Raptors edge Blazer5, stay undefeated in NBA 2K League

Thanks to a 75-70 overtime win over Blazer5 Gaming in the third game of a best-of-three series, the Raptors improved to 8-0. The Raptors led by 12 points late in regulation before Blazer5 went on a 14-0 run, taking a 61-59 lead on fastbreak dunk from Nidal "Mama Im Dat Man" Nasser with 29.7 seconds left.

First-place Raptors Uprising GC kept their unbeaten NBA 2K start going Thursday night -- barely. Thanks to a 75-70 overtime win over Blazer5 Gaming in the third game of a best-of-three series, the Raptors improved to 8-0.

The Raptors led by 12 points late in regulation before Blazer5 went on a 14-0 run, taking a 61-59 lead on fastbreak dunk from Nidal "Mama Im Dat Man" Nasser with 29.7 seconds left. Gerald "Sick One" Knapp immediately tied it for the Raptors on a dunk with 21.3 seconds left. Mama Im Dat Man missed a layup at the regulation buzzer, sending the game to overtime.

In the extra session, the Raptors pulled away with two quick 3-pointers and were never threatened. Kenneth "Kenny Got Work" Hailey led the Raptors with 37 points and 10 assists, Eric "Timelycook" Donald had 23 points, and Sick One logged 10 points, 17 rebounds, and six assists. Blazer5 (4-5) wound up with their fifth consecutive series defeat despite getting 44 points from Mama Im Dat Man in the finale. Dayne "OneWildWalnut" Downey had 10 points and 12 assists in the third game.

In other action Thursday, Magic Gaming edged Kings Guard Gaming 2-1, and Bucks Gaming swept Pacers Gaming 2-0. The scheduled match between Wizards District Gaming and Mavs Gaming was postponed, with no makeup date announced. Originally due to begin its season March 24, the NBA 2K League postponed playing because of the coronavirus pandemic. On April 27, the league announced an initial six-week, online-only schedule, with all 23 teams playing eight total matches from their home markets. Action finally began May 5.

Each match is a best-of-three, with the outcome of each three-game series counting as one win or one loss in the standings. The NBA 2K League announced Tuesday that online action would continue through Week 11. However, next week, all 23 teams will take a break from the regular season to compete in The Tipoff tournament.

On Thursday, Blazer5 took the series opener 57-50 behind 30 points and seven assists from Mama I'm Dat Man plus 10 points and 18 rebounds from OneWildWalnut. Kenny Got Work recorded 21 points and six assists. The Raptors leveled the series with a 101-55 blowout, with Kenny Got Work amassing 45 points and 11 assists while Sick One notched 10 points, 20 rebounds, 13 assists, and five blocked shots.

The Magic opened with a 49-45 win over the Kings as Brendan "Reizey" Hill scored 23 points and Robert "May" May had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Waseem "Seemo" Talbert topped the Kings with 17 points. The second game was a 94-44 Kings rout. Matthew "Bash" Robles had 40 points and 12 assists for the Kings, who also got 22 points from Yusuf "Yusuf_Scarbz" Abdulla as well as 12 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists from Connor "Dat Boy Shotz" Rodrigues. Daniel "Djbama" Burge led the Magic with 16 points.

The Magic wrapped up the series with a 53-51 victory as Djbama scored 19 points and May pulled down 16 rebounds. Bash had a game-high 22 points for the Kings. Reginald "Regg" Nash poured in 31 points as the Bucks posted a 73-59 win in Game 1. Tyler "Plondo" Lay grabbed 20 rebounds and dished out eight assists for the Bucks while Bryant "WoLF" Colon led the Pacers with 14 points.

The Bucks sealed the series with a 65-54 victory thanks to 42 points from Regg and 14 rebounds from Plondo. Jomar "Jomar" Varela-Escapa (14 points, 17 rebounds) and Eddy "BOHIO" Perez (11 points, 10 assists) each had double-doubles for the Pacers. Week 6 will conclude Friday with four matches:

--Pistons GT vs. Bucks Gaming --Celtics Crossover Gaming vs. Raptors Uprising GC

--Hornets Venom GT vs. Jazz Gaming --NetsGC vs. Kings Guard Gaming

NBA 2K League standings, based on winning percentage 1. Raptors Uprising GC, 8-0

2. Warriors Gaming Squad, 6-1 3. Wizards District Gaming, 5-1

4. Jazz Gaming, 4-1 5. Mavs Gaming, 6-2

6. Hornets Venom GT, 5-2 7. NetsGC, 4-2

T8. Kings Guard Gaming, 5-3 T8. T-Wolves Gaming, 5-3

10. Knicks Gaming, 5-4 T11. Pacers Gaming, 4-4

T11. Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai, 4-4 T11. Grizz Gaming, 4-4

T11. Hawks Talon GC, 3-3 15. Blazer5 Gaming, 4-5

T16. Bucks Gaming, 3-4 T16. Cavs Legion GC, 3-4

18. Magic Gaming, 2-5 19. Heat Check Gaming, 1-5

20. Pistons GT, 1-6 21. Lakers Gaming, 1-8

T22. Celtics Crossover Gaming, 0-6 T22. 76ers GC, 0-6