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Pistons GT barely squeaked into the playoff bracket based on a 2-2 tie-breaker scenario, besting the Nets and 76ers. The Jazz entered playoff action after stealing the Group 2 crown from Mavs Gaming in the last game and looked to be slight favorites in this best-of-three series to kick off bracket play in the TIPOFF, powered by AT&T. Piston Gaming’s recent move into their facility after playing remotely injected new life into the team, and although they were able to steal one game away from Jazz Gaming in the final seconds, the Jazz ultimately prevailed with a 2-1 series win to advance to the semifinals.

The Jazz controlled most of the action in the first quarter with Ria activating a Glass Cleaner badge early, but Demon JT and the rest of the Pistons kept things close and trailed 14-10 at the end of the first quarter. The Jazz kicked off a bit of a run in the second, capped off by a long bomb from Splashy that extended his team’s lead to eight points. Piston GC was saddled by cold rings on Demon JT and DevGoss in the closing minutes of the first half, which allowed for a 19-11 advantage for the Jazz in the second quarter and a 33-21 lead at halftime.

Jazz Gaming began to pull away in the third quarter thanks to a series of takeaways and sharpshooting from beyond the arc. The 21-13 line from the third made things look awfully bleak for GC, who trailed 54-34 gong to the fourth quarter. The game completely got away from the Pistons in the fourth quarter as the Jazz simply outplayed them on both sides of the ball. The 3-point differential proved to tell the story in this game, as the Pistons dropped only three 3-pointers compared to the 12 treys converted by their opposition. The Jazz won handily, 76-52. Splashy won the point guard battle by a mile with 35 points, six assists and four steals along with six threes, and Ria led the defensive barrage with 16 rebounds and seven blocked shots. Ramo put up an 18-pint, 10-rebound double-double in what was an otherwise lukewarm offensive showing from the Pistons.

Game 2 was a bit more competitive from the outset, but some takeaways by the Jazz quickly vaulted them up to a 23-14 advantage going into the second quarter. At that point, Splashy accounted for 14 of those 23 points. Pistons GT didn’t gain much traction in the second quarter as containing Slashy continued to be their Achilles heel. Jazz Gaming’s star point guard had 22 points to close the first half as GT’s chances narrowed with a 12-point deficit, 42-30. The Pistons had to wake up, and they did just that in the third quarter. The Pistons opened with an 8-0 run to begin the quarter which put the game within reach and a more balanced offensive attack resulted in a close fourth quarter. Pistons GT took a 59-57 lead in the fourth, appearing to make progress in defending Splashy, but the Jazz battled back to bring this game down to the final seconds. Jazz Gaming had the ball and a two-point lead with seconds left, but Ramo stole the in-bounds pass and scored an easy lay-up. Just like that, the Pistons snagged a surprise 63-62 win and evened the series up. The Pistons backcourt was exponentially better in this game, as Demon JT produced 30 points and four assists in the win. Along with the late steal and winning basket, Ramo contributed a stellar 16-point, 10-rebound double-double. Despite fading down the stretch, Splashy put up 33 points and collected four assists.

Jazz Gaming was surely reeling a bit from giving the game away in the final seconds, and it showed early in Game 3 as the Pistons took advantage of the momentum. With a last-second three, Jazz Gaming kept it close going to into the second quarter and tied things up at 16. Turnovers made the difference in the second quarter, as the Jazz capitalized on several turnovers by GT to pull ahead in the pivotal contest. The Pistons sputtered on offense and let the game get away again, and ended up trailing, 36-22 at halftime. Things went from bad to worse for the Pistons as they continued to cough up the ball, and the Jazz capitalized in almost every instance. With every turnover, it was looking more and more likely that the Jazz would eventually punch their ticket to the semifinals. They led by as much as 20, but the Jazz entered the fourth quarter with a 58-40 lead. The fourth quarter was merely a formality, as Pistons failed to rally and Jazz Gaming coasted to an easy 77-57 victory and a spot in the semifinals. Splashy once again led all scorers with 28 points, and Ria had another great game in the paint with a 22-point, 15-rebound double-double.

Jazz Gaming will face Kings Guard Gaming on Friday in the semifinals.