Rotowire

The undefeated Blazer5 Gaming squared off with Jazz Gaming on Friday in a gritty and hotly-contested series. Game 1 began with a 34-28 halftime lead for Jazz Gaming, but Blazer5 Gaming used a big third quarter to cut the lead to just one point. Jazz Gaming came alive in the final frame with a 20-12 run fueled by strong play in the paint. Blazer5 Gaming kept it close, cutting the lead to 65-59 with under a minute to play, but a clutch corner three from Lord Reezus in the final seconds cemented the victory. Mama Im Dat Man ended the game with 22 points and eight dimes for Blazer5 Gaming, with OneWIldWalnut providing a 15-point, 17-rebound double-double. Splashy led all scorers with 28 points and nine helpers, while Ria filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, 14 boards, four assists, four steals and two blocks.

Game 2 was another close one out of the gate, as Blazer5 Gaming took a 35-32 lead into the break. It was a duel of point guards in the first two quarters, as Mama Im Dat Man scored 18 and Splashy scored 13 in the first half. By the end of the third quarter, both guards were up to 22 with the score notched at 49. Utah started the fourth quarter on a 13-4 run to open up a nine-point lead, but Blazer5 Gaming made it a game until the very end. The lead was cut to 62-58 with just under two minutes, but a dunk from Splashy extended the lead to 64-58 with under a minute and a half remaining in the game. A quick 6-0 run from Blazer5 Gaming tied the game at 64 with 45 seconds to play. Ria came up huge on the next sequence with two offensive boards that led to a go-ahead three from Lotty on the wing. Blazer5 Gaming nailed a quick bucket and fouled Ria on the inbounds pass, but the center drained both of his free throws to push the score to 69-66 with 7.5 seconds remaining. MaJes7ic put up a contested three as time expired, but it clanked off the back iron to give the Jazz the win and complete the sweep.

For Jazz Gaming, Ria’s monster fourth quarter played a crucial role in the victory, and he finished the night with 16 points and eight boards. Splashy scored 26, and Lotty chipped in 19. Mama Im Dat Man did the heavy lifting on offense for Blazer5 Gaming, scoring 35 of the team’s 66 points. OOC Slim contributed 15, and OneWildWalnut double-doubled with 10 points and 12 boards.

It was an impressive victory for the Jazz, who improve to 2-1 on the season. Blazer5 Gaming drops to 4-1 with the loss, leaving only two unbeaten teams in the 2K League.