Warriors, Raptors, Mavericks, Kings Shine in 2020 NBA 2K League
May 6, 2020
The NBA 2K League's third season kicked off Tuesday with a quartet of best-of-three series highlighted by Raptors Uprising GC's 2-0 sweep of 76ers GC.
Raptors Uprising GC outscored 76ers GC 182-123, with Sick One dropping triple-doubles in both games and Kenny Got Work scoring 51 points in Game 2.
Elsewhere, Cavs Legion GC, Warriors Gaming Squad and Mavs Gaming all emerged victorious with 2-0 series wins.
Here's a look at the opening night results.
Week 1, Day 1 Results
Raptors Uprising GC 2, 76ers GC 0 (79-56, 103-67)
Cavs Legion GC 2, Pacers Gaming 0 (64-50, 56-52)
Warriors Gaming Squad 2, Kings Guard Gaming 0 (70-67, 40-39)
Mavs Gaming 2, Hawks Talon GC 0 (72-55, 73-49)
All results and statistics are via NBA 2K League's official YouTube page.
Raptors Uprising GC 2, 76ers GC 0
Raptors Uprising GC and 76ers GC played to a 15-all tie after the first quarter of Game 1, but it was all Raptors afterward en route to a dominant 23-point victory to start things off.
Kenny Got Work scored 29 in Game 1, and Timelycook added 26. Sick One, who nearly had a first-half double-double (10 points, nine assists), finished by scoring 18, grabbing 15 boards and dishing 14 dimes.
Radiant led 76ers GC (and all scorers) with 30 points on 12-of-24 shooting.
The second game was all Raptors Uprising GC from start to finish, with the team taking a 30-11 lead after the first quarter.
Kenny Got Work's 51-point outing was the highest individual scoring performance of anyone who played Tuesday, and he matched his Game 1 total in the first half alone.
Sick One added a 12-point, 14-rebound, 13-assist triple-double.
Cavs Legion GC 2, Pacers Gaming 0
An 18-5 run to close the third quarter propelled Cavs Legion GC to a 64-50 Game 1 win.
Strainer's 24-point, eight-assist performance for Cavs Legion GC led all players in both categories, and All Hail Trey added 19 points. oLarry dominated the paint with 12 rebounds and six blocks.
WoLF guided Pacers Gaming with a 19-point, 14-rebound double-double. BOHIO had 12 points.
Game 2 had a far different look in the first half, with Pacers Gaming jumping out to a 28-17 edge midway through the second quarter. They extended that advantage to 35-22 early in the third.
However, the third quarter proved to be a nightmare frame for Pacers Gaming once again as Cavs Legion GC stormed back with a 19-4 run.
Strainer capped that streak with a three and hit another big bucket from downtown in the fourth to put the Cavs up by seven in a game that evolved into a defensive slugfest:
In the end, Cavs Legion GC iced the game with some free throws in a 56-52 win.
Strainer scored 27 for Cavs Legion GC, but oLarry was Game 2's star with 13 points, 15 rebounds, six assists, five blocks and two steals.
WoLF had a 14-point, 15-rebound double-double along with four blocks and three steals. Swizurk added 14 points, and BOHIO contributed 10 points and eight rebounds.
Warriors Gaming Squad 2, Kings Guard Gaming 0
The night's best game (and perhaps one of the best this season when it's over) occurred in the first matchup of the Warriors Gaming Squad vs. Kings Guard Gaming series.
Down 56-40 in the third, Kings Guard Gaming stormed back within two points in the fourth quarter thanks to a scorching-hot Bash, who finished with 41 points.
Kings Guard Gaming found themselves down 67-65 with 27.3 seconds remaining following a clutch Yusuf_Scarbz three-pointer and needed a stop to have a chance to tie or win.
However, CB13 responded with a layup as the shot clock expired, giving Kings Guard Gaming little hope for a win.
That didn't deter Kings Guard Gaming, though, as Bash quickly hit a layup with 1.7 seconds left. Forced to foul, Kings Guard Gaming needed at least one Warriors miss for a shot to tie.
They got just that, giving Bash a chance for a half-court buzzer-beating three for overtime. The ball went in and out, though, ending the game.
CB13 led the Warriors with 30 points and seven assists. Bsmoove added 19. For the Kings, Yusuf_Scarbz contributed a 13-point, eight-rebound outing.
Game 2 saw both teams battle to a 21-21 tie early in the second quarter, but it was all Warriors from there following a 13-0 run.
The Warriors led by 11 points with 2:41 left in the second quarter, but the game had to restart because of connectivity issues, per the NBA 2K live broadcast.
The two teams picked up a new game, but the result (Warriors up 11) and game time elapsed carried over into the restart. Hence, the Warriors had a de facto 11-0 lead to start Game 2, which was played until the 2:41 mark of the third.
The Kings stormed back in the restarted portion of the game and crawled to within one following a layup from Dat Boy Shotz, who finished the second segment with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
But the Kings were unable to get the ball back as the Warriors inbounded the ball twice and let the clock wind down without being sent to the line.
Bash had 12 points, six assists and four steals following the restart. Bsmoove scored 15 to lead the Warriors, with CB13 scoring seven.
Officially, the game goes down as a 40-39 Warriors win, with the 11-0 differential the only points carrying over.
Mavs Gaming 2, Hawks Talon GC 0
Game 1 of the Mavs Gaming vs. Hawks Talon GC matchup was no contest, with the former team rolling to a 72-55 win behind 30 points from Sherm.
The Mavs built a 44-27 halftime edge and extended their comfortable lead to 62-42 after the third.
Hawks Talon GC looked like they would flip the script in Game 2 after opening an 11-5 lead to start, but Mavs Gaming responded with a 13-0 run to take an 18-11 edge thanks in part to some terrific defense.
Sherm scored 11 first-quarter points, although the Hawks' BP matched his total.
The BP vs. Sherm battle continued into the second quarter, with the former player scoring 14 more to take 25 points into the half. But Sherm got the last laugh with a buzzer-beating bucket to put the Mavs up 39-30 heading into halftime.
Sherm finished with 20 first-half points.
The Mavs applied more defensive pressure in the second half, holding the Hawks to just 19 points in the 73-49 win. BP finished with 39 points on 16-of-24 shooting, but the rest of the squad scored just 10 on a 4-of-13 performance.
Sherm finished with 28 points, and PeteBeBallin controlled the lane with 21 points and 12 boards as the Mavs won their third straight season opener.