Magic Gaming Earns Signature Series Win over Warriors Gaming Squad
June 26, 2020
ORLANDO – Magic Gaming headed into the season hoping to establish their identity as a team with a dominant defense that could create explosive plays on offense.
Matched against Warriors Gaming Squad, one of the top teams in the NBA 2K League, Orlando finally put its stamp on a series with a signature victory.
Game 1: Brendan “Reizey” Hill delivered one of his most impressive performances of the season to lift Magic Gaming to a 60-52 victory over Warriors Gaming Squad.
Reizey did his damage both as a scorer and as a distributer of the basketball. The reigning Rookie of the Year erupted for 12 of his game-high 32 points in the final frame, including singlehandedly leading Orlando on a crucial 10-0 fourth-quarter run. He also dished out a contest-best eight assists.
“Reid has done a phenomenal job over the last few weeks of really embracing that role and it reminds me a lot of when he looked his best last year right now,” Magic Gaming Head Coach Jonah Edwards said. “He can take us to the moon. When he’s good, he’s one of the best in the world. We’re going to hope to get more of that out of him.”
Robert “May” May continued to be a steady force for Magic Gaming, posting a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds to go along with four blocks. No board was more pivotal than his key offensive rebound that led to a game-sealing triple from Alex “Profusion” Snowden with 49.8 seconds left.
Game 2: After a first half that looked similar to Orlando’s performance in Game 1, Magic Gaming struggled after the break in an 84-52 loss to Warriors Gaming Squad.
Golden State exploded to start the second half, opening the third quarter on a 23-2 run. Warriors Gaming Squad point guard Charles “CB13” Bostwick demonstrated why he’s one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA 2K League by firing off 51 points.
“When he’s going like that, you’re not going to win a whole lot,” Edwards said.
Game 3: Each season has its share of memorable matchups that can equate to turning points in a team’s campaign. Magic Gaming is surely hoping that this contest will mark the upswing in their 2020 journey.
Staring down an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit, Orlando rallied for a thrilling 58-55 comeback triumph to secure a 2-1 series victory.
Reizey led the offensive charge, scoring eight of his game-high 31 points in the final frame, but each of his teammates made significant contributions to the come-from-behind win.
Brandon “ToXsiK” Raudenbush, on the lockdown build archetype, limited the electrifying CB13 to just four fourth-quarter points, while scoring five of his 11 in the period.
“He did an incredible job in both fourth quarters (Games 1 and 3),” Edwards said.
Profusion drilled the go-ahead triple with 1:19 remaining, while May came up with the play of the night, a clutch steal that led to two game-sealing free throws from Reizey with 19.1 seconds left.
“We call that the Octo-May steal,” Edwards said. “He gets that nickname because whenever he plays in retail, everyone says he has ‘eight arms’ and ‘holy cow, I didn’t realize he was in that passing lane’ and then he gets the steal.”
Quote of the Night: “This is who we know we can be. We have three wins against Milwaukee, who is middle of the pack, the Kings, who are top five, and the Warriors, who are top five. We feel like we are a team who can beat anybody.” – Edwards
Up Next: Magic Gaming returns to action on Monday when they go head-to-head with Hornets Venom GT at 7 p.m. ET. Charlotte is off to a successful start in its inaugural season in the NBA 2K League, opening the year with a 6-3 record.
While it’s currently unclear if Hornets Venom GT will have Xavier “Type” Vescovi in the lineup, after he’s missed the past two games, their roster still features two of the top rookies in the league in Zaeya “Zae” Ishak and Justin “Snubby” Stemerman.