Week eight rolls right along with four more matchups on Tuesday night. Two 7-1 teams, Wizards District Gaming and Jazz Gaming, take to the sticks before meeting in a clash of the titans tomorrow, while other teams look to rebound and winless Celtics Crossover senses an opening for its first win.
Magic Gaming (3-7) vs. 76ers GC (1-7)
Magic Gaming disappointed last night, losing game one on their own host and relinquishing a large second half lead to Hornets Venom GT in game two. We did see a positive, as DT is back in Florida and started at power forward alongside frontcourt partner May. As a result, Profusion—who had been shooting well as of late—was sent to the virtual bench. I wonder if we see more lineup changes this evening, as they’re slated to play a 76ers team that has quietly improved their play recently.
76ers GC finally received some classic Radiant performances in week seven. The superstar point guard looked much more comfortable, despite the series loss, and even went off for 49 points and 10 assists during the team’s game one win against Pistons GT. Philly hopes to receive more of these performances, and the 76ers truly believe getting the first win in the books has them poised for a big second half of the season. With eight series down and eight series to go—not including tournament play—Philadelphia needs to win out to have even a small chance at making the playoffs via their regular season record. It starts with Magic Gaming tonight.
Key Matchup: May vs. Steez
Assuming May maintains his starting role as a center, tonight will feature a battle of big men who’ve had different seasons. Steez got off to a slow start, but has recently ramped up his play, including recording a triple-double. On the other hand, May was thrust into the starting center position when DT departed the team and has performed well.
Wizards District Gaming (7-1) vs. Cavs Legion GC (4-4)
Wizards District Gaming has been a top-three team since the first weeks of the 2020 season. Pairing JBM and Dayfri has been everything their front office dreamed of and then some. In fact, the Wizards really didn’t miss anything this offseason, as Awkward has quietly been a high-quality lock, and Newdini—eternally underrated—plays his role at an elite level. Dayfri feels the team is underrated as a whole, especially after continuously not receiving any recognition in the 2K League’s weekly awards. Tonight, they’ll square off with a team that’s been hot as of late in Cavs Legion GC.
Last night, Cleveland managed to put their money where their mouth is, knocking off NetsGC after trash talk circulated in the Twittersphere all weekend. Strainer and Doza were both key contributors, combining to score nearly 80% of the team’s points during the two Cavs wins. Tonight, their competition consists of one of the best teams in the league. The Cavs, however, have showcased impressive gameplay in recent weeks, and this evening is a good opportunity to gauge just how far they’ve come.
Key Matchup: Godddof2K vs. JBM
Cavs Legion GC rosters a top-tier lockdown defender, one already coming off a night of making one 2020 rookie point guard crumble. Cleveland’s former DPOY will attempt to do the same, but this time against the draft’s No. 1 overall selection.
Jazz Gaming (7-1) vs. Hawks Talon GC (3-4)
NBA 2K League viewers have been blessed with two 7-1 teams to watch tonight. Jazz Gaming has been another team on a tear recently with their high draft picks leading the way. Ria, selected first in 2019’s draft, is absolutely bullying opposing frontcourts game in and game out. While point guard Splashy (No. 10 in 2020), was relegated to his own tier, tier 0, he’s played pretty well, ditching the early season struggles and playing his floor general role really well. Tonight, he’ll need to match the production of Atlanta’s high-scoring backcourt duo of BP and Kel.
Hawks Talon would probably like to forget last night, after the team blew a fourth quarter lead with just a few seconds remaining on the clock. Atlanta, despite the lack of success, still flaunts a pair of talented scorers with BP and Kel. BP, forever one of the most talented dribblers in the league, found his sharpshooter time and time again during their first contest last night. Kel ate to the tune of 32 points on 14/16 shooting. This team needs more of those performances, and less of what we saw in their game two blowout.
Key Matchup: Splashy vs. BP
Obviously, the two won’t be guarding each other, but they’ll need to keep up with one another’s production for their teams to win tonight.
Celtics Crossover Gaming (0-9) vs. Bucks Gaming (4-4)
Celtics Crossover Gaming has obviously been one of the most disappointing teams so far this season. This is the same core that went on an almost impossible run last year, all the way to the semi-finals, and we’ve been waiting for the same run this year. It hasn’t happened, and it probably won’t, but let me tell you why I think the Celtics have a good shot tonight: at times this season, Bucks Gaming has looked atrocious on the defensive end, including surrendering 77 to Mama before wasting away the fourth. Fab knows this too, and I imagine he is chomping at the bit to fire up the sticks tonight.
If you think you haven’t seen the Bucks play in forever, you’re correct. The team hasn’t played since the Tipoff, where they managed to advance, but were ultimately swept by the Raptors in the quarterfinals. Regg and his teammates haven’t played in nearly two weeks and have what should be an easy win on their schedule. I mean, Boston is 0-9, so Bucks Gaming can’t possibly lose tonight, right?
Key Matchup: Fab vs. Everybody
If you’ve watched Celtics games in the last few weeks, you know what I’m talking about. Fab literally averaged 50 points for a series and his team was swept. Tonight, let’s see if the talented point guard can average 60, and if that’s even enough to will Boston to victory.
