Week 11 is here, and that means just six more regular season games in the Fall 2021 K1 League. Week 11 is perhaps as big as any other week we have had this year, as the playoff bracket will be shaped by a few key outcomes on Sunday. A Warriors win would lock up the top spot in the West Division, while the Spurs and Lakers loom just a game behind them. The Bucks control their own destiny in the East Division, but have a very difficult matchup against the Lakers. The Bulls would give themselves a great chance of winning the East Division if they win both of their games, but they take on the Nets on the back end of a doubleheader, a team that dominated them back in September when they first matched up. The Suns have one final chance to pick up their first win of the K1 League, and the Heat will look to lock up the third seed in the East Division as they close out the day with a matchup against the Mavericks. You will not want to miss the action at K1 Sports in Week 11!
12:30 pm - Suns @ Spurs
The Suns (0-12) have final chance to pick up a regular season win on Sunday, but things will not be easy, as they take on the defending champion Spurs (9-3) in the opening game of Week 10. These two teams squared off back on October 10th with the Spurs winning 94-65. The Spurs have scored the second most points in the K1 League, and the Suns have given up the most, which certainly favors the Spurs in this one. Although the Spurs have been without a few key players in their past couple of contests, they still have as much depth as any team in the league. As they look forward to the playoffs, a couple of key questions will be asked of them. Dennis Koger (16.3 ppg) recently injured his ankle and his timetable for returning is unknown. Ryan Kvasnicka (13.5 ppg) injured his back on 10/10 against the Warriors and hasn't played since. Austin Halcomb is the other player who has been absent for close to a month now. Although the Spurs were able to take down the Nets on Sunday, and should be able to do the same against the Suns on Sunday, these will be important storylines to follow as we approach the playoff tournament. For the Suns, brothers Devonte Barnes (15.1 ppg) and Ferra Johnson (11.5 ppg) have led the way on the offensive end of the court. Michael Lonergan Jr. remains the league-leader in assists at 4.0 per game. The Suns will need these players to play their best game on Sunday for the Suns. Despite being shorthanded, the Spurs are 24.5 point favorites against the Suns on Sunday.
1:30 pm - Celtics @ Bulls
These two East Division teams matchup for the second time on Sunday, following their game on October 3rd when the Bulls (7-4) pulled away from the Celtics (3-9) in the second half to win 74-66. In that game, the Celtics lost Row Gebre for the season in devastating fashion with an Achilles injury. Let's start with the Bulls in this matchup, who have everything to play for on Sunday. Although they have shown their ability to play with every team in the K1 League, they know that their best path in the playoffs comes from winning the East Division. To do that, they need to win both games on Sunday, and then the Bucks need to lose to the Lakers. All three of these are certainly possibilities, but in order to do this, that road begins with a win against the Celtics. In these two team's matchup back on the third, the Bulls opened up a 12 point lead at halftime, before the Celtics came back and took the lead in the second half. The Bulls would finish on a strong note, led by 24 points from Seth Johnson, and 22 points from Bobby Crivokapich. Benito Munoz also had 19 points. These three players have provided 70% of the Bulls offense, and are vital to everything that they do. For the Celtics, if they are to pull off the upset, they will need to limit the Bulls' big three, and they will need additional players to step up and score. Jonathan Townsend has been the Celtics' best player in the past month, averaging 17.5 points in the team's past four games. Donald Ellis and Walter Hudson continue to score as well for the Celtics, but they have lacked interior scoring outside of Jay Slone. Look for the Bulls to try and be as efficient as possible in this one, as they desperately need a win, but also need to try and keep themselves somewhat fresh for their matchup against the Nets in the 2:30 pm. The Bulls are 8.5 point favorites in this one, as the Celtics look to end the season on a strong note before the playoff tournament.
2:30 pm - Nets @ Bulls
In perhaps the most important matchup of the day, the Nets and Bulls square off in their second matchup of the year. The Bulls come into this one with a 7-4 record, while the Nets are 5-6. The Bulls had to forfeit this past Sunday against the Warriors as several players were out of town. The Nets suffered their first loss of the year with their starting five present, but it was an impressive six-point loss against the defending champion Spurs. Both these teams were without a key player in their previous matchup with one another back on August 29th, as Bobby Crivokapich was absent for the Bulls, and TJ Wicks was gone for the Nets. In that game, the Nets held the Bulls to just 52 points in a 70-52 win. Benito Munoz and Seth Johnson were the only players in double figures for the Bulls, while the Nets had four players score at least 13 points. This has been a consistent theme for both teams, as the Nets regularly receive contributions up and down their lineup, while the Bulls rely on their three key players. As we look forward to this rematch on Sunday, the question for the Bulls is, can they get enough out of their core three players to beat a team like the Nets? Three of the top four scorers in the league will face off in this one, as Red Binion (24.2 ppg) leads the K1 League in scoring. Seth Johnson (22.6 ppg) is second in scoring and first in rebounding (14.4 rpg), while Benito Munoz of the Bulls has also been fantastic, as he is fourth in the league in scoring at 20.6 ppg. Other key players will be Bobby Crivokapich of the Bulls (12.7 ppg and 8.9 rpg), who is fifth in the league in rebounding. For the Nets, Ronnie Jackson is averaging 16.1 ppg, Mook Lawrence is averaging 14.6 ppg, and TJ Wicks is averaging 12.8 ppg. This one figures to be a dandy, in what is a must-win game for both teams. If all key players are there, we like the Nets and their depth by a slim margin, but don't be surprised if the streaking Bulls pick up their ninth win of the season as they chase an East Division crown on Sunday. The Nets open as 1.5 point favorites.
