Magic Gaming Edged By Warriors Gaming Squad in TICKET Semifinals
June 15, 2019
ORLANDO – Magic Gaming’s impressive run at THE TICKET, the third and final 2019 NBA 2K League in-season tournament, came to an end on Saturday.
After advancing to the semifinals with wins over Grizz Gaming and Heat Check Gaming, eighth-seeded Orlando fell short against fifth-seeded Warriors Gaming Squad, 58-56.
Although Magic Gaming once again received significant support from its hometown crowd with chants of “Let’s Go Magic” echoing through The Fortress, Orlando was unable to pull past Golden State down the stretch.
“I can’t point to one or two plays for the reason we lost the game,” Magic Gaming Head Coach Jonah Edwards said. “We had every opportunity to win and we fell short. It happens in basketball and it happens in virtual basketball.”
Cameron “KingCamRoyalty” Ford continued to be the model of consistency in two key categories: efficiency and cleaning the glass. The current league leader in field goal percentage went 9-for-13 from the floor on his way to 18 points, while grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds.
Rookie of the Year frontrunner Brendan “Reizey” Hill posted 14 points along with a contest-best 13 assists. Brandon “ToXsiK” Raudenbush fired off 13 points, while Daniel “DT” Tlais added six.
While Orlando left THE TICKET disappointed, it still finds itself in the heart of the league’s playoff race with four weeks remaining.
“We’ve found our recipe for success – we have to be one of the scariest teams in the league now,” Edwards said. “Teams don’t want to see us; we push every team to their limits. If we can just close games and stay composed, we have a great chance to make a run at the playoffs and rip off some wins there.”
Despite the defeat, Magic Gaming left immensely impressed with the turnout at The Fortress, Full Sail’s technologically advanced 11,200-square-foot esports venue.
“It was better than Las Vegas, it was better than New York, I loved it here,” Emmanuel “UCMANNY” Cruz said. “With the crowd behind us, I feel bad, because we didn’t finish what we started and we wanted to do it for them.”
Magic Gaming (6-5) returns to regular season action on Thursday, June 27 when they face Hawks Talon GC (4-6) at 7 p.m. ET.