Magic Gaming Swept by Hawks Talon GC

ORLANDO – Magic Gaming had been one of the better second half teams in the NBA 2K League in recent weeks. Its stellar play after intermission helped them notch victories over Kings Guard Gaming, Warriors Gaming Squad and 76ers GC. That wasn’t the case, however, against Hawks Talon GC, who steamrolled the Magic following halftime of both games in Tuesday’s series sweep.

Game 1: The opener was a tale of two halves, as Magic Gaming had control for most of the first half before Hawks Talon GC reversed momentum and soared to a 69-55 victory. Former Magic player Mykel “Kel” Wilson was sensational in the third quarter and finished with a game-high 28 points. The player he was traded for last season from Grizz Gaming, Brandon “ToXsiK” Raudenbush, was solid for the Magic, as the third-year pro knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to start the game and ended with 11 points and four steals.

Orlando, which led by 16 early in the second quarter, shot 74 percent from the field in those first 12 minutes before going cold after intermission. Atlanta made two more 3-pointers than Orlando in the game, and it accumulated six more rebounds and seven more assists.

Going head-to-head against Michael “BP” Diaz-Cruz, the player that finished just behind him last season for the Rookie of the Year honor, Brendan “Reizey” Hill registered 14 points, but only two after halftime. Daniel “DT” Tlais scored 11 points and Robert “May” May chipped in with 10. BP, meanwhile, tallied 19 points and six assists for Atlanta, which acquired the former first round pick from Kings Guard Gaming in the offseason.

Game 2: Like in the first game, the Hawks heated up toward the end of the first half and then stomped on the accelerator after halftime to record an 89-55 victory. Atlanta’s backcourt was on their A-game in this contest, as BP exploded for 46 points and Kel tallied 25. The two combined to make 15 of Atlanta’s 18 3-pointers.

This series was a cash match, so the Hawks will receive $2,500.

Reizey, playing shooting guard in this contest, led Orlando with 20 points, while ToXsiK had another excellent game with 17 points and four steals. May posted another double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Key Stat of the Night: Atlanta owned the series’ third quarters. In Game 1, the Hawks outscored the Magic 19-10 in that frame. Then in the finale, they won the period, 23-9. This was a big contrast from what transpired in Orlando’s last series against 76ers GC when they dominated that quarter in Games 2 and 3. Another glaring stat in the Hawks series was the rebounding differential. Atlanta grabbed 13 more rebounds than Orlando in the two games combined.

Up Next: Magic Gaming will look to bounce back when it takes on Pistons GT on Friday at 7 p.m. ET. It will be the first time May will face his former team. Orlando acquired the second-year center from Detroit in an offseason trade. The Pistons had selected the Massachusetts native in the first round of the 2019 NBA 2K League Draft. One of Detroit’s players very familiar to the Magic organization is Devin “DevGoss” Gossett, an Orlando native who spent a portion of Season 1 coaching Magic Gaming before entering his name into the player pool going into the NBA 2K League’s second season.