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Jazz Gaming and Kings Guard Gaming met once back in Week 4, and it was an embarrassing showing for Jazz Gaming, as Splashy had only nine points over the entire two-game sweep. They now meet once again in the semifinals of THE TIPOFF, powered by AT&T. Kings Guard Gaming has established themselves as one of the premier defensive teams in the league, and Jazz Gaming, while underdogs Friday, are on the rise offensively. The Kings would see a much-improved Splashy in the backcourt, but an off-game from the rookie might have been the nail in the coffin for Jazz Gaming, as the Kings ultimately prevailed 2-1 in an incredibly tight series.

The Jazz got off on the right foot to begin the game, as they capitalized by getting the ball out in transition and converting against the Kings. Splashy showed up early with a few buckets, but a clutch three gave the Kings a 15-14 lead at the end of the first frame. The game continued to stay tight in the second quarter, but the Jazz’s first sign of trouble came with Ria’s fourth foul, putting him at serious risk of allowing a technical or two in such a physical game. Kings Guard came into the third quarter with a slim 28-25 lead, but Kings Guard Gaming is notorious for getting hot in the second half, and history repealed itself as the Kings jumped to a 46-38 lead heading into the final six minutes. Ria also committed his fifth foul in the quarter and would need to ramp down his aggression to avoid a costly technical foul. Some costly Kings turnovers spurred a 7-2 run to begin the final quarter for the Jazz but some shoddy shot selection from Utah gave Kings Guard the upper hand led by Seemo’s deft shooting touch. Down by two with seconds remaining, the Jazz were forced to foul and Guard Gaming converted two free throws to bring the lead to 64-60. After a quick two from Ria, they had to foul again and upon netting them both again, the Kings closed out the first game, 66-62. The point guard duel between Splashy and Bash was a virtual draw, with Splashy churning out 35 points and going 4-of-9 from behind the arc, and Bash putting up 30 points with six threes to his credit. Seemo proved to be the big difference-maker in this game with 23 points and a 90 percent conversion rate from the floor. On the losing end, Ria came close to fouling out but managed an excellent 17-point, 17-rebound double-double in the loss.

The Jazz proved to be more dominant under the basket to begin the second game as they outrebounded the Kings 10-3 on the way to a 20-14 lead. Jazz Gaming gave the Kings a dose of their own medicine with some apt defensive play in the second quarter. The Jazz led by as much as 12 points in the second frame, but the scrappy Kings crawled back to a 36-33 deficit to end the half. The typical second-half charge from the Kings didn’t materialize in the third quarter and despite a few lead changes, the Jazz maintained a 51-47 lead heading into the final frame. The big story continued to be the rebound differential, as the Jazz were outrebounding Kings Guard by a 20-8 margin at the end of the third quarter. Bash seemed to drain a three on every possession in the fourth but the Jazz always found a way to answer, and they eventually pushed the lead to nine points with 3:50 left. Jazz Gaming held on to an eight-point lead with a minute left, and this series now seemed destined to go to a third game. Game 2 ultimately went to the Jazz by a score of 72-61. The glaring rebound differential of 27-10 played a huge part in the outcome, as the Jazz afforded themselves a lot of second-chance possessions off the glass. Splashy led the Jazz with 35 points, but the utilization of Lord Beezus in the corner proved to be pivotal as his increased usage resulted in 16 points and four rebounds. Bash led all Kings scorers with 22 points and six assists, but he only shot 47 percent from the floor.

The Jazz picked up where they left off in Game 3, putting on an efficient display on both sides of the ball. The Kings looked like they were playing on their heels for much of the quarter as Jazz Gaming faced little resistance defensively. While the game was certainly still in reach at 19-12 deficit at the end of the quarter, the Kings need to regroup. The hotly-contested second quarter began with the Jazz pulling away to a significant lead, but the Kings stormed back and began to re-implement elements of their excellent defense that had been missing for much of Game 3. The lead remained at seven for the Jazz at halftime, however. Jazz Gaming managed to hold the lead despite an abysmal start for Splashy, but Lotty was able to pick up the slack considerably in the backcourt. As one might expect, the Kings stormed back to within one to end the third quarter, and they might have been able to extend to a lead were it not for Ria, who continued to dominate with offensive rebounding prowess that gave the Jazz a myriad of chances to score. The fourth quarter provided an exciting climax to this semifinal. After a flurry of exchanged baskets, Bash drained a long three to extend the Kings’ lead, and a huge block by Dat Boy Shotz over Splashy put the final nail in the Jazz’s chances. They put an exclamation point on the win with a full-court shot at the buzzer by Dat Boy Shotz. Bash led the way for the Kings with 31 points and five assists, and Dat Boy Shotz recorded a 21-point, 15-rebound double-double. Ria (10/15 double-double) and Lotty (22 points) topped the Jazz box score in a losing effort.

With the 66-57 win, Kings Guard advances to meet perennial favorite Raptors Uprising in the final.