By RotoWire – Zak Hanshew

Jazz Gaming squared off with Wizards District Gaming on Wednesday night in a clash of the titans. As several teams have begun to falter, both of these teams are bested in record only by the undefeated Raptors Uprising GC (11-0). Game 1 lived up to the hype, as it was close down to the wire. Jazz Gaming held a 28-26 first-half advantage and pushed that lead to 42-36 after the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Wizards District Gaming made the contest interesting. WDG cut the lead to as close as 52-48 with under 90 seconds to play, but Jazz Gaming got a key bucket from Rio on a spin and dunk on the next possession to go up by six. Ria swatted JBM’s layup on the following possession to all but seal the win. Jazz Gaming was led by Splashy and Lord Beezus, who both scored 17 points, while Ria grabbed 17 boards and swatted two shots, including his big plays in crunch time. For WDG, the frontcourt did most of the damage as Newdini went for 10 points and Dayfri posted a monster 26-point, 10-rebound double-double. The big line was unfortunately overshadowed by his six fouls.

Game 2 was close through the first two quarters, though there was some sloppy play from WDG. Despite nailing six triples in the first half and shooting 66.7 percent as a team, WDG found itself down four at the break due to seven turnovers, including four from leading scorer JBM. Jazz Gaming got a strong showing from Splashy, who led his team with a 20-point first half performance. The third quarter was big for Jazz Gaming, which went on an 8-0 run early in the second half to kick off a strong scoring advantage that brought the lead to double digits entering the final frame, 55-44.

The first bucket of the fourth quarter featured a highlight scoop shot from Splashy that got an and-1 and extended the lead to 58-44. WDG went on a quick 7-0 run to cut the lead to single digits and whittled the deficit to 62-58 with two minutes to play. WDG got the ball back with a chance to cut the lead to one possession, though Dayfri was blocked by Lord Beezus on the bucket, and Jazz Gaming hit a shot on the other end. Down 64-58, WDG wasn’t done yet, as ReeseDaGod hit a deep three near the logo, and the score was 64-61. A three from Utah pushed the lead again back to six, but Just_Awkward stroked a corner three to again get within one possession, 67-64. On the ensuing inbounds, Splashy was fouled and hit two free throws to ice the game 69-64 with 13 seconds remaining. Splashy finished the contest with a game-high 33 points, Lotty went for 15 and Ria grabbed 18 boards. For WDG, JBM provided 32 points, though he missed his final three shot attempts within the final minute of the game. Just_Awkward and ReeseDaGod each scored in double figures, while Dayfri produced a well-rounded final line.

Jazz Gaming improves to 9-1, while Wizards District Gaming falls to 8-2. Both teams should remain in their respective Nos. 2 and 3 seeds following the contest.