NetsGC Eliminated from Tipoff Tournament

NetsGC’s tournament run came to an early end during the TIPOFF on Tuesday. The team went 2-2 in group play and was eliminated on tiebreakers.

Brooklyn was drawn into Group One alongside Pistons GT and 76ers GC for the first round of the tournament. Each team played four games in the group stage, and the team with the most wins in each group advanced to the knockout round.

Every team in Group One went 2-2 on the night, but it was Pistons GT who advanced out of the group with the greater point differential.

Brooklyn got off to an auspicious start against Detroit, jumping out to an early lead behind hot shooting and a staunch defensive effort. Detroit couldn’t get its shots to fall early as it watched NetsGC sink five of its first six 3-pointers to start the game, three of those coming from Potts who was back in the starting lineup.

After splitting their first two games of the tournament with 76ers GC, the Pistons made a slightly more concerted offensive effort in the second quarter of the game, but still couldn’t hinder the NetsGC attack. Brooklyn entered halftime with a 39-23 lead.

Detroit got off to a quicker start in the second half, going on an 11-2 run out of the break to narrow NetsGC’s lead. It wasn’t long, though, before a few 3-pointers and transition points helped NetsGC extend their lead back to 20 points. Pistons GT wouldn’t get within less than 17 points the rest of the way in a 76-58 NetsGC win.

Potts enjoyed his return to the starting lineup, scoring 17 points including a five-for-six effort from deep. Choc finished with 34 points while Shuttles snagged 15 rebounds.

In game two, the team’s roles were reversed as Pistons GT went up by as much as 24-13 in the first quarter. Both teams traded blows through the second quarter but Brooklyn was unable to close the gap much, trailing 42-33 at halftime.

The lead would not evaporate for Detroit and the Pistons pulled further away in the third quarter following a strong performance from point guard Demon JT. The 2018 first-round pick played his best game of the season, scoring 52 points on 74% shooting in a 103-50 win for Pistons GT.

Following their matchups against Detroit, NetsGC made the decision to swap out Randomz for Wavy at shooting guard in their series against 76ers GC. NetsGC jumped out to a 20-8 lead in a first quarter that was delayed midway through due to technical difficulties.

Philadelphia clawed their way back in the second quarter. Radiant caught fire, sinking multiple 3-pointers in a row to put the 76ers in front at 26-25, but NetsGC fought to get its lead back, going into halftime 32-30.

Neither team could do much to break away following halftime. Radiant continued to ride his momentum on offense while NetsGC did well to balance its attack and spread the ball around. It was a back and forth contest until the closing minutes when Philadelphia’s BreadwinnerLA broke the deadlock with a corner 3-pointer to give them a 52-50 lead with 30 seconds remaining in the game. On the final possession, Shuttles got a good look close to the basket but couldn’t convert as time expired, giving Philadelphia the win.

Brooklyn came out swinging in its final game of the tournament, reaching a 27-12 lead in the first quarter, a run highlighted by a Choc block on Radiant on the fastbreak leading to a green Potts 3-pointer from the corner on the other end. Choc had five assists in the opening frame alone while Potts hit all three of his attempts from beyond the arc.

The lead grew by the end of the half to 51-30 on the backs of Choc and Potts—who went a combined 14-for-16, including 8-for-8 from deep, in just the first 12 minutes.

Brooklyn continued its streak from there, and 76ers GC could do little to stop the aforementioned duo. Choc in particular had no problem dicing up the Philadelphia defense on his way to 42 points and 11 assists in an 86-57 victory. Three other NetsGC players ended the game with double-digit points: Potts dropped 19, and Wavy and Shuttles scored 10 each. The latter also grabbed 19 rebounds.

The NBA 2K League has yet to release the official schedule for the regular season from week seven on, meaning NetsGC will wait to see who it plays next. You can follow NetsGC on Twitter for future schedule updates.