–RotoWire–

Knicks Gaming made it look easy against Raptors Uprising Gaming with a 75-70 win to open Friday’s action during THE TICKET.

With Raptors Uprising having come into this game winning three of their last four games, the odds were heavily in their favor. Early on, the game followed this script as Raptors Uprising opened with a 19-11 lead in the first quarter. They seemed in full control of the tempo and pace of the game, getting looks from anywhere on the court without much opposition from Knicks Gaming.

During the second quarter though, Knicks Gaming found their groove in a big way. Sure, there were some rough turnovers early on that put them down 26-16, but once iamadamthe1st started lighting it up from downtown, Knicks Gaming were in business. With 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc from iamadam, the Knicks brought it all the back to a 35-35 tie going into the second half.

That second half was more of the same for Knicks Gaming as they rode the hot hand of iamadam to a blistering close to the game. Raptors Uprising desperately tried to keep up with the increased pace that Knicks Gaming had set throughout the half, but they kept falling short time and again. Before you knew it, Knicks Gaming had taken a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and were well on their way to a victory.

Raptors Uprising weren’t ready to give up just yet, however. With both All Hail Trey and Yusuf_Scarbz lighting it up in their own right, Raptors Uprising managed to get the deficit down to just three points with under 30 seconds left in the game. However, with Raptors Uprising having to play the foul game down the stretch, Knicks Gaming went to the charity stripe and hit free throw after free throw to pad their lead and keep this game out of reach.

For Knicks Gaming, this was a big confidence booster after what had been a rough road during the last four weeks. Even more important was the ridiculous 33-point, eight-assist performance from iamadam. G O O F Y 757 — 16 points and 12 rebounds — and IdrisDaGoat6 — 16 points and three rebounds — might have thrown in their normal contributions, but the standout showing from iamadam was the difference and will certainly be needed as Knicks Gaming heads deeper into this tournament.

Raptors Uprising’s run at THE TICKET might be over, but Knicks Gaming is very much alive and will move on to face Wizards District Gaming in the quarterfinals on Saturday.