Written by afox96_.
Week three rolls right along with four more matchups featuring undefeated teams and winless squads alike. Check out last night’s roundup as well as the up-to-date standings page for more coverage on this week’s action. Games tonight are viewable on ESPN.com and the ESPN App, as well as the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
Hornets Venom GT (2-1) vs. Mavs Gaming (4-0), 7 p.m. EST
Two top teams square off as the Mavs attempt to remain perfect and the Hornets try to get back on track following a loss to Toronto.
On a hot streak to start the year, the Mavs surprised everybody when they debuted Sherm at point guard and superstar Dimez at shooting guard. The game plan has worked to perfection, and Dallas runs one of the most efficient offenses in the entire league. The Mavs have beaten talented teams (Hawks, Kings) and will need to do so yet again in order to avoid their first loss.
The Hornets have gone completely against the meta this season. While no other team has found success utilizing both of their big men, the Hornets have thrived playing through their center/power forward duo Type and Zae. The former Warriors Gaming Squad center and the first-round pick (the Hornets’ third) have found great chemistry in the paint both offensively and defensively thus far.
Key Matchup: PeteBeBallin vs. Type
Two of the best centers in the league duel, making this my must-watch game of the night. Both will stuff the stat sheet; it’ll come down to which big man can execute the little things at a higher level.
Pistons GT (0-1) vs. T-Wolves Gaming (2-1), 7 p.m.
The Pistons crumbled about twelve minutes into their season. Their offense was held to 15 second-half points in game one, and scored just 41 altogether in game two. Point guard DemonJT struggled, shooting an inefficient 31% from the field. Heading into their matchup against the reigning champions, I wonder if we’ll see any early-season lineup changes in Detroit.
After falling to the Hawks in their season debut, the Wolves made adjustments and played solid 2K in their follow-up games. Point guard BearDaBeast hit his stride, averaging 32 points and 7 assists per game while shooting 72% in Friday’s series against the 76ers. Tonight, they’ll face off against a Pistons team that struggled in its opening series.
Key Matchup: DemonJT vs. BearDaBeast
Bear has started the season with a hot hand, scoring at will against opposing defenses. DemonJT couldn’t find consistency in series one but looks to sway momentum in his direction, despite an unfavorable matchup.
Knicks Gaming (1-2) vs. Blazer5 Gaming (2-0), 9 p.m.
The Knicks got swept by the best team in the league last night, and now turn around to play more elite competition. Unfortunate scheduling. Duck turned the ball over a ton (15 times in two games to be exact), but Malik, at least, did shoot well, averaging 21 points per game on an efficient 77% from the field. New York will need to minimize its mistakes against a veteran, undefeated Blazer5 team.
Blazer5 had a near-perfect debut week, dropping game one in its first series before winning the next four contests en route to a 2-0 record. Point guard MamaImDatMan, the 2019 MVP, instantly gave us peak-Mama level of play, sinking threes and dotting his teammates with ease. Tonight, Portland will play a Knicks team that the Raptors roster made slight work of less than 24 hours ago.
Key Matchup: MamaImDatMan vs. Duck
MVP vs. Rookie. Give the Knicks point guard his credit: Duck was the second overall pick, but that all goes out the window when you face off against one of the best to ever do it.
76ers GC (0-5) vs. Gen.G Tigers (1-2), 9 p.m.
For the 76ers, it was a less-than-ideal night for the Pacers to figure things out. Indy debuted a double-lock (Wolf and NateKahl) lineup for which the Sixers simply didn’t seem prepared. This resulted in 31 Sixer turnovers over the course of just two games. Lead guard Radiant continued to struggle, shooting 45% from the field and turning the ball over 11 times. 76ers GC will search for its first win in a battle with the Tigers from Shanghai tonight.
Gen.G rookie ShiftyKaii came back down to earth after averaging 43 points and 7 assists per game in week one. The Tigers are coming off a series loss to the Kings in which the rookie turned the ball over more than six times per game. Their opponent, the 76ers, has similar struggles, which brings us to our…
Key Matchup: Turnover Battle
Until the 76ers can stop turning the ball over at their current rate, the turnover battle will continue to decide their matchups. The same could be said for Gen.G. Keep an eye on the turnover battle tonight.
