Magic Gaming's Two Wins Highlight Week 3, Day 2 - NBA 2K League

Magic Gaming’s Two Wins Highlight Week 3, Day 2

Pistons GT Remain Undefeated With Win Over Celtics Crossover Gaming

Pistons GT picked up a narrow 65-61 win over Celtics Crossover Gaming to open up Saturday’s NBA 2K League slate.

From the jump, Pistons GT (3-0) had a clear gameplan — push the issue in the paint — and Celtics Crossover (2-2) simply had no answer whatsoever. Boston came out the gate with some nice transition defense that led to a couple steals, but once Pistons GT got a chance to set up the half court offense, it was off to the races.

At the forefront of the Pistons attack was Lets Get It Ramo and Im So Far Ahead, as the pair went to work from the inside and were putting up points with relative ease. In the first half, they combined for 21 points as the team took a 34-29 lead into the break. Despite Boston managing to keep it somewhat close throughout the half, they could never close the gap as the three point misses started piling up.

Once the second half got underway, the fate of the Celtics didn’t change one bit. While it was the missed three pointers and jumpers that was doing the C’s in during that first half, it was the second chance opportunities that gave them fits in the second half. Ramo and So Far Ahead were crashing the boards at every opportunity, and it led to a bevy of points that kept Pistons GT in control of the game for most of this second half.

For as rough as things might have looked in the second half, the Celtics did manage to be in a position to win the game late in the fourth quarter. Once some of those threes started falling and the consistently solid late-game defense of the Celtics showed up once again, Pistons GT were scrambling for an answer with just a two point lead and under 30 seconds to go. That answer came in the form of none other than Im So Far Ahead, who drilled a jumper from the elbow with less than 10 seconds left that put the team up four. The Celtics went right back down the floor with a chance to make things interesting, but Rux came up with a clutch block to seal the game and keep Pistons GT undefeated.

Magic Pick up First Win of the Season Against Knicks

Magic Gaming picked up their first win of the NBA 2K League regular season by taking down Knicks Gaming 66-56 on Saturday.

Despite coming into Saturday having failed to win a single game this season, Magic Gaming (1-2) certainly didn’t play like it against the Knicks (1-2). After struggling in the first two weeks of the season, the Magic decided to inject some much needed scoring options into their lineup to prevent falling to 0-3. That option came in the form of power forward KingCamRoyalty, whose insertion into the lineup wound up being a brilliant stroke of genius.

From the opening tip, it was clear that the Magic wanted to push the pace and tempo of the game, which seemingly caught the Knicks off guard. Still, New York managed to keep things close enough in the first half. With Magic Gaming still trying to finds their rhythm with the increased pace of the game, turnovers were bound to happen, and the Knicks capitalized on each one with easy buckets from beyond the arc. As the half drew to a close, however, Magic Gaming started to find a rhythm, which was a sign of things to come.

Despite going into the half tied at 30, the Magic opened the third quarter on fire, led by KingCam and UCMANNY, pushing Orlando to a commanding 22-8 advantage and essentially putting the  game out of reach. The Knicks had no answer for the duo as the Magic stretched the court and kept pouring on baskets without much opposition. The pair tallied a combined 55 points as Orlando finished with a scintillating 57 percent from the field.

For the Knicks, it seemed as though they were simply struggling to keep up with the pace that the Magic had set. NateKhal, IdrisDaGoat6, and G O O F Y 757 did manage to end in double digits, but it wasn’t enough to stop the high-scoring duo from Orlando.

76ers GC Stays Undefeated After Comeback Victory

76ers GC staged a huge second-half comeback to remain undefeated securing a 60-59 win over Wizards District Gaming to close out Saturday morning’s NBA 2K League block.

This contest was a true tale of two halves, as both teams took turns dominating their opposition throughout this game. At the start, it was Wizards District (2-2) who were draining shots without much opposition. Led by the reliable duo of Jin and Boo Painter, the Wizards got out to a 20-8 lead early on in the first quarter. The 76ers (3-0) shot just 4-of-11 from the floor in that opening quarter as it looked like the Wizards were going to run away with things.

While the 76ers found a bit of a rhythm in the second quarter, the Wizards still had control over the proceedings. They took a seven point lead into the second half on the back of 25 points from Jin and Boo Painter. Once the second half got underway, however, the momentum of the game heavily shifted.

Philadelphia opened the second half with some stifling defense that allowed them to rattle off an incredibly 18-4 run, giving them complete control of the game. Pretty much everything was falling for this squad, with Radiant and iFEAST leading the way. Most surprising of all was that they didn’t even need three pointers to get back into the game, as they only connected on three of 12 tries by the end of the game.

Despite the 76ers getting the lead immediately upon the start of the third quarter, Wizards District wasn’t ready to go away quietly. They went on an 11-4 run of their own to start the fourth quarter, which set up the most exciting finish of the day. With the team’s trading baskets down the stretch, neither team could pull ahead by more than a point in the final minute of the game.

It was none other than Boo Painter who struck first in the closing seconds of the game, getting a huge dunk with nine seconds left to put them up 59-58. 76ers remained calm and collected, however, executing a quick play that gave the ball to Steez in the paint for an easy bucket which gave them a 60-59 lead they never relinquished. Rather than going back to Jin or Boo Painter — who finished with 49 of the team’s 59 points — Wizards District went to xGREATxGILLY13 for the final play that saw him miss a long three pointer to seal the win for the 76ers.

Kings Guard Gaming Defeats Grizz Gaming for 2nd Regular Season Win

The second half of Week 3’s Saturday games saw Kings Guard Gaming defeat Grizz Gaming in a lopsided 76-62 victory.

