Magic Gaming Falls to First-Place Raptors Uprising GC
June 23, 2020
ORLANDO – No opponent in the NBA 2K League has been able to upstage Raptors Uprising GC, who improved to 10-0 in the regular season with their victory over Magic Gaming on Tuesday night. Toronto, which won the TIPOFF championship last week, swept Orlando behind strong play from MVP frontrunner Kenneth “Kenny Got Work” Hailey and scorching hot 3-point shooting.
Game 1: The Magic, playing in their first regular season series following the TIPOFF, went into halftime with some momentum after outscoring the Raptors in the second quarter. Toronto, however, slammed its foot on the accelerator after intermission and cruised to a 101-61 Game 1 victory.
Kenny Got Work knocked down all seven of his 3-point attempts as part of his 39-point, 14-assist night. As a team, Toronto drilled 19 of its 21 tries from beyond the arc, with Eric “Timelycook” Donald going 5-for-5 and Maurice “ReeceMode” Flowers burying six of his eight attempts.
Brendan “Reizey” Hill, last season’s Rookie of the Year, scored 24 points for the Magic, while Alex “Profusion” Snowden chipped in with 12 points and Robert “May” May had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Game 2: Reizey delivered one of his best performances of the season with 40 points, however it wasn’t enough as the Magic fell to the Raptors, 90-73, in Game 2. Orlando stayed within striking distance for a big portion of the game, as it trailed by just three late in the third. Toronto, behind continued hot outside shooting from Kenny Got Work and Timelycook, pulled away in the final frame.
Daniel “djbama” Burge posted 10 points for Orlando, which dropped to 2-6 on the season, while May filled up the box score with 12 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, three blocks and three steals.
Kenny Got Work finished with 38 points for the undefeated Raptors, while Timelycook scored 20 and Gerald “Sick One” Knapp tallied 10 points, 11 rebounds and seven dimes.
Key Stats of the Night: The Raptors have been one of the best long-distance shooting teams all season, and they showed how lethal they can be from deep on this night. They buried 39 of their 49 attempts from 3-point land in the two games of the series combined. The Magic shot the ball well themselves from long range, hitting on 19 of their 34 tries. Brandon “ToXsiK” Raudenbush, Profusion and djbama combined to make 10 triples in the series.
Timelycook, the league leader in steals, was a big factor on the defensive end. He came up with six steals in Game 1 and three in Game 2. Orlando committed 15 turnovers in each of the two games.
Up Next: The Magic are back in action on Friday, June 26 when they take on Warriors Gaming Squad at 6 p.m. ET. There will be a few intriguing matchups to watch in this series, including the one in the backcourt between Reizey and Charles “CB13” Bostwick. Golden State is currently 6-1 this season and sit in second place in the standings behind the Raptors.