Magic Gaming Gears Up for NBA 2K League’s THE TURN Tournament

ORLANDO – It’s been exactly three weeks since Magic Gaming acquired Christopher “Duck” Charles from Knicks Gaming as part of a massive four-team deal. However, we’ve yet to see Orlando’s new point guard take the court with all of his Orlando teammates in 5v5 action.

That will change on Wednesday when Magic Gaming tips off action in THE TURN powered by AT&T, the NBA 2K League’s second 5v5 tournament of the season.

The TURN begins with two weeks of remote group play to determine the four teams from each six‑squad group that will advance to the round‑of‑16 in-person bracket play at the NBA 2K League Studio in Indianapolis from Wednesday, June 8 – Saturday, June 11.

Each team will play five games in group play, competing against each squad in its group once. The four teams in each group with the best records will advance to the round of 16.

THE TURN – Week 1 Opponents:

Nets GC – Wednesday, May 25 at 10 p.m. ET: When it comes to Brooklyn, there’s no question who’s the head of the snake. Nets GC shooting guard Wahid “Doc” Faiz is one of the most potent scorers in the 2KL, currently ranking fourth among all players at 25.5 points per game.

However, the big question for them now will be how their new floor general fits into the equation. Late last week, Brooklyn sent Michael “Tate” Tate to Charlotte in exchange for Jahaad “King Haad” Thomas.

“He’s one of the better corner defenders in our league as a point guard,” said Magic General Manager and Head Coach Jonah Edwards about Nets GC’s newest addition. “So, I think that was an upgrade for them there.”

This meeting marks the first of three straight staunch defensive matchups for Orlando. Brooklyn possesses two players who are averaging at least two steals and one block per game in Alexander “Steez” Bernstein and Shun “Streetz” Brown.

Wizards District Gaming – Thursday, May 26 at 7:30 p.m. ET: Washington is riding high after being crowned winners of the SLAM OPEN, the 2KL’s first 3v3 tournament of the season. Will that translate into 5v5 success? A big piece to that puzzle will be on the shoulders of former Magic Gaming first round pick Justin “Kapp” Kaplan, who was part of that aforementioned four-team blockbuster trade that sent Duck to Orlando.

“We’ll be very prepared,” said Edwards. “We do know Kapp and the way he likes to play the game. We think that he does fit in with the Wizards and their style of slowing the game down and playing at their pace and playing their brand (of basketball). We know they’ll be a tough matchup.”

Wizards District Gaming is also a team that excels at the defensive end of the floor and can be absolutely lethal when they’re able to generate offense by forcing turnovers and getting out on the break.

Along with limiting mistakes against Washington, Orlando will lean on a combination of power forward Robert “May” May, small forward Matt “Matty” Grant, and Justin “Snubby” Stemerman to slow down center Ryan “Dayfri” Conger and Brandon “BRich” Richardson.

Quote to Note: 

“First of all, we wanted to make sure the guys did have some time off. So, we did take a couple of days off and gave the guys some time to recharge and refocus for THE TURN. However, I will say, it’s clear to me that we have played more in the last two weeks than any team in the league. We stayed in-market, we did not go home, and that was intentional to see what a two-week bootcamp can be right before a tournament. We’ve played a lot of games to build a good level of trust and foundation with a new point guard. Hopefully, we can be successful here.” – Edwards on how the team spent the last two weeks, which included bracket play of the SLAM OPEN and a scheduled bye week for all league squads

More on THE TURN: 

Matchups in group play will and in the round‑of-16 will also use a single‑game formats. However, contests in the quarterfinals through the finals will be played in a best-of-three format.

The tournament groups are as follows: 

Group A (Western Conference): Blazer5 Gaming, DUX Infinitos, Jazz Gaming, Mavs Gaming, Pacers Gaming, T-Wolves Gaming

Group B (Western Conference): Bucks Gaming, Cavs Legion GC, Kings Guard Gaming, Lakers Gaming, Pistons GT, Warriors Gaming Squad

Group C (Eastern Conference): Hawks Talon GC, Heat Check Gaming, Knicks Gaming, Magic Gaming, Nets GC, Wizards District Gaming

Group D (Eastern Conference): 76ers GC, Celtics Crossover Gaming, Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai, Grizz Gaming, Hornets Venom GT, Raptors Uprising GC

The teams will compete for a total prize pool of $250,000. The prize pool will be awarded as follows: first place – $100,000, second place – $50,000, third and fourth place – $25,000 each, and fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth place – $12,500 each.

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.