Magic Gaming Drops a Pair of Series in Second Session of SLAM OPEN Group Play Action
March 12, 2023
ORLANDO – Despite impressive victories to open both SLAM OPEN series on Saturday night, Magic Gaming was unable to take either of them, and in the process fell to 1-3 in group play tournament action.
Magic Gaming Drops Series to Warriors Gaming Squad: 3-1
GAME 1: It’s hard to imagine a better start to a series. Magic Gaming as a unit went a perfect 9-for-9 from the floor and 4-for-4 from deep on their way to a balanced 22-13 victory over Warriors Gaming Squad.
Point guard Joshua “unguardable” Hunter had game highs in points (11) and assists (four), small forward Matthew “Matty” Grant scored seven, and big man Robert “May” May added four points, two rebounds, and two assists.
“We came out with the inside-center (build) and we picked up where we left off last year,” said May, who’s toggled between power forward and center in 3v3 action.
GAME 2: In 3v3 action, ball security is paramount. Giving away extra possessions in such a short contest can be extremely costly. Orlando found that out the hard way as its five turnovers proved to be too much to overcome in a 22-15 defeat.
Warriors Gaming Squad point guard Charlie “CB13” Bostwick tallied 13 points and four steals.
May led Orlando with 10 points and two rebounds.
GAME 3: Perennial MVP contender CB13 delivered a sensational showing as his game-high 17 points lifted Warriors Gaming Squad to a 21-15 victory over Magic Gaming.
GAME 4: Despite leading for the majority of the contest, Orlando was unable to generate offense down the stretch as they dropped a 21-17 decision to Golden State.
CB13 scored 10, while Warriors Gaming Squad small forward Veron “YooVc” Coates notched seven points and four rebounds.
Unguardable led all scorers with 12 points for Magic Gaming.
Magic Gaming Falls to Wizards District Gaming: 3-1
GAME 1: Just as they’ve done in three of their first four series to tip off the SLAM OPEN, Magic Gaming grabbed the opener with a 21-16 win.
Unguardable fired off a game-high 11 points, while May notched 10 points and four rebounds for Orlando.
GAME 2: After using a balanced attack to grab the opener, Orlando was unable to generate any offense outside of unguardable in the second contest of the series.
Meanwhile, point guard Justin “Kapp” Kaplan scored 12 and power forward Manuel “Newdini” Newman II tallied five points and four rebounds to lift Washington to a 21-15 victory.
Unguardable scored a contest-best 15 points in the defeat.
GAME 3: In the high-paced play of 3v3 action, just a couple of missed shots can make all the difference in an outcome. Such was the case in the third contest of the series as Magic Gaming struggled to slow down Wizards District Gaming in a 21-15 loss.
Kapp, who was originally selected by Orlando with the 10th overall pick in the 2022 NBA 2K League Draft, posted 14 points for Washington.
Unguardable led Orlando with 11 points.
GAME 4: Unable to get into a rhythm on either end, Magic Gaming was unable to extend the series after suffering a 22-13 defeat at the hands of Wizards District Gaming.
Kapp scored nine, small forward Justin “Just_Awkward” Howell added eight, and Newdini posted five points and four assists for Washington.
“We want to win these games, we know it’s important to win these games (and) it’s certainly important in the room,” said Magic Gaming General Manager and Head Coach Jonah Edwards. “The seriousness of these games is stressed here, but at the end of the day, we know where we want to be at the end of the season. So, that’s still our focus. Make sure we’re building every day and trying to improve as the season goes on.”
UP NEXT: Magic Gaming continues group play action on Thursday when they face Blazer5 Gaming at 6 p.m. ET and Knicks Gaming at 9 p.m. ET. Orlando defeated Portland in their season opener but dropped its first SLAM OPEN matchup with New York.