NetsGC Splits Week Six Ahead of Tipoff Tournament
June 15, 2020
NetsGC split two series in week six by sweeping Hawks Talon GC last Tuesday before dropping its matchup against Kings Guard Gaming on Friday. The team gears up next for tournament play this week with the TIPOFF Presented by AT&T, the first in-season tournament of the 2020 season.
In last week’s first series, NetsGC took down Hawks Talon GC starting with a tight matchup in game one. Choc started the first possession by turning the ball over to a lurking Kel, but the turnover would prove to be one of only a few mistakes he would make in the following 24 minutes. The Week 5 Player of the Week dropped a season-high 45 points in the opener, shooting five-for-seven from three-point range, and leading Brooklyn to a 70-66 win.
The first quarter as a whole was marred by turnovers and sloppy play from both sides before technical issues forced a restart to the game with NetsGC up 18-15. The break did little to stop Choc’s momentum as he posterized two Atlanta players shortly after the restart.
OH MY @choc 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/02CfqLtt4y
— Brooklyn NetsGC (@NetsGamingCrew) June 10, 2020
NetsGC’s offense ramped up their play throughout the remainder of the game with Shuttles pitching in a 14-rebound and 6-assist showing along with some sharpshooting from Chess to secure the win.
.@Chess2K HIT IT FROM THE @Zenni_Gaming LOGO 🎯 pic.twitter.com/XsJXe19NTm
— Brooklyn NetsGC (@NetsGamingCrew) June 10, 2020
However, it was the offensive stamina of Choc that ultimately closed the game out for Brooklyn. With the team down by two and with only two minutes to go in the contest, Choc came off of a screen from Shuttles, taking advantage of a sagging Lee to green a three-pointer and take the lead. On the next possession, he worked another screen to get open and drain yet another bucket from deep to extend Brooklyn’s lead to 66-62. A Shuttles steal leading to a Randomz’s fast-break score proved to be the dagger that took down Atlanta in game one.
In game two, defense proved to be the ultimate decider for a NetsGC win. Opposing point guard BP scored 23 points on just 39% shooting from the field and 22% from deep, while Kel, one of the best shooting guards in the league at the start of the season, could only muster eight points. Randomz continued his stellar season as Brooklyn’s defensive stalwart, harassing the Hawks Talon GC backcourt for six steals, part of NetsGC’s season-high 16 steals as a team in a 73-49 win.
OFF THE GLASS 🤚@Randomz has been an absolute DOG tonight 😤 pic.twitter.com/Z106uKI07q
— Brooklyn NetsGC (@NetsGamingCrew) June 10, 2020
The effort on the defensive end helped create a 20-10 cushion for Brooklyn after the opening quarter, which expanded to a 38-21 halftime lead. Hawks Talon GC never threatened to take the lead as NetsGC consistently turned defense into transition points, stifling Atlanta’s offense before it had a chance to gain any momentum.
Choc dropped 34 points and seven assists for the game on 68% shooting. Wavy and Chess chipped in 15 and 11 points, respectively, and Shuttles showed out as one of the league’s top rebounders with 17 boards to go along with four points, six assists, three steals and two blocks.
At the tail-end of the week, NetsGC faced off against Kings Guard Gaming in the league’s Game of the Week. Sacramento, coming off a three-game series loss to a struggling Magic Gaming, didn’t seem to let the previous night’s defeat deter them as they jumped out to an early lead behind some hot shooting and offensive contributions from all five players.
On the other end of the floor, Brooklyn struggled to deal with the opposing team’s stingy defense. Choc was unable to find a rhythm with third overall pick Crush guarding him, and NetsGC could only muster 17 points in the first half. Kings Guard Gaming continued to dominate in the second half leading to a 107-63 loss for Brooklyn
Game two got off to a similarly slow start for NetsGC, who found themselves in an early 13-0 hole before a Chess three-pointer and a Choc fast-break bucket helped to stifle the bleeding. Both teams’ offenses stalled heading into the second quarter, but it was Kings Guard who was able to jump-start back into a double-digit lead behind more hot shooting and transition scoring, allowing it to head into the halftime break with a 43-22 advantage.
NetsGC cut into the lead with a 9-2 run to start the second half, but Kings Guard was able to recover and hang tough until it regained its big lead by the end of the quarter. Brooklyn couldn’t overcome the deficit toward the end, eventually succumbing to an 84-54 loss in game two of the series.
Next up for NetsGC is the TIPOFF tournament with $160,000 on the line. Brooklyn faces off against 76ers GC and Pistons GT as part of group 1 in the first stage of the tournament on June 16. The team takes on Pistons GT at 8 p.m. followed by a showdown with two-time defending TIPOFF champions 76ers GC at 10 p.m. on ESPN 2 and the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels.