Magic Gaming Edges Gen.G in TURN Group Play Matchup
June 27, 2023
ORLANDO – In order to take down the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai, a top three team in the NBA 2K League’s Eastern Conference, Magic Gaming knew they would have to put together one of their most balanced performances of the season.
That’s exactly what Orlando delivered in an impressive 66-64 victory over Gen.G in TURN group play action on Tuesday night.
“We knew we had all the pieces, we knew we had the game plan, and we knew we had what it takes to get the job done, and that’s exactly what we did,” said Magic Gaming shooting guard Jarvis “Simptoms” Thompson. “We executed one through seven. It takes seven (five players and two coaches) to win. And we did (that).”
On the defensive end, Orlando set the tone out of the gate, holding Gen.G to just nine first-quarter points. While they had a couple of minor lapses over the course of the contest, Magic Gaming came up with some huge defensive plays in the second half, including a charge drawn by small forward Matthew “Matty” Grant and a key steal from Simptoms.
“We’re really focused on that,” said Orlando power forward Robert “May” May. “If we can get our defense (at a) really good (level), we will be an elite team.”
Magic Gaming point guard Joshua “unguardable” Hunter continues to make his case that he’s one of the best players in the entire 2KL. Going up against Gen.G point guard Jaiden “gallow” Frank, who narrowly edged Orlando’s floor general in last year’s Rookie of the Year race, unguardable outshined his fellow 2022 draft classmate by posting game highs in both points (25) and assists (11).
“Even last year, I would say that Rookie of the Year should have went to Josh,” said Simptoms. “Even though it didn’t, that did not deter him from working hard and becoming even better. He was a great player last year and now he’s even better than great. He’s the best in my eyes and it’s really showing this year.”
Orlando’s offense continued to show why it’s also among the best in the 2KL as Simptoms fired off 15 points, Matty and May each scored nine, and center Devin “Scoreo” Lawrence tallied eight points and 11 rebounds.
With a victory over Gen.G under their belts, Magic Gaming now sets their sights on Thursday night when they face Heat Check Gaming at 6:30 p.m. ET and Raptors Uprising GC at 8:15 p.m. If Orlando comes away with wins in both of those contests, it’ll likely advance to bracket play in the TURN and have a good shot of securing a spot in the 2KL 5v5 playoffs.
“It’s kind of crazy that all our hard work, dedication, extra hours, and everything through six months, comes down to Thursday,” said May. “I think we’re going to be really prepared and confident. (We’ll) play our game and I think we’ll get the results we want.”