Magic Gaming Looks to Build Momentum in Second Leg of 5v5 Seed Week Action
July 11, 2022
The Lead
Not only is Magic Gaming a more potent offensive team since acquiring Joshua “unguardable” Hunter and Wesley “Gen” McNair a few weeks ago, but they are also much more confident and poised than at any point earlier in the season. They’ll have another round of 5v5 seed week games, starting Tuesday against Celtics Crossover Gaming, to prove they are indeed heading in the right direction.
Recapping Last Week
Playing from behind nearly the entire game, Magic Gaming rallied late to stun 76ers GC. Unguardable had a spectacular 5v5 debut for Orlando with 27 points and 12 assists, while Matthew “Matty” Grant hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 7.7 seconds remaining as part of his 20-point performance.
The very next night against Gen.G, another top-tier Eastern Conference team, the Magic fought tooth and nail before coming up short. Unguardable was on his A-game again, finishing with 25 points and 13 assists, while Robert “May” May recorded a second straight double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Tuesday, July 12 at 9 p.m. vs. Celtics Crossover Gaming
Over a 24-hour span last week, the Celtics lost by 35 to Knicks Gaming and beat NetsGC by 38. In the Brooklyn victory, all five Boston players scored in double figures, including point guard Sheriff “FT” Cruz, who registered 22 points and 13 assists. This will be the first time this season that Boston and Orlando will play in either game mode. It’s possible they could also meet up in THE TICKET with the C’s currently in eighth place in the East and the Magic in 11th.
Wednesday, July 13 at 9 p.m. vs. DUX Infinitos
This will mark the first time this year that Magic Gaming will play against a Western Conference opponent. DUX Infinitos, based out of Mexico, currently sits in seventh place in the West in the 5v5 standings, but is just one point behind Kings Guard Gaming for fifth, which is significant because the top five teams in each conference will earn a playoff spot without having to compete in THE TICKET. DUX finished last week strong by beating Lakers Gaming behind a 26-point and 15-rebound effort from Mario “avemario” Ortega Ariza and a 21-point, seven-assist, and five-steal performance from Brian “Killeyy” Diaz.
Friday, July 15 at 7 p.m. vs. Bucks Gaming
Depending on what happens earlier in the week, as the Bucks will play Blazer5 Gaming on Tuesday and Wizards District Gaming on Thursday, it’s possible the Magic could deny Milwaukee an automatic playoff spot with a win in this contest. Bucks Gaming has the same number of points as the Kings for fifth place in the West, but Sacramento presently is ahead of them based on point differential. Since the Kings play just twice this week, the Bucks do control their own destiny. They also have a ton of confidence after blowing out first-placed T-Wolves Gaming last week. TMP “Cooks” Campbell led Milwaukee in that victory with 30 points and 11 assists, while the first ever No. 1 overall draft pick in the NBA 2K League, Artreyo “Dimez” Boyd, whom the Bucks acquired from Raptors Uprising GC earlier this season, recorded 20 points and nine rebounds.
Quotes of the Week
“It’s nice seeing him play well and everything. It’s obviously nice seeing him score and fill up the stat sheet and all that stuff. The thing I’m most proud of from Josh is his ability to control the game. He’s speaking fluently on offense. He’s literally calling everything that we are doing. Most of it is Josh. It’s not easy for a rookie, especially new to the position. I know he’s not to it as a player, but new to it in the 2K League This is a tough position to play. It’s a tough role to be in. He’s coming to a team that frankly was in last place when he got here. This whole thing has been challenging for him. He’s just rolled with the punches, and I think tonight is a testament to him. He really is a good facilitator, a playmaker and decision maker – not just a pure shooter and scorer that initially he was pegged to be, which is really impressive.” – Magic Gaming General Manager and Head Coach Jonah Edwards on unguardable
“I pride myself on just being an overall player. Even at shooting guard – I played shooting guard all season (in Portland), I think I’m one of the top five in assists at shooting guard, so I just know how to get my teammates involved. Getting my teammates involved just opens up everything else for me…I just expect myself to be good at whatever I’m doing. Naturally, I was just comfortable coming into whatever role I was taking on.” – unguardable
Where 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.