Week 8 Preview
June 30, 2020
CLTX Set to Face Bucks, 76ers in Week 8
By Taylor Snow
BOSTON – Looking to put its nine-game losing streak to rest, Celtics Crossover Gaming will have two more chances to crack the win column this week with a pair of matchups against Bucks Gaming and 76ers GC.
CLTX will open up Week 8 at 9 p.m. Tuesday night against a 4-4 Bucks team that has not lost a regular-season series since May 28.
Following a 2-4 start to the season, Milwaukee has picked up the pace tremendously this month. It has won all four of its individual regular-season games in June, while also making it to the quarterfinals of THE TIPOFF, before falling to the eventual tournament champion Raptors Uprising.
Milwaukee’s recent success has largely been attributed to the play of point guard Regg, who has proven to be one of the top steals from this year’s draft after being selected 12th overall. As one of the league’s top point-producers this season, Regg currently finds himself ranked fourth among all players in scoring with 32.8 PPG, and second overall in assists with 8.4 APG.
One of the few players ahead of Regg on the scoring list happens to be his counterpart for this matchup, oFAB, who is posting a league-leading 34.5 PPG. Despite his team’s struggles, oFAB has lit up the nets just about every game. Last Tuesday featured one of his greatest combined scoring efforts, as he tallied 102 points over two games against Pistons GT.
CLTX is still looking for a consistent No. 2 scorer, though MEL EAST is currently trending in that direction. The third-year forward has increased his scoring output during each of the last three weeks, including last week when he averaged 11.5 PPG.
On Friday night, MEL produced his best individual effort of the regular season, as he notched 14 points on 80 percent shooting from 3-point range against Mavs Gaming. His hand has been red-hot for two consecutive weeks now, having shot 71.4 percent from deep during THE TIPOFF, before nearly matching that mark with a 70.0 percent clip last week.
If the Celtics can’t manage to pick up their first win of the season Tuesday night, they’ll have a great chance to do so at 7 p.m. Friday night when they take on a 76ers team that has been struggling equally as much.
Despite making it to the Finals last season, Philly has pummeled to the bottom of the standings and currently sits just one spot ahead of CLTX with a 1-7 mark. That lone win, however, was picked up just last Wednesday, when the 76ers bested Pistons GT with a 2-1 series win.
For the third season in a row, the 76ers are led by point guard Radiant, who is averaging 25.6 PPG and 6.8 APG. On Friday night, he tallied his two highest-scoring performances of the season, as he poured in 49 points and 37 points, respectively, during Philly’s first two games against Heat Check Gaming. If CLTX can cool him off a bit, it will increase its chances of moving up in the standings this week.