Magic Gaming Rolls Past NetsGC in First Game of Wednesday’s Doubleheader

ORLANDO – If you have followed the NBA 2K League over the years, you know just how critical it is for a team’s backcourt in 5v5 action to flourish offensively. When both guards are greening their open outside shots and making sharp passes to teammates for easy looks at the basket and in the corners, that usually means it’s going to be a long night for the opponent.

Wednesday’s TURN group play contest between Magic Gaming and NetsGC was a great example of that, as one backcourt thoroughly outplayed the other.

Joshua “unguardable” Hunter posted 26 points and 11 assists and Emmanuel “FantaSZN” Gosman, acquired by Orlando in a blockbuster trade from Dallas just a week ago, recorded 24 points and five assists to lead the Magic to a 71-62 victory.

“I thought Josh did a nice job of getting things going, especially despite the two early misses to start the game,” Magic Gaming general manager and head coach Jonah Edwards said. “Really offensively, we had everything we wanted, especially in the first three quarters. We rode that momentum. Ran a lot of the same sets throughout the game and they had a hard time stopping it.”

Brooklyn’s pair of guards, on the other hand, struggled mightily. Tariq “Greens” Reed and former Magic Gaming player Brendan “Reizey” Hill each scored just eight points on a combined 6-of-15 shooting from the field and 4-of-9 from 3-point range.

Orlando, which has now won three straight, never trailed and led by as many as 16 early in the fourth quarter.

Earlier this season, the Magic had problems preserving momentum in the early moments of the final frame. That hasn’t been the case lately, however. Last week against both Raptors Uprising GC and Hawks Talon GC, and then again on Wednesday against the Nets, Orlando has been nearly flawless in that stretch of time. The Magic were up only five early in the fourth before going on an 11-0 run to reclaim full control.

“We did a good job of managing the clock and making sure even if we weren’t hitting we were still trying to get good possessions,” Edwards said. “It’s clear it’s been an emphasis at practice for us.”

Ashton “LowkeyGodlike” Agredano tallied 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals for the winners, who improved to 3-1 in TURN group play, while Julian “Jboolin” Manzanares and Justin “Snubby” Stemerman, both brilliant defensively, combined for six points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Brooklyn was led by center Dayne “OneWildWalnut” Downey, who posted 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Shun “Streetz” Brown finished with 21 points.

UP NEXT: Magic Gaming had little time to rest and prepare for its next opponent. Later on Wednesday night, they square off against the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai.

HOW TO WATCH: Fans can watch games live on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels.