The D.O.L.L.A Squad Week 9 Match-Up Vs. Jokic the Joker

Yahoo Fantasy Basketball H2H 9 Cat 12 Team League

Pre-week 9 Prep
This is a special week that warrants a pre-week preparation.
This is not a week where I can afford to slack off.
Besides aiming for the title, the BRAGGING RIGHTS against Jokic the Joker comes as the 2nd most important.

Having a look at his team's stats, it is hard to determine which stats I should aim for to secure a sound victory.
Below is his team's stat results up to this week.

FG%	FT%	3PTM	PTS	REB	AST	ST	BLK	TO
3-5-0	1-7-0	6-2-0	5-2-1	6-2-0	8-0-0	4-4-0	5-3-0	2-5-1

So, his team is an absolute beast with AST with a strong 3PTM and REB.
This causes some problems as my team also aims for 2 of the 3 stats he is strong at.
Furthermore, his PTS and ST are pretty decent as well.
This is to be expected from a team sitting 4th in the league with 7 game differential with me.

To figure out my win condition, I would be confident in securing FG% & FT% giving me 2 points.
I also know for a fact that he punts on TO so if I play my cards right, that's 1 point for me, for a total of 3.

I would punt on REB and BLK losing me 2 points.
I would love a point from AST but you don't go 8-0 without having some serious foundation. So, another point lost.

That leaves 3PTM, PTS, and ST.
His weakest among the 3 is ST. So that is one I aim for this week.
The 2nd weakest is PTS so I have to go with that and hope for a 5:4 victory this week.

Of course, this is all hypothetical.
But, writing this out does give a clear direction of how I want to proceed this week.
Now, I just follow the gameplan and hope that I was right.

Goal: FG%, FT%, PTS, ST, TO

 

Indeed, Devin... Indeed

Week 9 Final Score: 4:5

Me	.478	.889	98	768	209	154	50	35	68	50
	FG%	FT%	3PTM	PTS	REB	AST	ST	BLK	TO	GP
Opponent	.506	.858	84	869	319	175	48	38	84	49

Well, I won 3 out of the 5 categories that I stated are my goals, with FT%, ST, and TO. Honestly, I did not have the highest hopes for FG%, but I am surprised I won the 3PTM contest and yet lose the PTS. BLK was a close battle, now wishing that I still had Zubac. 

Team's Win-Loss Stat on each Categories

FG%	FT%	3PTM	PTS	REB	AST	ST	BLK	TO
3-6-0	8-1-0	5-4-0	4-5-0	3-6-0	3-6-0	4-4-1	3-6-0	4-5-0

So,,,,,, not the win-loss stats that shouts 'winner'. My FT% is very strong,,,, and that's about it. I might have to think about restructuring my team composition to chase other stats, because whatever I am doing right now is NOT working. Not much to say in this column except that my team needs work.

Player Performance

	Player	FG%	FT%	3PTM	PTS	REB	AST	ST	BLK	TO
1	J. Suggs ORL - PG,SG	.556	-	1	11	1	3	0	1	1
2	G. Allen PHX - SG,SF	.450	.000	4	22	13	2	5	1	1
3	D. Lillard MIL - PG	.455	.950	14	83	17	19	4	0	7
4	K. Oubre Jr. PHI - SF	.320	.333	4	21	8	0	4	0	1
5	F. Wagner ORL - SG,SF,PF	.510	.833	1	68	18	11	4	1	3
6	D. Booker PHX - PG,SG,SF	.444	.692	1	50	7	14	0	0	1
7	D. Gafford WAS - PF,C	.682	.818	0	39	17	2	5	9	2
8	M. Turner IND - C	.633	1.000	3	57	19	2	2	10	6
9	J. Green HOU - PG,SG	.302	.941	6	54	20	11	5	3	13
10	N. Powell LAC - SG,SF	.537	1.000	12	63	10	3	1	1	3
11	M. Conley MIN - PG	.548	1.000	12	51	9	27	5	1	9
12	C. LeVert CLE - SG,SF	.378	.833	6	44	10	16	4	0	4
13	P. George LAC - SG,SF,PF	.481	1.000	13	70	10	10	3	4	3
14	A. Reaves LAL - SG,SF	.510	1.000	8	72	14	24	4	1	12
	Albas
	D. Finney-Smith BKN - SF,PF,C	.600	-	6	24	10	2	2	0	1
	I. Joe OKC - PG,SG	.500	-	3	11	2	0	0	1	0
	G. Williams DAL - PF	.385	-	4	14	6	5	2	2	1
	N. Richards CHA - C	.667	1.000	0	14	18	3	0	0	0

 

Notable Players of the Week:
- Damian Lillard: Good performance from my 1st round pick. Nothing to write home about. I would consider this week's performance as just a little above average, considering Lillard's standards. However, everybody's performance this week seems to be lowered compared to other weeks. B+
- Austin Reaves: A valiant effort from Reaves with FG%, 3PTM, and AST. But alas, it was not enough but credit where credit is due. It is not every week when Reaves ends up on the Notable Players of the Week. B+

Underwhelming Players of the Week:
- D. Booker: Considering the level of standard I expect from him, this is a disappointing week. Not saying it is common to have so many players to depend on but I really do not have many studs to depend on outside of Booker, George, and Lillard. C-

Albas:
- I. Joe: Only used him to rack up 3PTM and that is exactly what he did. B
- D. Finney-Smith: I feel like I will be using DFS a lot this season with the center eligibility that he has and the lack of centers I have in my roster. Gives me decent 3PTM and REB, which I think I should look to invest in more. Nevertheless a solid performance from a familiar face. B+
- N. Richards: More of a traditional center with solid PTS and REB. Seems reliable enough to use again in the future, when Mark Williams is unavailable. B
- Grant Williams: Likewise with DFS, good 3PTM and stats across the board. Although very 'up and down'-y, decent player when I get him at the right time. B+

Final Thoughts:
A painful loss against a rival who I lost in the finals in the 2021-22 NBA Fantasy Season. A match-up well played but not enough to best against the Jokic-led team. All I can do is pick myself up, shake off the loss, and move on to the next week and gameplan from there on. This is turning out to be a very difficult season. Also, just a funny thought, because Okongwu was picked up by someone and seems to be finding himself a team to be a part of. Not bitter but curious as to what the manager sees in Okongwu.