Magic Gaming Gets Ready For NBA 2K League’s 3v3 Seed Week Play

The Lead: 

In similar fashion to their approach for 5v5 seed week action, where their focus was on preparation for THE TICKET, Magic Gaming’s outlook for 3v3 seed week contests will be in a similar vein as they’ll utilize these matchups to gear up for THE STEAL.

Like THE TICKET, the NBA 2K League’s final 5v5 tournament of the season which grants a playoff spot to a team from each conference, THE STEAL follows the same formula, but for 3v3 play.

With that in mind, expect Magic Gaming to tinker with various player position combinations and archetypes during their upcoming two-game slate this week.

The team liked what it saw in the one 3v3 contest its played since acquiring guard Joshua “Unguardable” Hunter in a blockbuster four-team deal and will once again play him alongside guard/lockdown Matthew “Matty” Grant and center Robert “May” May.

“We’ve been really excited to switch back to 3v3,” said Magic Gaming General Manager and Head Coach Jonah Edwards. “Prior to 5v5 seed weeks, Josh played one game for us in 3v3 in the last tournament after flying in that morning and nearly gave us a win against the Knicks. We were right there, but just not able to close it out. We’re really excited about how that trade is going to make us a stronger opponent in 3v3. In the past, we’ve had the ability to run multiple lineups and do it effectively, but I think even more so now. Josh is a greater threat. He’s certainly a better 3v3 guard than we’ve had in the past and I think one of the premier 3v3 guards in our league. Having him on our roster is just an exciting thing to be able to toy with our lineup and see where Matty ends up, whether that’s on a guard next to Josh or a lockdown next to Josh or whether we have an inside big or an outside big. The most recent 3v3 tournament was exciting because it showed (lineup) diversity is big in being able to (have success).”

Heat Check Gaming on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET: 

Magic Gaming opens up 3v3 seed week action with a matchup against their Sunshine State rivals, Heat Check Gaming.  Like Orlando, Miami is on the outside of the playoff picture and will likely need to rely on THE STEAL for a pass into the postseason. Heat Check Gaming has rolled out a variety of lineups in this game mode during their 2022 campaign, but it’s likely that center Kennedy “Sawc” Tauala will be the lynchpin of any grouping they put on display this Tuesday.

“They have a pretty solid group of guys,” said Edwards. “The biggest challenge is not knowing what we’re going to see when it comes to Miami. We’ll see what they give us. (In addition to Sawc) I would expect Bsmoove (Alexander Reese) on the court just because he’s one of their better guards.”

Hornets Venom GT on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET: 

If Magic Gaming is looking for a good barometer for their newly formed 3v3 grouping, they’ll get a good test on Wednesday when they go head-to-head with a Hornets Venom GT squad that’s attempting to claim one of the final spots in the 2KL postseason picture.

“We’re excited for that matchup,” said Edwards. “It’s kind of like a rivalry game for us, a division team that we’re hungry to beat and excited to be able to play and that we think we can beat.”

In order to accomplish that feat, they’ll need to be able to limit center Damon “DJ” Jones, who’s arguably their best threat in 3v3 play.

Quote to Note: 

“I think we can be great in both (game modes) for sure. We haven’t seen our 3v3 team at full strength yet, so that remains to be seen. In 5v5, even though we lost two of the last three games by a lot of points, I’m still very, very hopeful as you can see. Our backcourt (of Unguardable and Wesley “Gen” McNair) is very good, and they put up a lot of points. I think if we can fix some things up on defense and learn to trust each other a little bit more with rotations, trust each other on ball, and rebounding, if we can clean the little things up on defense, I think we can be very, very good.” – Matty on the team’s outlook for the remainder of the season

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.