Magic Gaming Falls to Wizards District Gaming in TURN Group Play Action
June 23, 2023
ORLANDO – One night after putting together one of their most complete performances of the NBA 2K League’s 5v5 season, Magic Gaming was unable to find their rhythm on both ends of the floor.
Orlando struggled to dig out of an early hole as it dropped a 75-58 decision to Wizards District Gaming on Friday in a TURN group play matchup.
“I don’t know that it’s exactly easy to pinpoint where it went wrong,” said Magic Gaming General Manager and Head Coach Jonah Edwards. “Defensively, there were a ton of breakdowns, miscommunications, and attempted hero plays. I’m not sure we were ever on the same page on the defensive side of the ball.”
Washington delivered a balanced offensive attack as four players scored in double figures. Power forward Alexander “Gloski” Pimentel did the most damage, going a perfect 6-for-6 from downtown on his way to a team-high 22 points.
“We had errant drops and miscommunications on rotations,” Edwards explained. “He hit his open shots.”
Wizards District Gaming point guard Justin “Kapp” Kaplan, who was originally drafted by Magic Gaming but was sent to Washington in a midseason trade last year, notched 21 points and 11 assists. Shooting guard John “Witness” Mushaben and center Manuel “Newdini” Newman II each scored 14.
One night after dropping a season-high 38 points in an Orlando victory, Magic Gaming point guard Joshua “unguardable” Hunter tallied contest bests in points (27) and assists (12) in the defeat.
Now, Magic Gaming will look to bounce back on Tuesday when they face the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai at 7 p.m. ET.
“It’ll be a good game,” said Edwards. “It’s the game we probably looked forward to playing the most in this group because we know it’ll be a good game.”