NBA 2K League week six marks the end of stage one of the league’s response to coronavirus, but we got news today regarding what’s next. The league announced The Tipoff Tournament will be taking place remotely next week. We also got confirmation that remote play for the regular season will continue through at least week 11 or July 17th, so some of the changes we’ve been hoping to see this season will have to wait. We’ve still got week six of season three ahead of us though, so let’s see what this week’s best matchups are.
NBA 2K League Week 6 matchups: NetsGC vs. Hawks Talon GC
NetsGC (3-2) got a late start in the league, having played their first game less than two weeks ago. The team has had a match every game day since then, however. After creating a three-game winning streak for themselves, NetsGC ended last week with a loss to Raptors Uprising GC. They’re back for their sixth straight game day appearance Tuesday against Hawks Talon GC. The key to success for NetsGC is their point guard, Choc. Choc does a lot more than finding open passing lanes and setting screens, he’s far and away the team’s number one scorer.
Hawks Talon GC (3-2) may start off the night rustier than NetsGC, owing to the fact they haven’t played another NBA 2K League team in nearly three weeks. Last week should have seen a refreshed Hawks Talon GC heading off their bye week into two more series of games. Instead, both the team’s series were postponed. While Hawks Talon GC’s point guard, BP, often ends up scoring the most points on the team, he seems to get a lot more help from his teammates than Choc. Keep an eye underneath the net for both centers, Shuttles (NetsGC) and Lee, to be fighting to come down with rebounds. This is one stat line both players have dominated this season, so the outcome on this part of the court could determine the match.
Blazer5 Gaming vs. Raptors Uprising GC
Blazer5 Gaming takes on one of the two remaining undefeated teams in the NBA 2K League this week. It was less than two weeks ago that Blazer5 was also an undefeated team in the league, but they’ve dropped their last three matches and are now sitting at 4-3. Will this losing streak be exactly what’s needed to bring the team with the league’s most regular-season wins back into winning form? It depends on how the team’s players react, of course. Point guard Mama Im Dat Man needs help from his teammates in order to win. In the team’s last series against Warriors Gaming Squad, he put up 40 points on his own in the first game, and Blazer5 still managed to lose. The team has been playing around with putting the newly drafted Hood into the small forward position. But based on his stat-lines from those series, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him off the court in the sixth man position again this week.
Raptors Uprising GC is the only team so far to hit 7-0. They’re gunning for Mavs Gaming’s record 10-0 start from last season. Only two teams have even stolen a game against Raptors Uprising GC in these best-of-three remote play series. In order to defeat the undefeated, Blazer5 has to focus on turnovers on both sides of the court. The Raptors can thrive on steals, and the team makes getting them a focus, with more than a dozen per game becoming the norm. One match against 76ers GC saw the team come away with 22 steals, 13 of which were caused by the team’s center, Sick One. Raptors Uprising GC isn’t immune to their own medicine, however, with the Hornets having downed them by holding them to just six turnovers while coming up with 12 of their own in one game.
Wizards District Gaming vs. Mavs Gaming
Wizards District Gaming is the other team that made Raptors Uprising GC fight for their victory. That fight against the league’s leader is the only loss the Wizards have faced this season. Going into this week 5-1, Wizards District Gaming looks to be among the best teams in the league. They face a 5-2 rival the form of Mavs Gaming, which could put that claim to the test. The Wizards this season have thrived off of rebounds, so the key to the game for them is to keep the center, Dayfri, focussed on getting those boards for second and third-chance buckets.
Mavs Gaming’s players are all very generous with the ball. Finding open teammates and getting easy points is how Mavs Gaming has found success this season, and it could work against the Wizards. The Mavs are nearly as good as Wizards District Gaming in the rebounding department, though Washington does hold the edge. In order for the Mavs to be successful in this game, they’ll have to keep up with the Wizards when it comes to rebounding and find open shooters when they control play.
NBA 2K League Week 6 matchups: Jazz Gaming vs. Hornets Venom GT
Jazz Gaming has played the fewest games of any team so far in season three. But in those games, they’ve looked pretty good. Sitting at 3-1, Jazz Gaming has had to reschedule a couple of games already this season, including last week’s game against Wizards District Gaming. Jazz Gaming’s players do a great job of sharing the ball and the buckets. Any player on the Jazz team is a scoring threat, which makes those players who are particularly good even harder to guard. In order for Hornets Venom GT to win, they should do what Kings Guard Gaming did to defeat the Jazz: completely shut down Splashy, the team’s point guard. When the Kings held Splashy to just four points, Jazz Gaming as a whole scored only 30. The next game they held Splashy to three points, and while the rest of the Jazz players stepped up and doubled the team’s score from the prior game, it still wasn’t enough to win.
Hornets Venom GT (4-2) is an offensive powerhouse so far in their inaugural season in the NBA 2K League. Their starters know how to share a win, too, with four of their five starters each scoring double digits in both games of their last series against the Knicks. Scoring isn’t the only stat The Hornets spread across the team either. With no single player on the team consistently dominating a single statistic, it becomes difficult to know where to attack Hornets Venom GT. If the Jazz want to win this series, every one of their starters will need to play hard and be prepared for any player on the Hornets roster to take a shot or go for a steal.
What NBA 2K League game are you most looking forward to this week? Let us know in the comments below!
