RotoWire – Zak Hanshew

Pacers Gaming (4-7) faced Celtics Crossover Gaming (0-11) on the final night of Week 9 action. Game 1 was a tight-knit affair from start to finish, as the teams took a 31-31 tie into halftime. CLTX Gaming went up by three after the third quarter, and the teams went back and forth in the fourth quarter, down to the final minutes. With 90 seconds remaining, WoLF went to the foul line and hit one of two attempts to tie the game at 57. From there, the teams each hit one more shot before Bulley knocked down a clutch three with 50 seconds remaining to go up 62-59. An illegal screen and an oFAB bucket later, CLTX Gaming took a five-point lead before hitting one more garbage-time bucket as time expired to finish the contest on a 7-0 run and claim the 66-59 victory. As usual, oFAB did the heavy lifting on offense, putting up a game-high 38 points to go with nine assists. NOxAUTOGRAPHSx provided quality production in the paint, going for 12 points and 14 boards. Jomar scored 20 and Swizurk scored 18, though the quality scoring wasn’t enough to secure a victory in Game 1.

Game 2 was another close one in the first quarter, with strong offensive showings from both squads. CLTX Gaming went up 23-20 thanks to 12 points from MEL EAST, and the team broke the lead open in the second quarter. oFAB erupted for 17 points in the quarter to lead CLTX Gaming on a 25-9 run and a 48-29 halftime lead. The lead grew to 21 points entering the fourth quarter, and CLTX Gaming finished the contest with a 94-68 victory to win in a sweep. oFAB matched his Game 1 scoring tally with 38 points, while MEL EAST provided a surprising 26-point effort and NOxAUTOGRAPHSx went for a second straight double-double. Four of five starters for Pacers Gaming scored in double digits, with Swizurk’s 19 leading the way. While the two teams were close in turnovers, rebounds and steals, the difference in this one was the long-range assault from CLTX Gaming, which drilled 14-of-24 shots from beyond the arc compared to just 6-of-16 from Pacers Gaming.

Celtics Crossover Gaming finally exorcised its demons and took home its first win of the 2020 NBA 2K League season to improve to 1-11. Meanwhile, Pacers Gaming falls to 4-8 with the loss.