By RotoWire – Zak Hanshew

76ers GC (1-8) faced Celtics Crossover Gaming (0-10) Thursday night in a battle between two struggling, proud franchises. Game 1 started with a 21-18 advantage for 76ers GC through the first quarter, and the team used a 6-2 run at the end of the second quarter to take a 37-33 lead into the break. The first half of this one was a battle of point guards, as Radiant and oFAB each totaled 21 points, trading buckets throughout.

Up 53-48 heading into the fourth quarter, 76ers GC lost its lead but went back and forth with CXG all quarter. Celtics Crossover Gaming was up 64-62 with a minute to play, but after missing on two shot attempts, 76ers GC got the ball back and Breadwinner hit a game-tying layup with 30 seconds remaining. oFAB came through in a big way, hitting a scoop-and-score with eight seconds remaining to take a 66-64 lead. Drama ensued on the following play, and Tucker hit a spinning hook as time expired to notch the contest at 66 and send this one to overtime. The extra period had no shortage of excitement. Up 72-71 with 70 seconds remaining, 76ers GC hit a clutch three to go up 74-72, and oFAB had the ball stolen on the following possession. Tucker made another key play with an offensive board, Radiant pumped a few times and put in the two-footer to extend the lead 76-72 with under 30 seconds remaining. A missed alley-oop from CXG led to two free throws on the other end from 76ers GC, and the game concluded with a 78-72 win for 76ers GC. Radiant scored 37 for the victorious 76ers, while oFAB went for a massive 53 points, but it wasn’t enough.

Celtics Crossover Gaming showed no signs of mental fatigue in Game 2, jumping out to a 29-22 halftime lead, once again propelled by a strong first half (20 points) from oFAB. 76ers GC found itself in a hole largely due to a combined 9-of-25 shooting in the first half. Celtics Crossover Gaming went on an 11-3 run to begin the third quarter, and the team went up by as much as 15 to start the second half. However, 76ers GC went on a 14-1 to follow that and cut the lead to 41-39 before a shooting foul on a corner three got CXG three more points and a 44-39 lead heading into the final frame. From here, it was all Celtics, as the squad won the final quarter by 11 points to take the victory and even the series at one game apiece. oFAB led all scorers with 11 points and NOxAUTOGRAPHSx went for an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double with a full stat line. Radiant scored 25 for 76ers GC in the losing effort.

CXG carried its momentum from Game 2 into a strong first half in Game 3, going up 35-26 at halftime, thanks to – you guessed it – oFAB, who scored 14 points. 76ers GC came out strong in the third quarter and cut the lead to five heading into the decisive fourth quarter. CXG was up 53-49 with two minutes to go and blocked Radiant’s layup, before having the ball stolen while bringing it up court. Radiant made a ridiculous layup with 58 seconds left to get the lead down to 53-51. 76ers GC then hit a three to go up 54-53 before a dunk on the other end brought CXG up 55-54 with under 30 seconds to play. Radiant hit a short, go-ahead jumper with 3.6 seconds to go to put 76ers GC up 56-55. That was the final score, as 76ers GC narrowly captured Game 3 and the series win. Radiant finished with 26 points, while oFAB totaled 22, as the pair of guards led their teams in scoring yet again.

With the victory, 76ers GC wins just its second game of the season, while Celtics Crossover Gaming remains winless at 0-11.