RotoWire – Joe Bartel

In the only series to go to a third game in the 2020 NBA 2K League Playoffs, delivered by Doordash, to date, Warriors Gaming Squad survived a near miraculous fourth-quarter rally by Bucks Gaming to advance to the semifinals Friday.

Game 1 certainly looked like it could be a feisty battle between Bucks Gaming and Warriors Gaming Squad as the two teams essentially played to a near draw in the first half. WGS got a five-point advantage in the first quarter which they extended into the second thanks in large part to an overall team effort. CB13 posted 12 points through the first 12 minutes but shot just 50 percent from the field. The backcourt combo of Gradient and Bsmoove contributing a combined 12 points in quarter two while the frontcourt of Jin and Slaughter also took care of business in the first (12 points combined). It wasn’t surprising, then, that Warriors Gaming Squad shot 71 percent from the field in the first half with just star Bucks Gaming point guard, Reggs, able to keep up posting 22 points in the aforementioned two quarters.

Any bit of hope for a competitive Game 1 evaporated in the third quarter as Bucks Gaming scored nine points, including a lucky offensive rebounded that turned into a corner three. In contrast, Warriors Gaming Squad raced away with a 19-point third essentially all from CB13, who posted 11 in the frame. The fourth quarter was relatively mundane from that point forward as Warriors Gaming Squad finished off a blowout 79-58 win.

CB13 finished the contest with 41 points to go along with 10 assists while Slaughter piled together a 14-point, 10-rebound double double. Regg was the only member of Bucks Gaming to post over 10 points for much of the contest as the point guard registered 34 points in the losing effort. Plondo’s 11 points generally came off offensive rebounds (14 total), struggling to grapple with Slaughter throughout Game 1.

Game 2 was really a reverse of the script with Bucks Gaming this time jumping out to a narrow seven-point first half lead. Regg and Plondo were quite literally the only two members of the Bucks to do any sort of damage, as the star point guard secured a whopping 29 points in the first half (18 in the first quarter) while Plondo registered six points, seven rebounds and four assists in a nifty show of pick-and-pop. Perhaps the critical moment of Game 2 came with Regg and his Takeover badge easily securing a plethora of buckets that went unmatched by Warriors Gaming Squad. CB13 and company attempted to keep up with Regg in the third, as the opposing point guards combined to 18 of the combined 28 points, but the Rookie of the Year candidate would win out in the end as Regg finished the fourth quarter with 14 points including two daggers for 3-pointers to essentially put the 72-56 victory on ice.

It was all Regg in this one for Bucks Gaming as the point guard finished Game 2 with 53 points, six assists and two rebounds, but Plondo was a bit more of a defensive factor especially on pick-and-rolls, finishing the game with 12 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, but most importantly, five blocks and three steals. CB13 was the natural leading scorer for Warriors Gaming Squad with 24 points on 13-of-26 from the field, but Gradient at least contributed this go around to the tune of 14 points. Slaughter’s line was the one that dropped off dramatically as the Warriors Gaming Squad center had just eight points, nine rebounds and four blocks while time and again allowing the combo of Regg and Plondo to victimize the team’s defense.

It certainly looked like Bucks Gaming would run away with the momentum from Game 2, racing out to an 18-11 first quarter lead in the pivotal final contest of the series. However, just like Game 1, a balanced team effort from WGS vaulted the team back into contention, trailing by just one at halftime. Regg did his usual work for Bucks Gaming scoring 19 in the first half, but four different members of Warriors Gaming Squad scored at least six points in the first half.

From that point forward, the game quickly developed into a series of runs, and whoever had the last one would seemingly secure the victory. The fourth quarter became the culmination of that trend. Tied with around four minutes to go, Warriors Gaming Squad registered nine straight points to seemingly take a commanding lead in the late stages of the contest. The Bucks would not quit, relying on excellent team defense and a couple of timely transition buckets to trail by just two with under 30 seconds left. Squidris, formerly known as IdrisDaGoat6 and part of the inaugural championship-winning Knicks Gaming roster, managed to secure a steal and was subsequently fouled with the chance to tie the game with little time left on the clock. It looked as if the power forward would be bailed out on the ensuing possession as TY stole a wild pass at the top of the key which led to an easy transition dunk with less than 15 seconds to go. Shockingly, CB13 was quickly able to maneuver down the court and lock in an easy lay up, putting the Warriors back up by a point with 6.1 points seconds to go. The star of the evening, Regg, had the chance to win the game, driving the middle of the lane before unexpectedly hesitating before ultimately kicking it to Arooks near the left free-throw line block. The long-time Bucks Gaming leader who stunningly fail to hoist up a shot, instead opting to dish to center Plondo as the clock ran off, giving Warriors Gaming Squad a stunning 63-62 win.

The over-reliance on Regg nearly got Bucks Gaming the upset win, and while the star point guard did score a lobby high 27 points, the overall team effort of Warriors Gaming Squad proved too difficult to overcome. CB13 posted 26 points to go along with 12 rebounds, but perhaps more importantly, Slaughter finished Game 3 with a robust 12 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and three steals in the win.