3:30 pm - Nets @ Warriors
In a very challenging doubleheader for the Nets (5-6), they will take on the Warriors (10-2) in a marquee matchup as both teams close out the regular season. We have already talked about the Nets, who enter the day with a 5-6 record, and have a small, but albeit chance at finishing second or third in the East. If they were to win both games on Sunday, this would open up the possibility for moving up from fourth in the division, depending on what the Bulls and Heat do in their matchups. What's interesting about this matchup is that the Warriors would clinch the West Division with a win, and would likely take on the fourth place team from the East Division in the quarterfinals next Sunday, which could very well be the Nets. So in all likelihood we will see these teams play in consecutive weeks. The Nets could throw a wrinkle into the Warriors plans with an upset here, but will have to play their absolute best basketball. Several times this year we have seen what the full-strength Nets are capable of, including last week when they nearly took down the defending champion Spurs, falling short by just six points. The Warriors scored a ridiculous 127 points last week, led by Lonzale Mason's career day, in which he connected on 15 three pointers and had a league record 49 points. The Warriors have more depth overall, but the Nets can always matchup whenever they have TJ Wicks on the inside, and guards Red Binion, Ronnie Jackson, and Mook Lawrence on the outside. Look for the veteran presence of Chillz and his team to show up on Sunday and make this a great basketball game. The Warriors are 7.5 point favorites in a very exciting matchup between two of the best teams in the K1 League.
4:30 pm - Bucks @ Lakers
The Week 10 game of the week matchup features the 8-4 Bucks and the 9-3 Lakers in what could end up being a very important matchup for both teams. Depending on what the Bulls do in their two games, and the Warriors in their game, it's possible that this game will mean nothing for the standings. But if the Bulls sweep their doubleheader, or if the Warriors fall to the Nets, then this game could mean everything. The Bucks are a win away - or a Bulls loss - from clinching the East Division. They started out a league-best 7-1, despite being without reigning player Kale Maupin for eight consecutive games. After dropping three straight games, the Bucks returned to the win column on Sunday, as Maupin returned to the league, and the Bucks took down the Heat in an important East Division matchup, 65-59. Maupin is one of five Bucks players that average double figures. Darien Bosby leads the way with 14.2 points per game, while Jaquan Boxley, Jordan Logan, and Maupin all average 12+ points per game. The Lakers meanwhile are tied with the Spurs at 9-3 and both teams sit a game behind the 10-2 Warriors. Assuming that the Warriors get to 11 wins and clinch the West Division, the Lakers could not improve upon their seeding in this one, but it would still be a good test before the playoff tournament, as they have rolled over the Mavericks and Celtics in consecutive weeks. The Lakers have a bit stronger starting lineup, as they have Tone Brooks (19.0 ppg), LJ Harris (18.2 ppg), and Quon Shaw (16.2 ppg) all in the top 12 in scoring in the K1 League. So for the Bucks to upset the Lakers, they will need to force some turnovers, and find ways to limit these three scorers, along the way to hitting some three pointers. The Bucks are one of, if not the best three point shooting teams in the league, led by Bosby who is shooting 43% from behing the long line. Based on shooting percentage, they have a whopping seven of the top 20 three point shooters in the K1 League. Despite that statistic, the Lakers still have the edge physically, and are battled tested, having split with the Warriors and Spurs in their two matchups with each of them. The Bucks can certainly play with the Lakers in this fun East vs. West showdown, but we have the Lakers as 5.5 point favorites in the game of the week matchup.
5:30 pm - Heat @ Mavericks
Some of the first ever drama from the K1 League started last spring when Antwan Peterson decided to leave Trey Anthony's team for Marcell Hobbs' team less than a month into the season. Following a pair of intense and heated matchups last season, with both teams talking back and forth at one another throughout, the two teams settled for a split, capped off by Anthony's team upsetting Hobbs' group in the quarterfinals of the playoff tournament. Fast forward to this season, it seems rather fitting that the 65th and final game of the regular season is between these two teams - the Heat (6-6) and the Mavericks (2-10) - as they both look to pick up some momentum heading into the playoff tournament. Both have had very different paths getting here. Hobbs' Mavericks, who went 6-2 last year during the regular season, have just two wins in 12 tries this year, both against the Suns. A team who seemingly won all of its close games a year ago, the Mavs started out the year losing by four to the Bulls, and seemingly never recovered from that. The Mavericks also lost three key starters from its team a year ago and has struggled to replace the veteran presence of those guys. Meanwhile for Anthony's Heat, they started 5-2 and took down the defending champion Spurs in stunning fashion back in September. But following a win against the Suns in Week 7, the Heat have dropped four of five games, including three straight, and now are hoping to stay in third place in the East Division heading into the playoffs. Both teams have a couple of dynamic scorers. Few have been better than the Heat's Terrell Hendrix, who is averaging 20.6 ppg, and has scored at least 14 points in every game this season. For the Mavericks, Braijon Thomas is averaging 17.9 ppg and has been electric at times this season. Unfortunately for the Mavs, Thomas has gone down with a heel injury, and his status for Sunday's game is questionable. The theme for both teams will be the same - which players can step up and score the basketball alongside their top scorer? Whichever team does this best, will be the favorite in this on Sunday. Because Thomas' status is unknown, and the Heat have Hendrix, who is fourth in the league in scoring, we have the Heat as 6.5 point favorites in this one. However, if Thomas plays for the Mavericks, and big man Antwan Peterson shows up ready to work in a revenge game, the Mavericks could create some fireworks to close out the 2021 Fall regular season.