Magic Gaming Go Cold in Series Loss to Knicks Gaming in SWITCH OPEN Group Play

The Lead

Magic Gaming was unable to overcome a couple poor 3-point shooting performances in a series loss to Knicks Gaming in Coinbase NBA 2K League SWITCH OPEN group play on Wednesday night. This was the second time these two teams have squared off and first in 3v3 action since last month’s four-team blockbuster trade that brought Christopher “Duck” Charles to Orlando from New York.

Game 1

Magic Gaming nearly pulled off a stunning comeback in the opener after trailing the entire way before falling 22-18. Duck, who finished with nine points, started Orlando’s 8-0 late run with a 3-pointer and Matthew “Matty” Grant had a dunk and triple to tie it at 18. Kerry “Kerry” Thompson ended New York’s drought with a dunk and Anthony “ANT SZN” Costanzo lifted the Knicks to the win with a jumper just inside the 3-point line.

Game 2

The Knicks had no answer for their former point guard in Game 2, as Duck erupted for 15 points and Matty drilled the game-winning 3-pointer in Orlando’s 23-15 victory. Ball movement was a big factor in this contest, as each Magic player dished out two assists. Robert “May” May grabbed three rebounds and knocked down his one and only 3-point attempt.

Game 3

Orlando battled back from an early 9-2 hole and had a few chances to close the gap down the stretch, but New York was able to ward off the Magic behind a strong finish from Malik “OriginalMalik” Hobson in their 23-18 Game 3 victory. Inactive in the first two games of this series, OriginalMalik hit the game-sealing triple to cap off his 14-point effort.

Game 4

Once again, it was OriginalMalik who controlled the tempo and got to his spots. The four-year NBA 2K League pro delivered a second straight 14-point performance while dishing out four assists in Knicks Gaming’s series-clinching 23-15 win. May led the Magic with seven points, while Duck filled up the stat sheet with four points, four rebounds and five assists. Orlando connected on just one 3-pointer in this contest.

Quote of the Night

“Obviously, Malik subbing into the series was a big X-factor for them, and he was able to create off of ISO one-on-one situations a lot. That was probably the biggest key factor that they won the (series). We weren’t able to really force any turnovers and kind of get them out of (their) rhythm either, which is obviously not the way we try to play. We certainly went for them and just didn’t get them.” – Magic Gaming General Manager and Head Coach Jonah Edwards

Up Next

Magic Gaming will look to bounce back when they take on Dreamshakers, one of the tournament’s amateur teams, on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET. Comprised of CBFW_c, Badge Plug and TheRealDario, Dreamshakers shocked many when they swept Knicks Gaming in their opening series on Tuesday night. CBFW_c, playing point guard for them, scored 13 points in each of those three games.