Magic Gaming Unable to Hold Off 76ers GC in 3v3 SWITCH OPEN Group Play Opener

The Lead

Just as they said they would be leading up to the start of the NBA 2K League 3v3 SWITCH OPEN, Magic Gaming were confident and precise early on against 76ers GC, the champs of THE TURN. Orlando took a 2-0 best-of-five series lead behind balanced scoring, sharp passing, and tenacious defense. But, led by their dynamic backcourt duo of Andre “Dre” Marshall and Enrique “630” Xavier Barraza, Philadelphia rallied back to pull off the reverse sweep on Tuesday night.

Game 1

Magic Gaming withstood a late rally from 76ers GC to pull out a thrilling 23-21 victory in the opener. Christopher “Duck” Charles led Orlando with 11 points, Robert “May” May posted seven points and three rebounds and Matthew “Matty” Grant, who knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer after Philly took a one-point lead after trailing by seven moments earlier, finished with five points and five assists.

Game 2

Duck got hot at the perfect time, sinking three of Orlando’s final four shots, including two from downtown and one at the rim that sealed the Magic’s 22-19 win. Orlando fell behind 8-5 early before seizing momentum with a 7-0 run. Duck finished with 13 points, while Matty had seven. Dre led the Sixers with eight points and four assists and former Magic Gaming player Daniel “DT” Tlais tallied six points and three rebounds.

Game 3

Philly got back in the series behind a dominant Game 3 performance from Dre, now in his second year in the NBA 2K League. He scored or assisted on all the Sixers’ points in their 22-13 victory and ended the game with a pair of 3-pointers. 630, the Finals MVP in THE TURN, blocked Duck’s alley-oop layup attempt right before Dre’s last triple.

Game 4

A dunk by May cut Orlando’s deficit to one at 16-15, but Orlando was unable to get stops on Philadelphia’s final two possessions, as Dre and 630 each buried 3-pointers to propel the Sixers to a 22-15 Game 4 triumph. May led the Magic with eight points, while Duck, whose one and only three this contest tied the game at 13, finished with seven points and three dimes.

Game 5

The Magic and Sixers, as you might expect in a decisive Game 5, went back and forth down the stretch. Matty, who tallied a team-high eight points, drained a pair of 3-pointers late, including one that put Orlando ahead 20-18. The Magic, however, were unable to convert on their final possession, which opened the door for 630 to hit his second straight triple in Philly’s series-clinching 24-20 victory.

Quotes of the Night

“Getting threes up (is key). Something Philly does well is they’ll look to shoot threes while DT’s crashing. I feel like that helps with second chances. So, I think consciously just getting up as many as threes as possible. It’s a game of twenty-one. They go by really quick.” – May on keys to being successful in 3v3 action.

“I think we were making it pretty tough on Dre – for him offensively. It was a little bit of a struggle. We were getting some open shots. We were getting some easy threes off some defensive breakdowns, which I believe is why they made the switch with 630 instead of UnderRatedGoat – that was probably a good change for them overall.  We were breaking them down. We were making them communicate on defense. That’s what we like to try to do – a lot of times that is a recipe for success in this mode.” – Magic Gaming General Manager and Head Coach Jonah Edwards on what was working early in the series

Up Next

For the second time since getting traded to Orlando – and first in 3v3 action – Duck will play against his former team when Magic Gaming squares off against Knicks Gaming on Wednesday at 8 p.m. New York defeated Orlando in THE TURN behind 20-plus point performances from Anthony “Ant SZN” Costanzo, Malik “OriginalMalik” Hobson and Jakari “Whats Stick” Hunt. The Knicks, however, got swept in their SWITCH OPEN opener against Dreamshakers, one of the amateur teams in this tournament.

More on SWITCH OPEN

 SWITCH OPEN group play includes the 24 NBA 2K League teams, North American amateur teams that earned a spot through the tournament’s qualifying events and community teams selected by the league and consisting of top players from the 2K community and social media influencers.

The two weeks of remote group play will determine the two teams from each four‑team group that advance to the round‑of‑16 in-person bracket play at the NBA 2K League Studio in Indianapolis from June 29 – July 2.

The 32 teams – 24 NBA 2K League teams and eight amateur/community teams – are divided into two conferences – East and West. Each conference is then divided into four groups with four teams per group (thee NBA 2K League teams and one amateur/community team).

Each team will play six series in group play, competing against each team in its group twice. The two teams in each group with the best series records will advance to the round of 16. Round‑of‑16 seeding will be determined by series records during group play.

Series in group play and in the round of 16 will be played in a best-of-five format. Series in the quarterfinals through finals will be played in a best-of-seven format.

The team breakdowns for group play are as follows:

Group 1 (Eastern Conference): Raptors Uprising GC, Heat Check Gaming, Celtics Crossover Gaming, Team Smoke

Group 2 (Eastern Conference): 76ers GC, Magic Gaming, Knicks Gaming, Dreamshakers

Group 3 (Eastern Conference): Grizz Gaming, Hawks Talon GC, NetsGC, Green Beanz

Group 4 (Eastern Conference): Wizards District Gaming, Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai, Hornets Venom GT, Rim Runners

Group 5 (Western Conference): DUX Infinitos, Kings Guard Gaming, Pistons GT, Team Clutch

Group 6 (Western Conference): Lakers Gaming, Warriors Gaming Squad, Cavs Legion GC, Dot Squad

Group 7 (Western Conference): Blazer5 Gaming, T-Wolves Gaming, Bucks Gaming, Handlez

Group 8 (Western Conference): Jazz Gaming, Mavs Gaming, Pacers Gaming, Ankle Breakers