Expansion Hornets prevail in NBA 2K League debut

Thanks in part to a triple-double from Xavier "Type" Vescovi, the expansion Hornets Venom GT made a successful NBA 2K League debut on Wednesday, sweeping Cavs Legion GC in two games. In other matches on the second night of the league's opening week, Pacers Gaming rallied for a 2-1 series win over Heat Check Gaming, Magic Gaming downed Bucks Gaming 2-0, and Raptors Uprising GC improved to 2-0 with a 2-1 series victory against Wizards District Gaming.

Originally scheduled to start its season on March 24, the NBA 2K League postponed the start indefinitely on March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic. On April 27, the league announced an initial six-week, online-only schedule, with 23 teams playing eight total matches from their home markets. The action began Tuesday. Each match will be a best-of-three, and the outcome of each three-game series will count as one win or one loss in the standings.

The Hornets opened with a 65-56 win over the Cavs, getting 21 points and 16 rebounds from Type. Justin "Snubby" Stemerman was the high scorer for the Hornets as they closed out the series with a 73-58 decision, as he notched 29 points. Type chipped in with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.

William "Strainer" Morales led the Cavs in the series with a combined 48 points. The Heat edged the Pacers 63-62 in their first game behind 22 points from Glenn "GlennRatty" Wilkerson plus 17 points and 17 rebounds from Juan "Hotshot" Gonzalez.

The Pacers leveled the series with a 60-56 win in the second game thanks to 22 points and nine assists from Eddy "BOHIO" Perez. The third game turned into a 79-54 rout for the Pacers due to 40 points from Nicolas "Swizurk" Grech.

GlennRatty averaged 24.3 points in the series. Brendan "Reizey" Hill scored 20 points and handed out 13 assists to lead the Magic to a 74-64 victory over the Bucks in their first game. The Magic completed the sweep with a 66-63 win, with Reizey pouring in 30 points and Daniel "DT" Tlais contributing 27 points and 14 boards.

The Bucks fell despite getting a total of 77 points from Reginald "Regg" Nash. John "JBM" Mascone's 28-point effort helped the Wizards top the Raptors 67-64 in the first game.

The Raptors held on for a 67-66 win in the second game behind 34 points from Kenneth "Kenny Got Work" Hailey. JBM scored 29 in a losing cause, and Ryan "Dayfri" Conger amassed 18 points and 15 rebounds for the Wizards. In the night's final game, Kenny Got Work scored 30 points to guide the Raptors to a 73-63 triumph. The Raptors' Gerald "Sick One" Knapp had eight points, 14 rebounds and eight assists in the finale while Maurice "ReeseDaGod" Delaney paced the Wizards with 16 points.

Thursday's NBA 2K League schedule --Mavs Gaming vs. Heat Check Gaming

--T-Wolves Gaming vs. Hawks Talon GC --Kings Guard Gaming vs. Lakers Gaming

--Warriors Gaming Squad vs. Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai NBA 2K League standings

1. Raptors Uprising GC, 2-0 T2. Hornets Venom GT, 1-0

T2. Magic Gaming, 1-0 T2. Mavs Gaming, 1-0

T2. Warriors Gaming Squad, 1-0 T6. Cavs Legion GC, 1-1

T6. Pacers Gaming, 1-1 T6. Blazer5 Gaming, 0-0

T6. Celtics Crossover Gaming, 0-0 T6. Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai, 0-0

T6. Grizz Gaming, 0-0 T6. Jazz Gaming, 0-0

T6. Knicks Gaming, 0-0 T6. Lakers Gaming, 0-0

T6. Pistons GT, 0-0 T6. NetsGC, 0-0

T6. T-Wolves Gaming, 0-0 T18. Bucks Gaming, 0-1

T18. Hawks Talon GC, 0-1 T18. Heat Check Gaming, 0-1

T18. Kings Guard Gaming, 0-1 T18. 76ers GC, 0-1

T18. Wizards District Gaming, 0-1