Hawks Talon Will Not Advance To Playoffs After Games Against Magic Gaming and Kings Guard Gaming
As part of the initial group stage of the NBA 2K League’s THE TIPOFF powered by AT&T, Hawks Talon Gaming Club, the official NBA 2K League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks, finished the evening with a 1-3 in four games against Magic Gaming (Orlando Magic) and Kings Guard Gaming (Sacramento Kings) in front of a nationally televised audience. As a result, Hawks Talon will not advance to the playoffs in the league’s first in-season tournament of the 2020 season.
“Credit to both Magic Gaming and Kings Guard Gaming. While we competed hard in all four games, it just wasn’t our night,” Hawks Talon GC’s Team Manager and Head Coach Wesley Acuff said. “These next few games are crucial for us as we continue with remote gameplay as part of the regular season.”
After Hawks Talon dropped the first game to Magic Gaming by a score of 52-58, Hawks Talon would go on to win the second game with a final score of 71-52. In Game 1, BP (Michael Diaz-Cruz) totaled 25 points and five assists, KEL (Mykel Wilson) contributed with 20 points and LEE (Lee Lamb) totaled 16 rebounds in both games. In Game 2, BP led all scorers with 26 points and nine assists, KEL totaled 19 points, FOLLOWTHEGOD (Kwan Niblack, Jr.) added 13 points and LEE finished with a game-high 15 rebounds.
In two games against Kings Guard Gaming, Hawks Talon lost both by final scores of 53-73 and 63-66. In this two-game series, Hawks Talon’s BP recorded two double-double performances after tallying 19 points and 10 assists in the first game and 29 points and 13 assists in the second game. KEL contributed with 19 points in the first and 17 points in the second game while LEE was just shy of recording two double-double performances after recording 9 points and 12 rebounds in the first game and eight points and 13 rebounds in the second game.
Through Friday, teams will continue to compete in this four-day tournament for a total prize pool of $160,000, which will be divided among the top four finishers (first place – $70,000; second place – $50,000; third and fourth place – $20,000 each). Games will continue to air live on ESPN2, ESPN’s digital platforms and the league’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
The NBA 2K League also announced that remote gameplay for the regular season has also been extended for at least four more weeks (through Week 11 of the regular season ending Friday, July 17). Information about the remainder of the 2020 NBA 2K League season schedule will be announced at a later date.