Magic Gaming Wins Three Out of Four in THE TIPOFF

If how they played in THE TIPOFF is a sign of things to come, this is going to be Magic Gaming’s best season yet. Although because of a point differential tiebreaker they came in second place in their group, the Magic won three of their four games – one in stunning come-from-behind fashion, another in a blowout and the final one in which they stayed composed when things got tight.

Game 1 vs. 76ers GC: Brendan “Reizey” Hill buried a game-tying 3-pointer with 43 seconds left and Robert “May” May on Magic Gaming’s next possession slammed home a go-ahead dunk as Orlando rallied from 14 down at halftime for a 59-56 victory.

Reizey led the Magic with 20 points, while May posted 12 points and 14 rebounds and Daniel “DT” Tlais, who drilled a big triple of his own down the stretch, scored seven points and grabbed nine rebounds.

Philadelphia, which won both of its games against Cavs Legion GC earlier in the night, missed three free throws inside of the final minute, while the Magic were perfect from the stripe in the closing moments. Andre “Dre” Marshall, the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NBA 2K League Draft, led the 76ers with 28 points, while former league MVP Dayne “OneWildWalnut” Downey tallied 12 points and six boards.

Game 2 vs. 76ers GC: Like in Game 1, Orlando battled back after falling behind by double digits at intermission. But unlike the first contest, they weren’t able to get enough stops down the stretch in a 70-59 loss.

Robert “Caliraq” Ruiz and Alexander “Steez” Bernstein, after the Magic pulled within five, knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers in the final minute for Philadelphia, which by virtue of a better point differential than Orlando won Group 4 and locked up a spot in the next round. Dre erupted for 33 points and dished out 10 assists, both game highs.

Reizey led the way for Orlando with 30 points, while May was the only other Magic player in double figures with 11 points. Both teams did a great job limiting turnovers. Philly coughed the ball up just three times, while Orlando committed only five turnovers.

Game 1 vs. Cavs Legion GC: Magic Gaming dominated the Cavs from the opening tip to the final buzzer in a 73-51 victory. May had his way in the paint, especially in the opening half when he tallied all 12 of his points. He finished with 16 rebounds, nine on the offensive glass.

Orlando buried 15 3-pointers. Reizey, who scored 22 points, sank six of them, while DT connected on five triples and Josue “FutureClutch” Acosta Gomez, the Magic’s second round pick in the 2021 draft, connected on three shots from beyond the arc. DT flirted with a triple-double with 19 points, 14 rebounds and six assists.

Albano “oFab” Thomallari, acquired in the offseason from Celtics Crossover Gaming, led Cleveland with 22 points, while Devin “DLaw” Lawrence chipped in with 13 points.

Game 2 vs. Cavs Legion GC: Reizey scored 30 points, handed out 13 assists and hit a pair of clutch shots late, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:07 remaining, as the Magic edged the Cavs 67-65.

Orlando led nearly the entire night until Cleveland, led by its own floor general, oFab, tied the game with two minutes and change left. The Magic remained poised, however, and came up with enough stops down the stretch to secure their third win of the tournament.

Justin “Snubby” Stemerman, acquired from Hornets Venom GT in the offseason, had his best offensive performance with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from long range. May, meanwhile, recorded another double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

OFab led the Cavs with 33 points. He took 27 of his team’s 51 shots.

Quote of the Night

“That’s one of the main things that we kind of looked in this offseason, was kind of having a team that was poised and resilient. That wasn’t our strongest suit last year and we wanted to improve on that. We brought in three guys we feel like could help with that. And then brought back three guys that already had those characteristics. And you won’t find a guy that’s more poised and ready to go than Snubby.” – Reizey on his team being more resilient this season

Up Next

As of late Wednesday night, there is still a mathematical chance Magic Gaming earns a “wild card” spot in the quarterfinals of THE TIPOFF. Their regular season begins on Wednesday, May 26 when they take on NetsGC. Then on Friday, May 28, they will face off against the Gen.G Tigers. Matchups will be played in a two‑game format this year.