Magic Gaming Rallies Past 76ers GC in 5v5 Team Debuts for Unguardable and Gen

The Lead

Magic Gaming acquired Joshua “Unguardable” Hunter and Wesley “Gen” McNair a couple weeks ago with becoming a more potent and explosive offensive team in mind. It was just one 5v5 game, but that four-team deal sure looks like it has indeed infused some much-needed offensive firepower into their foundation. While Unguardable delivered an all-around gem in his Orlando 5v5 debut, Gen hit clutch shots late, as did veteran Matthew “Matty” Grant in Magic Gaming’s come-from-behind 74-69 victory over 76ers GC, the reigning TURN champs, on Wednesday night in seed week action.

Top Magic Gaming Performers

Unguardable, the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NBA 2K League Draft, posted 27 points and 12 assists in his first 5v5 game with the Magic. While he got off to a slow start, Gen heated up late and finished with 11 points in his Orlando debut. Not only was Matty solid defensively, but he had one of his best offensive games of the season with 20 points. Robert “May” May, back at center for the first time this season after Blaine “BigReign” Wilson was dealt to Pacers Gaming, recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Clutch Moments

Playing from behind nearly the entire night, Magic Gaming did a little bit of everything down the stretch to seize momentum. Justin “Snubby” Stemerman had a big steal on MVP candidate Andre “Dre” Marshall with 51 seconds left, which led to a go-ahead 3-pointer by Gen. Then, following a Yusuf “Yusuf Scarbz” Abdulla dunk that evened the score, Matty buried a game-winning corner triple with 7.7 seconds remaining. May knocked down a pair of game-sealing free throws with seven tenths of a second left after former Orlando player Daniel “DT” Tlais missed a three on the prior possession.

Key Stats

Orlando outscored Philly by 10 in the fourth quarter. While he did dish out 20 assists, Dre was held to just 10 points. It was the first time this season that the Magic scored 70-plus points.

Quotes of the Night

“I don’t think we changed anything up from what the game plan was and kind of what we were doing. I just think it looked a little better as the game went on. We kind of found some openings. In general, I thought we were in sync tonight on offense. It’s the first time I’ve been able to sit here happy about our offense in a long time. That part feels really relieving from my perspective. We are a resilient group. No matter what, if we are going to be close in a game, we are going to fight down the stretch and claw our way in and try to win.” – Magic Gaming General Manager and Head Coach Jonah Edwards

“I pride myself on just being an overall player. Even at shooting guard – I played shooting guard all season (in Portland), I think I (was) 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

Up Next

Magic Gaming will look to build on this victory when they take on Gen.G on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Like the 76ers, Gen.G currently sits in the top three in the Eastern Conference standings in 5v5 action. They are led by 2022 NBA 2K League Draft No. 1 overall pick Jaiden “OTTR” Frank, who averaged 25.2 points in THE TIPOFF and 22.3 points in THE TURN. Although he’s still adjusting to his new environment, Unguardable can sense this team gaining more confidence every time they step into the studio.

“Us winning is a motivation boost to keep pushing through the season,” he said. “Season isn’t over, and this is a (fresh) start.”