Magic Gaming Recap vs. Blazer5

While disappointed about the result, an 81-72 loss to Blazer5 Gaming, Magic Gaming looked much improved in their regular season opener.

Christopher “KontruL” Cantrell posted 23 points and nine assists and Jorge “marley213s” Renteria flirted with a triple-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Good ball movement and spacing led to 27 team assists and 9-of-12 shooting from 3-point range.

Turnovers and fouls proved costly, however. Magic Gaming coughed it up 13 times and they committed 11 fouls. Similar to last week’s matchup against this same opponent during the Tip-Off Tournament, they struggled to contain Connor “DatBoyShotz” Rodriguez (25 points, nine rebounds) and Nidal “Mama Im Dat Man” Nasser (18 points, 14 assists).

Being able to hang with an opponent that advanced to the championship game of last week’s tournament should boost Magic Gaming’s confidence as they now prepare for their next game against Wizards District Gaming, which is scheduled for Saturday, May 19 at 12 p.m. ET. Every game throughout this inaugural NBA 2K League season will be aired live on Twitch.tv.

Brian “NachoTraynor” Traynor, who finished with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, helped get the Magic off to a great start in Friday’s contest. He scored six of the Magic’s first eight points, all coming in transition. Kontrul started heating up in the second quarter when he connected on three straight shots, including two from beyond the arc. For the game, NachoTraynor and KontruL combined to go 7-of-8 from downtown.

With Blazer5 being known for their interior scoring, Magic Gaming did a solid job protecting the rim. Emmanuel “UCMANNY” Cruz and marley213s each had four blocks.