Magic Gaming Falls to Blazer5 in Mid-Season Tournament
June 9, 2018
Sometimes there’s that one pesky adversary that is hard to overcome. For Magic Gaming, that irksome opponent is Blazer5 Gaming, which now leads the season series 3-0 after its 86-70 win in the quarterfinals of the mid-season tournament.
The difference in Saturday’s contest wasn’t what transpired in the paint. Each side’s center and power forward duo combined to equal the same number of points. Rather, it was the spectacular play of Blazer5’s point guard, Nidal “MamaImDatMan” Nasser, that catapulted the top-seeded team to a sixth consecutive victory.
MamaImDatMan erupted for 30 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from 3-point range. The second round pick from California also dished out 14 assists for Blazer5, which shot 60 percent from both the floor and beyond the arc.
The Magic once again got terrific performances from Jorge “marley213s” Renteria and Cameron “KingCamRoyalty” Ford, who both flirted with triple-doubles. KingCamRoyalty posted 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, while marley213s finished with 20 points, eight boards and seven dimes.
It was in the second quarter when Blazer5 started to pull away. Their lead ballooned to 12 at halftime and the Magic were never able to fully recover.
The loss snapped Magic Gaming’s four-game winning streak. With 10 games behind them, there’s a lot for the Magic to be excited about as they get ready for their next set of games in the regular season. Since making a few lineup changes two weeks ago, Magic Gaming has been one of the most balanced and entertaining teams in the entire league.
It’s also encouraging that five of their six losses were against three of the top teams in the standings. The Magic have fallen to Blazer5 three times and 76ers GC and Wizards District Gaming once each. Their four wins, on the other hand, were against Knicks Gaming, Warriors Gaming Squad, Grizz Gaming and Kings Guard Gaming.
The Magic will look to bounce back next Saturday when they take on Bucks Gaming at 6 p.m. ET.