A rare feat for the NBA 2K League last night: four sweeps in four series of play. It’s hard to blame the victims of said sweeps, as four of the league’s best teams proved why they belong near the top, the most impressive result of the night coming from Mavs Gaming against Warriors Gaming Squad.
Jazz Gaming def. Heat Check Gaming, 2-0
Game 1: JZG 70-59
Game 2: JZG 83-76
For Jazz Gaming, the team headed into virtual Miami and took care of business as if it were just that—business. Four out of five starters recorded at least eight points in each contest, but it was once again the Splashy and Ria duo making waves. Splashy averaged 34 points and 8 assists per game while his big man dominated down low. Ria protected the paint at all costs, to the tune of 5 blocks per contest while averaging an additional 14 points and 18 rebounds. Everything’s coming up Utah recently, who are 2-0 so far on the week.
On Miami’s side, while game one was never particularly close, Heat Check Gaming fumbled game two away. The lead wasn’t huge, but the Heat managed to retain a three- to seven-point lead for the majority of this contest, but the Jazz came roaring back, sending Hotshot (18 points and 11 rebounds per game) and co. back to the lab. The loss continues the 2020 sprial for Miami, as the team’s record drops to a disappointing 1-6.
Difference Maker: Splashy
Splashy outscored opposing point guard GlennRatty in both games, and in game two the gap was 22. You think Utah’s point guard remembers the moment when Heat Check Gaming chose Glenn over Splashy with the 8th overall pick? He certainly played like it last night.
Mavs Gaming def. Warriors Gaming Squad, 2-0
Game 1: MVG 61-60
Game 2: MVG 60-59
For Mavs Gaming, Mo made another appearance in the starting lineup, premiering as the team’s lockdown defender, while Spartan moved off of the glass cleaner in favor of the two-way stretch build. Heading into the series, Dallas knew a win against this talented Warriors Gaming Squad team would prove the Mavs are a legitimate force to be reckoned with. The wins weren’t dominant, but Sherm (26 points and 5 assists per game) and his teammates continuously made the right plays down the stretch to ensure they’d walk away with the series win.
Warriors Gaming Squad could never quite bridge the gap that its slow game one start created. Dallas did a good job containing CB13, and while the team made a comeback bid, it fell short. The Warriors star point guard made it a point to start hot in game two, scoring 20 of his team’s first 30 points while taking an eight-point lead into halftime. While game one was lost because of a slow start, game two was fumbled away because of a second-half meltdown. With under a minute left, the game was forced to reset after a Dallas lagout and a last-second PeteBeBallin bucket sealed the fate. The Warriors, still with just two losses, move on to face the Magic at 6 p.m. tonight.
Difference Maker: The number two
The Warriors lost two games by a combined total of two points. When PeteBeBallin sank the game-winning layup, he had two seconds to make a move and score; the time that technically remained afterward: 0.2 seconds. Two was a killer yesterday evening.
Wizards District Gaming def. Knicks Gaming, 2-0
Game 1: WDG 74-60
Game 2: WDG 73-50
Wizards District Gaming made easy work of its opposition last night. Led by its superstar Dayfri, who averaged 12 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists per game in the series, the Wizards rolled all night on both sides of the court. No. 1 overall pick JBM squared off with opposing rookie point guard Duck, who was selected immediately after the Wizards made JBM their franchise player. The first of many potential battles between the two, JBM walked away with the win and better performance in round one.
Last night certainly could have gone better for Knicks Gaming. Obviously, the team was swept, and in both games severely underperformed in the second half, as quarters three and four decided each contest. Duck went from matching JBM in the first half of game one to shooting under 50% for the remaining six quarters of the series. Pair that with an uncharacteristically quiet night from his backcourt mate, Malik, and New York never really stood a chance.
Difference Maker: JustAwkward
It’s time we begin mentioning Awkward’s name when we’re all discussing the top lockdown defenders in this league. While the Washington team as a whole plays great defense, Awkward deserves to be singled out for his efforts.
Kings Guard Gaming def. T-Wolves Gaming, 2-0
Game 1: KGG 62-59
Game 2: KGG 65-60
Kings Guard Gaming’s defensive ability is just on another level, especially when matched up against a team that’s been recently tinkering with its starting five. I’m declaring it right now: the Kings flaunt the best frontcourt in the entire league. Yusuf (six blocks in game two) and Shotz (12 points and 15 rebounds per game) are an absurd combination and it shows in how the team plays defense. Bash (23 points per game) and Seemo (15 points per game) kept the offense steady, and the Kings were able to fight off a pair of Minnesota comeback bids.
While T-Wolves Gaming fought in both games, inconsistencies on both ends of the court were its downfall. Game one can be summed up fairly easily: JMoney missed shots he usually makes, BearDaBeast wasn’t involved enough offensively and most importantly Minnesota’s stretch big shot 0-for-7, including 0-for-6 from 3-point range. Yikes. After going down early in game two, the reigning champions scraped back and took control of the lead, before allowing a huge Sacramento second-half. It was more of the same for the Wolves in game two: JMoney 0-for-3 from range and Detoxys 2-for-6 from the field, but Bear was able to get more involved (20 points on 9-for-13 shooting). T-Wolves Gaming drops to 6-4 and I wonder if we’ll see any more lineup changes in the near future.
Difference Maker: Power forward position
While both Feast and Shotz had incredible series, their frontcourt partners’ nights went differently. Detoxys improved his play on the glass cleaner but there’s no denying Yusuf Scarbz absolutely outplayed the former Lakers Gaming big man.
