Magic Gaming Pushes 76ers GC to a Decisive Game 5, But Again Fall Short

The Lead

Like the first series they played a week ago, Tuesday’s rematch between Magic Gaming and 76ers GC was tightly contested. Orlando opened with a convincing win. They also forced a Game 5. But ultimately, it was Philadelphia that seized control in the decisive contest to notch the series victory in Coinbase 3v3 SWITCH OPEN group play.

Game 1

Christopher “Duck” Charles scored 11 points on perfect 5-of-5 shooting and Robert “May” May recorded nine points and four rebounds as Magic Gaming closed Game 1 on an 11-3 run to secure a 22-14 victory. All but two of Orlando’s 10 made shots came inside the 3-point line.

Game 2

Orlando scored eight unanswered points to tie the game at 19, but Philadelphia had just enough left in the tank to pull out the 22-19 victory. Andre “Dre” Marshall, who erupted for 18 points, buried his sixth 3-pointer of the contest on the final possession. Duck led the Magic with 12 points, while May finished with seven points and two rebounds.

Game 3

Matthew “Matty” Grant gave the Magic a 19-17 lead with a dunk off an assist from Duck. But that would be Orlando’s last bucket in this game, as Elijah “UnderRatedGoat” Spears and Dre sank back-to-back triples to catapult the Sixers to a 23-19 victory. Duck led the Magic with 10 points and four dimes, while Matty registered nine points, two assists and one steal.

Game 4

The Magic remained poised after the Sixers went on an 11-2 run to erase a late eight-point deficit, as Matty, immediately after UnderRatedGoat gave Philly the lead with a layup, buried a game-winning 3-pointer off a pass from May in Orlando’s thrilling 23-21 victory. May filled up the box score with nine points, three rebounds and two assists, while Matty posted seven points and five boards and Duck tallied seven points and five assists.

Game 5

Most of the games between these two teams in each series in this tournament came down to the wire. Not this one, however, as the 76ers seized control early and cruised to a 22-14 win. UnderRatedGoat led Philly with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while Dre had nine points and knocked down the series-clinching triple from near half court. Duck led Orlando with seven points.

Quotes of the Night

“We played great defense tonight in general. We kind of (swarmed) him (Dre) right up the court and doubled him on the wings where he likes to get those shots. You make life a little tough on him it’s going to be a little easier to beat the Sixers – in this mode especially. I think that was the biggest key…We didn’t really turn it over much in general. I think that was a big part of it as well.” – Magic Gaming General Manager and Head Coach Jonah Edwards on what was working in the games his team prevailed in this series

“They are just a really good team. They have one of the better scoring point guards in our league. He’s a very tough cover. We come in and we try our hardest to stop him. I think we did a really good job. Surprisingly, their lockdown, UnderRatedGoat, hit some very tough shots against us. That was kind of the determining factor for them.” – Matty

Up Next

Despite dropping to 1-3 in group play of the SWITCH OPEN, the Magic are still in the mix to qualify for bracket play next week in Indianapolis. To give themselves a chance, they will have to win each of their last two series. The first of which will take place Wednesday at 8 p.m. against Dreamshakers, an amateur team whom Orlando swept the first time they met. May, who made the winning shots in each of the last two games, compiled 21 points, three rebounds and three assists in the series. Also 1-3 in this tournament after losing to Knicks Gaming on Tuesday, Dreamshakers consists of CBFW_c, Badge Plug and TheRealDario.