Week 10 Recap: Two Sweeps Bring Warriors Gaming Squad to Brink of Playoff Berth
July 20, 2020
Two more series, two more sweeps. Warriors Gaming Squad (10-3) sits in fourth place in the NBA 2K League standings as the team heads into THE TURN Tournament after another exciting week of regular season play.
Double-OT Thriller Headlines Sweep of Pistons GT
Warriors Gaming Squad first played Pistons GT and immediately played one of the most thrilling games of the season. Down by 11 points in the first half and six with little over a minute remaining, WGS fought back to take the lead on a four-point play by CB13. Pistons GT, however, forced overtime with a last-second shot and then managed to repeat the feat with a post fadeaway to send the game to a second overtime. A Bsmoove three-pointer from the logo gave WGS a never-to-be-relinquished lead as former WGS player LYKaPRO missed a deep three-pointer at the buzzer to give WGS the 80-79 win. CB13 led the way with a 32-point, 15-assist double-double, while Slaughter added a 10-point, 17-rebound effort of his own.
Tonight, the "Center of Attention" is on Slaughter! #WGS MVP presented by @TanduayUSA goes to @malikleisinger for his top-of-the-line rebound game, alongside his near perfect Field Goals Made on offense. pic.twitter.com/gcUNjHcb7g
— Warriors Gaming (@WarriorsGaming) July 15, 2020
After the dramatics in game one, game two was a more sedate affair. WGS seized a 20-8 lead after the first quarter and never looked back, culminating in a 34-point quarter that pushed the final score to 92-55. CB13 once again headlined the stat sheet with 43 points and 12 assists, but it was a team effort through and through. WGS finished the game with 30 assists, and the team missed just 11 of its 50 shots.
No Fear for the Deer
First-time playoff hopeful Bucks Gaming was next on the slate, and the week’s second two-game series followed a similar course. Bucks Gaming got out to a hot start in game one and, even after a game reset, led by as many as 15 points in the second quarter. WGS rebounded, principally due to hot shooting from Bsmoove—who finished with a team-high 22 points—and a 19-point, 15-rebound performance from Slaughter. Trailing by eight points with two minutes remaining, WGS took the lead with an 8-2 run and then took the 74-73 win as Bucks Gaming sharpshooter Arooks missed a midrange jumper as the clock expired.
.@BSmooveJ Hitting ✅ GREENS ✅ like… pic.twitter.com/jsO4bIfXM8
— Warriors Gaming (@WarriorsGaming) July 16, 2020
The defense stepped up its game in the second contest, limiting Arooks to just six points on 11 shots and holding all but one opponent to seven points or fewer. WGS won easily, 79-53, thanks to a 14-2 run in the second quarter and an outstanding effort from three-point range, where the team shot 15/19 (79%). Bsmoove, in the words of commentator Scott Cole, was “unconscious in this series:” the sharpshooter hit all eight of his three-pointers in the game and finished the series having hit 14 consecutive threes.
Woke up this morning and still can’t believe @BsmooveJ really shot 93% from 3 last night! INSANE https://t.co/4scvpdvBGd
— Coach Mike – WGS (@MikeChec1__2) July 16, 2020
“It just felt good to have a consistent breakout week, get to 10 wins and pretty much clinch a playoff spot as well,” Bsmoove said. “It also felt good to be in rhythm before The Turn and get our momentum going for this tournament.”
Up next is THE TURN Tournament, a single-elimination tournament over four days (July 22–July 25) with a $260,000 prize pool, the largest in NBA 2K League tournament history. WGS, which begins tournament play on July 23, won THE TURN last year in Las Vegas.