RotoWire — Jason Shebilske

In a rematch of Tuesday’s matchup during the final week of the regular season, the result was the same as Magic Gaming swept Pacers Gaming on Thursday to advance in THE TICKET, powered by AT&T.

The Magic are used to playing methodical defense while maintaining a slow pace of play on offense. The former was true during Game 1, but Magic Gaming got off to an incredibly fast start to begin the series. The Magic went on an 18-2 run over the first four and a half minutes of the contest. The team entered the second quarter with a 24-7 lead as Profusion and May stepped up, combining to go 6-for-6 from long distance while the team forced five turnovers during the first quarter. BOHIO, whose performance is integral to the Pacers’ offense, was playing as the shooting guard and led the team with five points in the quarter as the offense shot just 4-for-15 from the floor over the first six minutes. The Pacers held their own on offense over most of the second quarter, but the Magic still held a 14-13 advantage with 1:19 remaining in the quarter. The Magic then went on a 7-2 run as Reizey got hot over the final minute of the quarter to give the team a 45-22 lead at halftime.

The rout continued over the second half. The Pacers went cold once again in the third quarter, shooting just 4-for-14 on their field goals while committing five more turnovers. On the other side, the Magic were efficient as they shot 10-for-13 from the field to extend the lead to 68-30 heading into the final quarter. Magic Gaming’s defense let up a bit over the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough as the Magic coasted to an 87-57 victory. Unsurprisingly, Reizey led Magic Gaming with 32 points while adding 10 assists and three steals. DT had a triple-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, while Profusion (22 points) and May (10 points, 12 rebounds) also had solid performances. For Pacers Gaming, BOHIO was never able to get hot enough as he shot just 5-for-12 and finished with 13 points.

Pacers Gaming fared slightly better to begin Game 2, but the Magic were hot once again. Reizey’s strong performance from the first game carried over into the first quarter as he went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc as he totaled 13 points over the first six minutes. As a result, Magic Gaming led 24-15 at the end of the quarter. NateKahl stepped up in the second quarter as he shot 80 percent from the floor during the entirety of the first half to provide 10 points for Pacers Gaming. Magic Gaming’s offense ran entirely through Reizey and DT during the second quarter as they were the sole players who scored for the Magic. However, Pacers Gaming forced five turnovers during the quarter and slightly closed the gap at halftime as the Magic led 39-33.

Pacers Gaming brought the deficit within four points in the opening minutes of the second quarter, but the pairing of Reizey and DT recomposed themselves and extended the lead to 53-43 heading into the final frame. Magic Gaming’s defense remained effective in the fourth quarter, but the team’s offense rediscovered their dominance from Game 1 to close out the series. The team shot 5-for-7 from three-point range as the Magic closed out the series with an 84-60 win. Reizey was dominant once again for Magic Gaming with 42 points and 10 assists, while DT added 28 points and 18 assists. BOHIO shot 75 percent for Pacers Gaming, but a low shot volume only allowed him to contribute 14 points. The Pacers were held to a 46.3 percent field goal conversion rate as the offense was unable to get enough going against the staunch Magic defense.

Magic Gaming will play Hawks Talon GC in the next round of THE TICKET, powered by AT&T on Friday, while Pacers Gaming’s season comes to an end with a 4-13 record in total.