Kings Guard Gaming began the contest by hitting the first seven shots they took from the field, with Worthingcolt eventually leading all scorers at the half with 14 points on five-of-eight shooting. Although Grizz Gaming were hitting their shots just as well as their opponents, their six fouls and just as many turnovers through 12 minutes allowed Kings Guard Gaming to earn a 36-29 halftime lead.

That advantage expanded to double digits in the second half as Kings Guard Gaming looked relentless en route to their second regular season victory. Despite a handful of unnecessary turnovers, all five of Sacremento’s players did eventually score in the double digits by the end of the game. Worthingcolt ended the game with 26 points, knocking down 10-of-16 from the field on shots that all came from inside and around the paint.

One saving grace for Grizz Gaming is AuthenticAfrican, who had a solid double-double off 23 points and 10 assists.

Grizz Gaming needs to regroup before they play Jazz Gaming later tonight.

Kings Guard Gaming will have their own doubleheader in week four, as they are set to face Knicks Gaming and 76ers Gaming Club on June 2.

Raptors Uprising GC Upset 76ers GC, 72-68

The undefeated club in the NBA 2K League only has two members left after the 76ers Gaming Club lost their first regular season game 72-68 to Raptors Uprising Gaming Club, a team that lost all three of their regular season games prior to this contest.

Proving that a NBA 2K League team can win on any given Sunday (or Saturday), Raptors Uprising GC effectively threw last week’s power rankings out the window with a convincing win against the team considered to be the league’s best.

Raptors Uprising GC were on pace to score triple digits after a phenomenal first quarter, tallying up 27 points and hitting 11 of their first 13 shots. There was little for 76ers GC to do during this scoring outburst, as they could not stop their opponent’s barrage of green-release shots.

The second quarter saw Philadelphia work their way back into the game, closing the deficit to 10 by halftime due to a solid 11-3 run. Steez scored exactly half of 76ers GC’s points in the game’s first 12 minutes, taking full advantage of KingQuai614’s weaknesses as a stretch five to post up 15 points and four rebounds. He would end the game with 33 points on 15-of-16 shooting and seven boards.

After the break, the 76ers GC flirted with a comeback victory and came close to keeping their undefeated record by converting on a few stolen possessions in the final minutes. However, they simply could not recover from what Toronto did in the first half and took their first loss of the season.

Raptors Uprising GC ended the game with over 50 percent shooting from three, hitting 8-of-15 shots from beyond the arc. All Hail Trey led the long-range scoring effort by making 3-of-5 from downtown, while Kenny led in overall scoring with 24 points coming strictly from two-pointers and free throws.

Despite having a rough performance from the field, Radiant showed maturity at 19-years-old by choosing to feed the hot scorer Steez instead of forcing shots. The point guard cashed in 16 dimes and zero turnovers, which makes this his strongest performance all season as an offensive facilitator.

The 76ers GC will attempt to get back in the win column next week against Kings Gaming Squad, while Raptors Uprising GC will try to make their winning streak all season when they take on Knicks Gaming in Week 4.

Magic Gaming Pulls Away Late to Defeat Warriors Gaming Squad

Magic Gaming improved their regular season record to 2-2 by defeating the Warriors Gaming Squad 55-48.

Connecting on 9-of-22 attempts from the field, Orlando led 25-24 at halftime, with KingCamRoyalty leading his team with 8 points in the paint.

Warriors Gaming Squad found their first half scoring leader in LYKaPRO, who put in 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting.

Magic Gaming significantly improved their scoring in the second half, shooting 62 percent from the field by focusing more on shots from inside the three-point line. This strategy switch allowed marley213s to find his groove, as he ended the game leading all scorers with 15 points.

Next week, Magic Gaming will face Grizz Gaming in a battle between two teams who could use a confidence boost before the first Mid-Season Tournament. Meanwhile, Warriors Gaming Squad will press their luck against Celtics Crossover Gaming on June 1, with a loss most likely dooming them to the bottom of the NBA 2K League standings.

Jazz Gaming Use Big 3rd Q Run to Top Grizz Gaming

Jazz Gaming closed out Week 3 of the NBA 2K League regular season with a commanding 71-58 victory on Saturday.

It was a bit of reserved game to start, as both teams rode strings of momentum to keep the game relatively even. Thanks to an archetype change for UniversalPhenom, Grizz Gaming (0-4) managed to find a surprising amount of easy low post buckets which helped the team hang around perhaps longer than most anticipated given their record.

However, a three-point first half lead for Jazz Gaming (3-1) ballooned into a 13-point advantage by the end of the third quarter as a variety of transition baskets and low post buckets mounted in a matter of minutes. By the time Grizz Gaming finally scored in the third quarter, Jazz Gaming had rattled off 13 straight points, effectively ending the contest.

Both MrSlaughter01 and Smoove were a critical part of the rally, as point guard Yeah I Compete easily surveyed the court and found the respective players for open baskets time and again. Slaughter finished with 22 points and 17 rebounds to post his second consecutive double-double, and third during the regular season thus far, while Smoove’s 18 points tied his regular season high. Compete also posted a double-double, registering 12 points and 17 assists, with the latter stat actually being three assists higher than the entire Grizz Gaming lineup put up as a team.

While both AuthenticAfrican (19 points) and UniversalPhenom (17 points) had their moments against Jazz Gaming, the lack of ball movement has quickly surfaced as a legitimate issue for this team. A variety of backdoor cuts and off-ball screens helped Grizz Gaming tally 21 points in the fourth quarter, the positive floor spacing and extra passes were noticeable only because of their absence in the first three quarters.