Week three of the NBA 2K League is upon us, which means there are another 16 best-of-three remote series for teams across the country to play starting Tuesday. Below are the NBA 2K League week three series we think should be the most entertaining and meaningful of the week.
All matches will be streamed on Twitch, Youtube, ESPN.com, and the ESPN app. Tuesday’s series can also be watched on ESPN2.
NBA 2K League Week three – Tuesday
Some of Tuesday’s matchups look likely to be one-sided affairs. Warriors Gaming Squad, starting on a 4-0 streak, looks likely to take down a 0-4 Lakers Gaming. A Raptors Uprising GC team that’s also started 4-0 appears likely to down a 1-1 Knicks Gaming team. 76ers GC showed a hint of their old selves in their last two games against T-Wolves Gaming last week, but is sitting at 0-4 going up against Pacers Gaming, who themselves have a 1-3 record. If 76ers GC are looking for a chance to turn their fortunes around, Tuesday is the night to do so.
Match of the night: Wizards District Gaming vs. Pistons GT
There are four teams that haven’t played a match yet this season, but each of those teams plays this week, starting with Pistons GT on Tuesday. With an offseason roster refresh, Pistons GT hope to have improved their defense through trades and draft picks. Keep an eye out for Johnathon “Demon JT” Fields while Pistons GT are on offense, as how he performs on that end of the court against his old Wizards District Gaming team may be indicative of whether or not Pistons GT can make it back to the playoffs after missing out in season two.
Wizards District Gaming are also looking to get back into the playoffs after not making it last year, and they had the first pick in the 2020 NBA 2K League draft to help make it happen. Using the pick to get John “JBM” Mascone as the team’s new point guard gives a new face to the franchise who is equally skilled at driving to the rim as he is at finding open shooters to get the ball to. The roster shakeups from both Wizards District Gaming and Pistons GT through the offseason make either team a potential dark horse in season three. With the Wizards going into the match 2-1, it will be interesting to see how these teams stack up against each other so early in the season.
NBA 2K League Week Three – Wednesday
Pistons GT will get two nights in a row to prove their mettle as they take on defending champions T-Wolves Gaming (2-1). Wednesday also gives 76ers GC a second chance to either get their first win, or start a winning streak as they take on expansion team Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai (1-2). Knicks Gaming, the third team playing back-to-back nights, looks to bring Blazer5 Gaming (2-0) their first loss of the season.
Match of the night: Mavs Gaming vs. Hornets Venom GT
Mavs Gaming, the second seeded team in last year’s playoffs, is off to a hot 4-0 start in season three, but Hornets Venom GT hope to see that streak come to an end. As an expansion team, Hornets Venom GT got off to a strong start, going undefeated in their first two series. Last week they dropped their first series, though they did win one of the games and it was against a very good Raptors Uprising GC (4-0).
Mavs Gaming will be another tough test for the new team, as they hope to beat their league-record 10-0 start from last season. With mostly the same roster as last season, keep an eye out for three-pointers from Moustapha “Mo” Saab, but remain aware this team was very streaky last year and they’ll need to be more consistent to make it to the championship in season three.
NBA 2K League Week Three – Thursday
Three teams finally get their seasons underway Thursday, bringing the whole league into the fray of season three. NetsGC will get their season started against a 2-2 Bucks Gaming team. Jazz Gaming hope to take advantage of a fumbling 0-4 Heat Check Gaming to start off their season. Celtics Crossover Gaming will start off against a 1-3 Cavs Legion GC.
Match of the night: Hawks Talon GC vs. Raptors Uprising GC
Raptors Uprising GC are entering week three 4-0, and unless Knicks Gaming downs them on Tuesday they’ll be heading into the series against Hawks Talon GC (3-1) with nothing but momentum behind them. The Hawks will also have momentum going into this series, with their only loss coming in their first matchup of the season. With multiple trades in the offseason and four picks in the draft, Hawks Talon GC have just one player on the roster from last year, Andrew “MrStylez” Valle. With such a large turnover in the roster, Hawks Talon GC are surely hoping to make more of a splash than they did in their first season last year, and the Raptors Uprising GC series is the perfect opportunity for them to do so.
NBA 2K League Week three – Friday
Friday’s games this week will also be shown on ESPN2. NetsGC and Celtics Crossover Gaming get both of their seasons started the night before, then take on each other Friday. Jazz Gaming, which also starts their season the night before, will face a 1-1 Magic Gaming. If Heat Check Gaming doesn’t end its 0-4 slump against Jazz Gaming on Thursday, both they and Grizz Gaming (0-2) will have the opportunity to get their first season three series win Friday night.
Match of the night: Blazer5 Gaming vs. Bucks Gaming
Both of these teams will play winnable games earlier in the week, and with Bucks Gaming heading into week three 2-2, and Blazer5 Gaming sitting at 2-0, these seem to be the teams to watch Friday night.
Although Bucks Gaming hasn’t made it to the playoffs during either of their seasons, they’re hoping four draft picks will help them out. They may need all the help they can get as their season two coach, Wady “Tactuk” Tactuk, opted to play instead and got drafted by Lakers Gaming. Bucks Gaming got to the kind of start one may expect after losing a coach, 0-2. However, their latest two series saw great improvement as the Bucks didn’t lose a single game. If they can fend off the Nets on Thursday, they’ll be heading into this series with plenty of momentum behind them.
Blazer5 Gaming hope to continue their momentum with a win Wednesday against the Knicks, which would bring them into Friday’s series undefeated. Holding claim to the best regular season records for the first two NBA 2K League seasons, Blazer5 could be looking to three-peat that claim and finally add a playoff series win to their list of achievements. With some new players on the roster thanks to a couple of trades and draft picks, as well as a new coach leading the charge, this could be the breakthrough year for Blazer5. Keep an eye on their forced-turnovers Friday, as they caused 13.3 per game last season, helping immensely with their regular-season wins.
