Magic Gaming Rolls Past Cavs Legion GC for Fourth Consecutive 3v3 Victory

The Lead: 

If the NBA 2K League’s 3v3 seed weeks have taught us anything, it’s that Magic Gaming is a completely different team with point guard Joshua “unguardable” Hunter on the squad.

That once again proved to be the case on Thursday night as Orlando rolled past Cleveland for a 3-1 series victory and extended their winning streak to four games.

The No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NBA 2K League Draft was a huge factor in the outcome, outshining Cavs Legion GC point guard Antoine “Antoine” Featherstone, who’s had a similar impact on Cleveland since also being acquired in a midseason trade.

“One thing about Josh is his skill will never be questioned,” said Magic Gaming center Robert “May” May of unguardable, who the team acquired in a blockbuster four-team trade about one month ago. “He’s starting to work really hard. He came from a team where it was just a lot different for him. (This) is a whole different environment for him. He’s young so we’re trying to show him how hard work can help him get even better, even though he’s obviously really good. He’s improving on that aspect, his mental aspect, (and) staying more composed. I feel like that will help him moving forward.”

Game 1: 

Riding their longest winning streak of the season into this contest, Magic Gaming remained hot in the opening game of this series.

In the closing moments and with Orlando holding a one-point lead, staunch team defense led by Magic Gaming small forward Matthew “Matty” Grant forced Antoine into a shot clock violation. On the ensuing possession, unguardable knocked down a 23-foot jumper to give Magic Gaming a 22-19 victory over Cavs Legion GC.

Unguardable finished with 14 points and four assists, while May tallied eight points and three rebounds

Game 2: 

Cavs Legion GC small forward Thomas “Fakiee” Batts put up a contest-best 12 points and knocked down the game-sealing triple as Cleveland handed Orlando a 21-16 defeat.

May recorded eight points and four rebounds, and unguardable tallied eight points and three assists for Orlando.

Game 3: 

Magic Gaming jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in their 21-16 game three triumph over Cavs Gaming.

Unguardable racked up 11 points and three assists, May posted six points, five rebounds, and four assists, and Matty scored four points, including the contest-clinching layup.

Game 4: 

Caught in the middle of a back-and-forth battle and with the game tied, unguardable lived up to his moniker by showing off his handles, breaking free from the defense, and knocking down a series-clinching 3-pointer in Magic Gaming’s 23-20 game four victory over Cavs Legion GC.

“That’s what he’s great at,” said Magic Gaming General Manager and Head Coach Jonah Edwards. “He’s able to manipulate defenses at a super high level. There aren’t many guys out there able to do that at a higher level.”

Unguardable finished the contest with 14 points and four assists. Matty added five points, while May accumulated four points and three rebounds.

Quote to Note: 

“Of course the morale is high when you win four in a row. We’re still taking practice pretty serious and continuing to get better and improve on things that we look at as weaknesses. But that doesn’t change the fact that we’re still confident versus whoever it is that we play.” – May

Up Next: 

Magic Gaming has a chance to go a perfect five-for-five in seed week action when they go head-to-head with Pistons GT on Friday night at 8 p.m. ET. It remains to be seen whether Detroit will play its normal starting unit considering it has secured a spot in the 3v3 playoffs.

“They’re the three seed currently in the West, but most of that was due to Radiant (Ethan White), who’s now with the Knicks,” said Edwards. “Obviously, AntSZN (Anthony Costanzo), their point guard, is someone who we’re familiar with in our room. We think they’re a good team. We certainly think they’re good in (3v3s) still, even with their newer lineup.”

How 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.