After an eventful slate of Week 8 games – despite a slew of teams on bye week – we have come to this power-ranking conclusion with just two weeks of regular-season play remaining before The TICKET powered by AT&T. 

Wizards District has separated themselves from the pack with unequaled consistency through 8 regular-season weeks and 2 tournaments. Sparked by the most cohesive offensive attack in the league (JBM might be the league’s most under-discussed point guard), and strong defense on the perimeter (Just Awkward) and interior (Dayfri), WDG dropped another 4-0 week in the league. 

They are the unquestioned No. 1 squad. 

They must finish the regular season strong and head into the postseason functioning on an optimal level to repeat as champions. It won’t be easy with 4-6 serious contenders aiming to knock them off, and all the other squads eager to play spoiler.

Goodbye week 8😢Hello top 10 plays🙂 pic.twitter.com/BSLL5zvlbq

— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) August 1, 2021

Here is the list.

1 – Wizards District Gaming 18-4 

2 – T-Wolves Gaming 16-6

3 (⬆️3) – Jazz Gaming 14-8 

4 (⬆️5) – Pacers Gaming 19-7

5 (⬇️1) – Hornets Venom GT 17-7

6 (⬇️1) – Grizz Gaming 13-9

7 (⬆️1) – 76ers GC – 13-7

8 (⬆️3) – Warriors Gaming 13-9

9 (⬆️1) – Nets GC 15-11

10 (⬇️7) –  Kings Guard Gaming 12-10

11 (⬆️1) –  Knicks Gaming 12-10

12 (⬇️5) –  Blazer5 Gaming 10-10

13 – Celtics Crossover Gaming 10-10

14 (⬆️1) – Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai 11-11

15 (⬇️1) –  Pistons GT 10-10

16 – Magic Gaming 10-12

17 (⬆️3) – Raptors Uprising FC 9-17

18 – Heat Check Gaming 10-14

19 – Cavs Legion GC 7-15

20 (⬆️1) – Bucks Gaming 4-16

21 (⬇️4) – Mavs Gaming 6-16

22 (⬆️1) – Hawks Talon GC 6-18

23 (⬇️1) –  Lakers Gaming 3-21

Biggest Risers

Pacers Gaming took the biggest leap of the week after posting clean sweeps over Grizz Gaming and Mavs Gaming. Let me be honest, I’m still not entirely sold on this squad’s status as a legit title contender. However, when you combine their 4-0 week–especially considering they swept a team previously ahead of them in my PR from last week (Grizz Gaming)–and the futility among the Top-10, the rise makes sense. 

630 is a virtual beast and a valid MVP candidate. 

At times, he gets the sort of help and defensive presence he needs to make Pacers Gaming a contender, but other weeks, it looks more like a one-man show. 

We’ll be watching to see how things unfold in Week 10. The Pacers have a bye in Week 9 before returning to close the regular season against Pistons GT. 

.@PacersGaming is leaving week 8 with 19 total wins in their back pocket💯 pic.twitter.com/KdkZdmZ5n3

— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) August 1, 2021

Just ahead of Pacers Gaming is the dangerous and suddenly hot Jazz Gaming squad. Jelani Mitchell’s team has their own dynamic point guard in Splashy and the team chemistry seems to be at an all-time high with the squad swapping Expose for Lotty last week. 

The latter proved to be a dependable and effective three-point shooter in Week 8 draining 13 of 19 attempts from deep in three games. 

The Lotty-Jazz reunion could be the final piece of the puzzle as the team makes what could turn out to be their most serious run at a title in their history.

Lastly for this group, don’t call it a comeback just yet, but keep your eyes peeled for Dimez, Kenny, Type and the rest of the Raptors Uprising GC squad. They had a perfect 4-0 week after acquiring Dimez from Mavs Gaming in a trade for Reece Mode. We can’t give a final judgment after just 4 games, but is it silly to think Dimez and Kenny might instantly be one of the league’s best backcourts? 

They played like it in sweeping Warriors Gaming and Nets GC. RUGC is still in a bad spot from an overall standings perspective, but show me a more dangerous team headed for The TICKET.

Biggest Fallers

I was wrong about Kings Guard Gaming. I’m correcting my mistake and dropping them a mammoth seven spots in this week’s PR.

Last week, I elevated them too quickly. In my defense, Mama I’m Dat Man and Co. had put together one of the more impressive string of games in the past few weeks, which included a strong showing at The TURN powered by AT&T.

Unfortunately, they laid an egg in Week 8 going 1-3 and falling victim to a desperate Hawks Talon GC squad that had lost 14 games in a row. KGG is now a mediocre 12-10 and a bubble squad as it pertains to The TICKET seeding or landing a definitive spot in the postseason. 

Blazer5 Gaming is another team trending downward after presenting a bit of fool’s gold at the TURN. They have reverted back to their one-step-forward-one-step-backward tendencies. With their less-than-impressive Week 8 showing coinciding with strong performances from Jazz Gaming, Pacers Gaming and the recent surge from Knicks Gaming, B5 is down. 

Finally, Mavs Gaming is losing the sprint when it comes to evaluating the Dimez trade. They look like a team influx after moving the face of their franchise. They don’t have a natural point guard, and it was evident in their winless Week 8 performance. We’ll have to see if this turns out to be a marathon where the Dimez trade winds up being a good thing for both sides. As of now, things look bad in Big D.

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