Rotowire

Celtics Crossover Gaming opened its season Friday against the 1-2 Knicks Gaming. Game 1 was all Knicks from the jump, as the Celtics fell behind 24-6 after the first quarter and 39-18 at halftime. Knicks Gaming piled on in the second half with a 19-10 third quarter run to boost the lead to 30 points heading into the final frame. Celtics Crossover Gaming won the fourth quarter but ultimately fell 69-43 in the series-opener. It was a disappointing performance for the Celtics as a whole, with just one player scoring double-digit points and the team shooting 16-of-43 from the field and 3-of-17 from deep. Point guard oFAB scored 24 points on 20 shots and coughed up the ball five times. Center NO xAUTOGRAPHx managed eight points and 11 rebounds, though he finished with seven turnovers. For Knicks Gaming, point guard Duck nearly matched the Celtics’ point total by scoring 39 to go with four assists. OriginalMalik went for 15 points, six steals and five assists, and CantGuardRob ended with eight points, 18 boards, seven assists and four steals.

Celtics Crossover Gaming wouldn’t go down without a fight and opened Game 2 with a 21-8 first-quarter advantage before pulling ahead 37-23 at the break. Knicks Gaming answered and cut the lead to 47-41 after three quarters. The fourth quarter was an exciting back-and-forth, and Knicks Gaming took the lead 54-53 with just 2:15 remaining. From there, Celtics Crossover Gaming took over and pulled out a narrow 58-57 victory to even the series at one game apiece. oFAB led the offense for the Celtics again, scoring 29 points and adding three assists and two steals. For Knicks Gaming, four of five players scored at least 10 points. OriginalMalik led the charge with 16 points and seven dimes, Duck scored 14 and CantGuardRob double-doubled with 10 points and 13 boards.

Game 3 featured a reset, and Knicks Gaming controlled the contest after play resumed. The Knicks built a 54-38 halftime lead thanks to 25 points from Duck, who got to the basket seemingly at will, but the Celtics made it interesting in the third quarter, getting to within six points with a 60-54 score. The game ended with 5:27 left in the fourth quarter and a final score of 60-56, giving Knicks Gaming the series win, and a 2-2 record on the season. Duck paced all scorers in the decisive victory, going for 31 points while no other member of Knicks Gaming scored more than six. For Celtics Crossover Gaming, oFAB double-doubled with 16 points and 10 assists, and Easy scored 17 with five triples. The team opens the season on a losing note and will try to get into the win column Wednesday against Wizards District Gaming.