Magic Gaming Earns Their First Victory of THE TIPOFF with Thrilling Win over Hornets Venom GT

The Lead:

Magic Gaming’s offense heated up in the fourth quarter and their defense was strong throughout as they earned their first victory in group pool play action of THE TIPOFF tournament with a thrilling 64-58 victory over Hornets Venom GT on Tuesday night.

Top Magic Gaming Performer:

Rookie point guard Justin “Kapp” Kaplan knocked down a season-high five 3-pointers on his way to a team-best 15 points in Orlando’s victory over Charlotte. The No. 10 overall pick in the 2022 NBA 2K League draft drained the go-ahead triple in the fourth quarter, which spawned Magic Gaming’s 15-7 run to close out the contest.

“I honestly saw them having no respect for me,” said Kapp. “That’s kind of my name in this league. No one really respects me. So, I’m going to take the big shot. I look forward to taking the big shot. I kind of had an idea that they weren’t going to step up on me late in the game, so I knew this was my shot to make. And I took it, and hit it.”

Key Stretch:

Early in the first quarter, Magic Gaming small forward Matt “Matty” Grant drained a 3-pointer to tie the contest at 10-10. However, a lag issue for a Hornets Venom GT player caused the game to be closed out. And after review, the league determined that the glitch occurred prior to the bucket and the three would be removed from the scoreboard.

While some teams facing an 0-2 start to the tournament and a bad break to tip off the subsequent game might fold under that type of pressure, Magic Gaming rallied and put the adversity behind them.

“Who would we be if our backs weren’t up against the wall,” Kapp said of the challenge.

Quote of the Night:

“I think it’s a testament to the team’s mentality. We fought adversity at a high level tonight. Obviously, dealing with a lag out, having a unique situation with the clock, trying to manage that to the best of our abilities while also playing the game at a high level. I think we did a great job at it. Our defense was electric in the second half. They had under 10 points in the third quarter. It doesn’t get much better than that. If we were able to translate (some stops) into transition buckets, I’d be a little happier right now, but I think overall, we saw us close a game and kind of learn how to win. Get our feet under us a little bit and sometimes that’s all it takes.” – Magic General Manager and Head Coach Jonah Edwards

Key Stat:

For the first time this season, all five Magic Gaming players scored in double figures. Along with Kapp’s 15-point effort, Robert “May” May and Matty each had 14 points, Justin “Snubby” Stemerman posted 11, and Blaine “BigReign” Wilson added 10.

Up Next:

On deck for Magic Gaming (1-2) is a Thursday night matchup with undefeated NetsGC (3-0) at 7:30 p.m. ET. Through their first three games of THE TIPOFF, Brooklyn’s backcourt tandem of Michael “Tate” Tate and Wahid “Doc” Faiz has overwhelmed the opposition. Doc has scored a combined 79 points in the Nets’ wins over the Grizzlies, Hornets and Raptors, while Tate has dished out a combined 33 assists, notching double-digit dimes in all three contests.

“Doc has been phenomenal,” Edwards explained. “Maybe the best player in the league to this point in the season. So, he’s been really good and we’re going to have to find a way to slow him down.”

How to Watch:

Fans can watch games live on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels. Games will also be available on Dash Radio, eGG Network in Southeast Asia, Loco in India, and Sport1 in Europe.