Magic Gaming Sweeps Hornets Venom GT in SWITCH OPEN Group Play
March 21, 2024
Orlando Responds After Falling to DUX Infinitos Earlier in the Night
Magic Gaming Storms Past Hornets Venom GT
The Lead: Magic Gaming believes they’re one of the most talented groups in the NBA 2K League. So, after dropping a series earlier in the night against DUX Infinitos, Magic Gaming was determined to send a message. Orlando bulldozed Charlotte in three straight contests to complete a sweep in SWITCH OPEN 3v3 group play action.
Game 1: Eager to respond from a loss earlier in the night, Magic Gaming bounced back in a big way. Point guard Joshua “unguardable” Hunter fired off 12 points as Orlando throttled Charlotte 21-7.
Magic Gaming opened the contest on a 13-2 run.
Game 2: If there was any thought that Orlando’s dominant performance in the opener was a fluke, Magic Gaming erased that with a commanding 22-7 victory. Unguardable erupted for 11 points, while power forward Ashton “LowkeyGodlike” Agredano notched nine points, five rebounds, and two assists.
Game 3: There may have been a point during the third and final contest of this series where you checked to make sure you weren’t watching a replay. Magic Gaming kept their foot on the gas pedal and rolled to another 21-7 triumph.
Small forward Julian “Jboolin” Manzanares made an immense impact on both ends of the floor, going 5-for-5 from the field on his way to 12 points, while also holding point guard Kevon “Flukelock” Matthias scoreless for the second straight game. Orlando opened the outing on a 14-2 run.
Quote to Note: “It’s always good to get a team out in the speed in which we did, for sure … I think it was more important to me that we took the game as seriously as we could and took advantage of the fact that we could gain some points in the point differential department. I think that’s exactly what we did. As far as that goes, it was as good as we could have done.” – Magic Gaming general manager and head coach Jonah Edwards
Earlier in the Night: Magic Gaming Falls to DUX Infinitos
The Lead: Any time a player is going up against his former club, there’s always a desire to show out and demonstrate why that franchise should have never let you go. Big man LowkeyGodlike was looking to deliver that message loud and clear to the franchise that dealt him to Magic Gaming this offseason, but unfortunately for Orlando, DUX Infinitos had other plans as they surged to a 3-1 series victory.
Game 1: Part of being a successful team in 3v3 action is having the ability to throw the first punch. As they’ve done for the majority of the season, Magic Gaming dealt the first blow in this series, edging DUX Infinitos for a 21-17 victory.
Unguardable posted contest bests in points (10) and assists (five), Jboolin scored six, and LowkeyGodlike notched five points and five rebounds.
Game 2: After a strong defensive effort in the opener, Magic Gaming struggled to slow down DUX Infinitos in this one and dropped a 22-17 decision.
DUX point guard Ryan “Ryan1of1” Harris poured in 10 points, while big man Devin “Scoreo” Lawrence, who spent last season with Magic Gaming, added eight. DUX went a scorching 9-for-10 from the floor.
Unguardable led Orlando with 11 points.
Game 3: In this game mode, every possession matters. That was evident in the third contest of this series as an errant unguardable triple and a subsequent turnover proved to be too costly for Magic Gaming to overcome in a 21-19 defeat.
Ryan1of1 recorded 10 points, including a game-winning 3-pointer.
Unguardable racked up a game-high 12 points.
Game 4: After holding a sizeable lead for the majority of the contest, Magic Gaming appeared primed to extend the series an earn a victory. However, DUX Infinitos closed the contest on a 9-2 run and handed Orlando a 22-18 loss.
Scoreo had his way against his former club, firing off 12 points, including the series-clinching 3-pointer.
Quote to Note: “We certainly did not play our best series versus DUX. I don’t think we had the best energy in the room … The room isn’t happy with our performance right now. So, back to work on (Friday).” – Edwards
Up Next: Magic Gaming will continue SWITCH OPEN group play action on Saturday against their Sunshine State rivals, Heat Check Gaming. The contest will take place in-person in the Disney Atrium at KIA Center prior to the Orlando Magic’s home game against the Sacramento Kings. With a ticket to that matchup, fans will be able to come early and watch the 2KL contest as well.
How to Watch: Fans can watch games live on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels.