Magic Gaming Earns Thrilling Overtime Victory Over DUX Infinitos

The Lead: 

Magic Gaming center Robert “May” May has a knack for making big plays in critical moments. Known as Octo-May for his ability to disrupt passing lanes and get his hands on any loose ball, Orlando’s big man lived up to his moniker by coming up with a number of crucial plays in the final minute of overtime on Wednesday night.

May delivered a go-ahead putback slam with 47.9 seconds left in the extra session and followed that up with an assist, a steal, and two game-sealing free throws all before time expired to propel Magic Gaming to an 83-80 overtime victory over DUX Infinitos.

“Robbie made a ton of big plays tonight in general,” said Magic Gaming General Manager and Head Coach Jonah Edwards. “He ended the night with a pretty incredible statline, had a triple-double, and came up with a couple of big steals down the stretch for us.”

May finished the contest with 12 points, 17 rebounds, 11 assists, three steals, and two blocks.

GENerating Offense: 

When Magic Gaming acquired shooting guard Wesley “Gen” McNair as part of a blockbuster deal last month, they did so in hopes that he could bolster their offensive attack.

Against DUX Infinitos, the explosive scorer erupted for a game-high 32 points, his most since joining the club.

“Gen, he is just a very pure scorer,” said May of the third-year pro. “He draws a lot of attention to the point where people start selling out on him and then that’s when he tries to make his reads. But he’ll come out looking to score fifty every game.”

Other Key Performers: 

Magic point guard Joshua “Unguardable” Hunter tallied 18 points and 13 assists, and power forward Justin “Snubby” Stemerman racked up 16 points and five rebounds.

Small forward Matthew “Matty” Grant had an unassuming statline with five points, two blocks, and one steal, but his on-ball defense down the stretch caused issues for DUX Infinitos point guard Waseem “BallLikeSeem” Talbert.

“Defensively, I think it started with Matty,” said May of Orlando’s lockdown defender. “Every time he got a good bump on the ballhandler, Seem, we kind of knew going in that he likes to throw it to the center as his bailout pass. I tried to anticipate that, (which led to the big defensive plays in overtime).”

DUX Infinitos center Mario “avemario” Ortega Ariza posted 24 points and 11 rebounds, while BallLikeSeem ended the night with 15 points and 16 assists.

Up Next: 

Magic Gaming returns to action on Friday night when they face Bucks Gaming at 7 p.m. ET. With Orlando turning its sights towards THE TICKET and Milwaukee possibly having clinched a playoff berth by the time this game tips off, the implications of this contest are currently unclear. Regardless, it’ll provide Magic Gaming with a good barometer of their newly assembled club as they look to build momentum for the league’s final 5v5 tournament of the season.

“The Bucks are good,” said Edwards. “They play great defense. Dawsix (Dawson Thomas) and Seese (Jeremy Seese) have a really good pick-and-roll combo on defense. Obviously, Cooks (Tmp Campbell) has been a standout for the Bucks this season as well. They just have a lot of playmakers. All five guys are willing to go make a play, willing to make a read, willing to make a pass, and shoot the open shot. When you have a team like that, it’s a little harder to guard them.”

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.