola Mirotic
26/12/18 - Seattle traded Omer Asik, 2019 first round pick (lottery protected)

26/12/18 - Chicago waived Omer Asik

27/12/18 - Utah waived Kyle Singler

27/12/18 - Portland waived Jake Layman

27/12/18 - Portland signed Josh Hart (2 years / $3 million)

29/12/18 - Utah signed Omer Asik (1 year / $1 million)

29/12/18 - Oklahoma City re-signed Alex Abrines (3 years / $33 million)

10/1/19

Phoenix Suns [23-11] vs San Diego Eagles [19-15]

Suns bench spearheads second-half comeback against Eagles



PHX - 26 19 32 20 97
SDE - 25 24 25 16 90

Player of the Game: Jonathan Jeanne
(16pts, 5reb, 3stl, 5blk)
(7-8 FG, 2-3 FT)


Top Scorers
Dennis Smith Jr - 22
Greg Monroe - 16
Jonathan Jeanne - 16
Kevin Knox - 14
Boban Marjanovic - 14
Alex Len - 13
Robin Lopez - 12
TJ Warren - 12
CJ Miles - 10
Devin Booker - 10
Marquese Chriss - 10
Trae Young - 9
Dragan Bender - 8

Rebounds
Boban Marjanovic - 14
Greg Monroe - 8
Jonathan Jeanne - 6
Dragan Bender - 6
Kevin Knox - 5
TJ Warren - 5

Assists
TJ Warren - 7

Steals
TJ Warren - 5
Jonathan Jeanne - 3
Greg Monroe - 3
Boban Marjanovic - 3
Devin Booker - 2
Jerryd Bayless - 2
CJ Miles - 2
Dennis Smith Jr - 2

Blocks
Jonathan Jeanne - 5
Michael Carter-Williams - 3
Kevin Knox - 2

Simmed Game

MIL - 26 20 24 25 95
PHX - 17 26 10 18 71

POTG: Giannis Antetokounmpo (20pts, 14reb, 8ast)

Record: 24-12

Booker and Smart had to deal with foul trouble throughout the game.

Knox scored 14 off the bench in the second half and kick-started our fightback.

15/1/19

Denver Nuggets [12-28] vs Phoenix Suns [24-12]

Len and Jokic battle as Suns escape from Denver with a win



DEN - 17 24 29 19 89
PHX - 27 25 20 27 99

Player of the Game: Alex Len
(18pts, 15reb, 3ast, 1stl, 7blk)
(8-9 FG, 2-2 FT)


Top Scorers
Trevon Duval - 22
Devin Booker - 20
Alex Len - 18
Jamal Murray - 16
Nikola Jokic - 15
Gary Harris - 12
Marquese Chriss - 10
Dragan Bender - 9
Paul Millsap - 8
Marcus Smart - 8

Rebounds
Alex Len - 15
Nikola Jokic - 14
Dragan Bender - 6

Assists
Marcus Smart - 6

Steals
Paul Millsap - 3
Marquese Chriss - 2
Nikola Jokic - 2
Jamal Murray - 2

Blocks
Alex Len - 7
Dragan Bender - 3
Skal Labissiere - 2

Simmed Game

LAC - 22 38 29 23 112
PHX - 25 29 19 28 101

POTG: Chris Paul (24pts, 3reb, 15ast, 4stl)

Record: 25-13

21/1/19

Phoenix Suns [25-13] vs Boston Celtics [24-15]

Booker leads Suns to victory over eastern conference leaders



PHX - 19 37 26 23 105
BOS - 20 22 15 29 186

Player of the Game: Alex Len
(10pts, 10reb, 3ast, 4blk)
(4-6 FG, 2-3 FT)


Top Scorers
Devin Booker - 19
Kyrie Irving - 16
Paul George - 16
Marquese Chriss - 14
Dragan Bender - 13
Jonathan Jeanne - 12
Al Horford - 12
Tyler Zeller - 11
Alex Len - 10
Thaddeus Young - 9
Michael Carter-Williams - 8
Robin Lopez - 8

Rebounds
Alex Len - 10
Thaddeus Young - 9
Al Horford - 7
Kevin Knox - 5

Assists
Paul George - 6
Michael Carter-Williams - 5

Steals
Paul George - 5
Jerryd Bayless - 3
Dragan Bender - 2
Kyrie Irving - 2

Blocks
Alex Len - 4
Dragan Bender - 2

Simmed Game

PHX - 26 38 21 31 116
MEM - 27 28 21 24 100

POTG: Devin Booker (22pts, 2reb, 7ast)

Record: 27-13

26/1/19

Reports: Struggling Grizzlies ready to trade star big man before deadline

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Memphis Grizzlies are now actively seeking to trade star center Marc Gasol before the trade deadline. The thirty-four year old Spaniard is in the final year of his contract and has allegedly informed Grizzlies management that he intends to end his long association with the franchise at the end of the season.

Memphis currently find themselves in a tough position. They locked in Mike Conley and Chandler Parsons to enormous long-term contracts, but neither has justified those deals with their output on the court. As a consequence the team is struggling to win games and veterans Gasol and Zach Randolph are both aging and expiring. They also lack any significant cap space to rebuild with.

To make matters worse Cleveland hold the rights to their 2019 first round pick, as long as it isn't in the top five selections. So when this news broke many journalists naturally put the Cavs as favourites to land Gasol. They won't be alone in chasing him though, as plenty of teams will be keen to get their hands on a quality offensive big man.

It remains to be see whether moving Gasol is the first step in a total rebuild for Memphis, or just an isolated deal. Some of their fans have been calling for them to hire Sam Hinkie and let him overhaul the roster after the job he did in Philadelphia. It may not be the worst idea in the world. The Sixers are currently leading the eastern conference standings with a team of young stars that Hinkie helped assemble.

The Grizzlies currently sit in fourteenth place out west with a 13-29 record.