Magic Gaming Advances to SWITCH OPEN In-Person Bracket Play After Pair of Series Wins

After Sweeping Gen.G, Orlando Wins Exhilarating Series Over Memphis 

ORLANDO – Magic Gaming is headed to SWITCH OPEN in-person bracket play in Washington D.C.

After sweeping the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai earlier Friday night, Orlando won a thrilling series against Memphis that went the distance in order to advance and head to the big stage in the second 3v3 tournament of the NBA 2K League season.

“You have no idea how good this feels,” said Magic Gaming small forward Matthew “Matty” Grant, who hit a pair of huge shots to help Orlando advance. “We’ve struggled all season, but we know we have a run in us. We knew how good we were last year. We know how good we are this year. The results may not show it, but we still feel like we’re one of the best teams. It definitely just feels good to win.”

Magic Gaming Sweeps the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai 

Game 1: Points were at a premium in the opener as both squads did an excellent job defending the 3-point line. However, Magic Gaming was able to outslug the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai in a 21-14 victory.

Orlando point guard Joshua “unguardable” Hunter notched 11 points and two assists, while Matty racked up 10 points and four rebounds.

Magic Gaming held Gen.G scoreless from beyond the arc as the Tigers missed all seven of their 3-point attempts.

Game 2: Despite trailing late, Magic Gaming found a way to come away with their second triumph of the series. Unguardable delivered a dime to Robert “May” May, who threw down the game-winning slam in a 23-20 comeback victory. Orlando closed the contest on an 8-2 run.

Unguardable posted 11 points and four assists, while Matty scored eight.

Point guard Jaiden “gallow” Frank led Gen.G with a game-high 16 points.

Game 3: With the contest and the series on the line, unguardable found Matty on the right wing and Orlando’s small forward came up cool in the clutch. Matty drained a game-winning 3-pointer from 28 feet out as Magic Gaming swept the Tigers with a 22-20 triumph.

The L.A. native jumped out of his seat after making the shot and pointed to his right arm, implying that there’s ice in his veins. That certainly appeared to be the case as Matty went a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor on his way to nine points.

“When I saw their lock take one step down from the corner, I knew that was the only man that would be able to contest me,” Matty said. “So right there, my eyes lit up and I was excited to take the big shot.”

Unguardable finished the contest with 11 points and four assists.

Magic Gaming Earns Thrilling 3-2 Series Win Over Grizz Gaming 

Game 1: This series opened up in thrilling fashion. Unguardable drained an off-balanced game-winning triple to lift Magic Gaming to a 23-20 victory over Grizz Gaming.

The No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NBA 2K League Draft finished the opener with 15 points and four assists, while Matty scored six. May notched two points and five rebounds.

Memphis point guard Harry “CP” Friedman led his squad with 10 points.

Game 2: Extremely efficient offense, a pair of key steals from Matty, and a staunch defensive stretch that forced a Memphis shot-clock violation helped fuel Orlando’s offense in a 22-17 victory.

Unguardable recorded 14 points and three assists, while Matty scored eight. Orlando went a perfect 10-for-10 from the floor.

Game 3: Grizz Gaming refused to go down without a fight. CP erupted for a game-high 17 points as Memphis extended the series with a 22-16 triumph.

Unguardable led Orlando with nine points and two assists.

Game 4: Magic Gaming allotted Grizz Gaming too many second chance opportunities in a 23-14 defeat. Memphis small forward Brian “LogicStark” Lunsford tallied 14 points and three boards, while CP notched seven points and four assists.

Grizz Gaming outrebounded Magic Gaming, 8-3.

Game 5: It’s impossible to put the twists and turns of this series finale into words. However, after both teams had multiple chances to end the series and advance, unguardable delivered a dime to Matty, who knocked down a game-winning corner 3-pointer as Magic Gaming advanced with a 22-20 thrilling triumph.

Matty broke free for the triple after a sensational off-ball screen by May – a play which was drawn up by Magic Gaming Assistant Coach Justin “Snubby” Stemerman.

“It felt like both teams went back and forth about 10 times, which probably has never happened, especially this year in 3v3,” said May. “I could just tell Matty was about to be open off of it. Right when he caught it, I just knew he was going to hit the shot. That was really fun. That was definitely my favorite moment of the season.”

After playing power forward throughout the night, May switched to an inside big build, a move that clearly gave Memphis issues on both ends of the floor.

“That was my favorite call by coach Jonah (Edwards) in my four years here,” said May. “We definitely practice it. … Win or lose, I thought it was a good call. Thankfully, it worked out for us.”

May finished the outing with 10 points and eight rebounds, while Matty and unguardable each scored six.

Up Next: Magic Gaming will take the stage for SWITCH OPEN bracket play in Washington D.C. on Thursday night and will face the loser of the Lakers Gaming and Knicks Gaming matchup.

“It’s really exciting to be able to look up across the room and see your opponent,” said Matty. “I think we’re built for that. We showed that last year in the STEAL. I’m really excited.”

Orlando will need six straight series victories if they hope to emerge as the SWITCH OPEN tournament champions.