Magic Gaming Routs Knicks Gaming in TIPOFF Group Play

ORLANDO – Magic Gaming has played dozens of 5v5 games since the NBA 2K League launched in 2018. Of all their wins in their history, arguably none were more impressive than their 81-60 victory over Knicks Gaming on Friday night in TIPOFF group play.

For the second time this week, Orlando only missed two first-half floor shots. It also held New York to just seven second-quarter points.

Not many players, if any, have been better in 5v5 play so far than Joshua “unguardable” Hunter, who erupted for 24 points and handed out nine assists. And few centers have been more dominant in the paint than Devin “Scoreo” Lawrence, who made all 10 of his floor shots for 20 points to go along with 13 rebounds, five assists and two steals.

“We’ve had this team (together) for a long time, way before the draft. So, we had already started building chemistry,” said Scoreo, acquired in a trade from Cavs Legion GC in the offseason. “It’s just good that we got a couple wins (and) feel better about ourselves. We feel like we have one of the best offenses.”

Magic Gaming’s other three players were efficient as well. Shooting guard Jarvis “Simptoms” Thompson, another offseason addition via trade, knocked down five of his nine shots for 16 points, while power forward Robert “May” May connected on all three of his shots and finished with seven points, nine rebounds, two assists and one steal. Matthew “Matty” Grant, who also played stifling defense at the small forward spot, had 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting.

As sharp as they were offensively, Orlando was just as locked in on the other end. They limited New York to just 46.9 percent shooting from the field overall and 40.7 percent from 3-point range, which are low marks in the NBA 2K League.

Ethan “Radiant” White, a TIPOFF tournament MVP in the past while playing for 76ers GC, scored just eight points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field. Malik “OriginalMalik” Hobson led the Knicks with 27 points, but even he struggled with his shooting much of the night, going 10-for-20 overall and 5-for-10 from downtown.

Matty, who’s been in the 2K League since 2019, knows a thing or two about the importance of team chemistry. He believes this group has what it takes – both from a talent standpoint and from a togetherness perspective – to make a deep run in 5v5 this year.

“I feel like our chemistry is great, especially off the court,” he said. “I want to give a shout out to JT (Simptoms). Last night, he had a rough game, and he was down here until 2 a.m. playing pickups and shooting the ball. And that’s the dedication it takes to win. Just hats off to him.”

Off to a 2-1 start in TIPOFF group play, Magic Gaming will have a day off before hosting Hornets Venom GT at the leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Tech Accelerator on Sunday. This will be the first time in team history they will be playing against their opponent inside their home facility. The game is free and open to the public. Tipoff will be at 2 p.m., with doors opening at 1:45 p.m.

Back in 2019, Orlando hosted THE TICKET at Full Sail University. Then a member of Pacers Gaming, Matty had a blast playing in front of that crowd.

“It’s very exciting,” he said about Sunday’s home game. “I remember season two at the event at Full Sail. It was crazy. It was kind of packed. It was like being at a little high school gym basketball game, where the crowd was on top of you…We’re very excited.”