Club Defeats Hornets Venom As BP (Michael Diaz-Cruz) Wears Physical Jersey of Teammate FOLLOWTHEGOD (Kwan Niblack Jr.) in Tribute
Earlier this evening, Hawks Talon Gaming Club, the official NBA 2K League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks, defeated in two games as part of a best-of-three series with Hornets Venom GT, the official affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, in front of an international viewing audience. The results of each game were 76-73 and69-60.
“Hornets Venom GT has made an impact as a successful expansion team, and BiggWest (Head Coach Lawrence West) has been great leading them this season. Tonight, our team set out to take care of business, and I’m proud of how hard they worked as a unit and continued to never let their foot off the gas,” Hawks Talon GC’s Team Manager and Head Coach Wesley Acuff said. “Our team is locked in and focused, but we are continuing to keep FOLLOWTHEGOD (Kwan Niblack Jr.) in our thoughts and our prayers. We are looking forward to the series Friday against Cavs Legion GC.”
As part of this series, BP (Michael Diaz-Cruz) wore the physical jersey of FOLLOWTHEGOD (Kwan Niblack, Jr.) in a special tribute to his teammate, who lost his mother earlier this week.
“We are dedicating every game for the rest of this season to FOLLOWTHEGOD,” said Diaz-Cruz. “I’m going to wear his jersey for the rest of the season.”
In the first game, Hawks Talon’s BP scored 34 points and dished out six assists. LEE (Levi Lamb) recorded his second consecutive double-double performance of the season after totaling 11 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. He also added five assists. Atlanta’s own KEL (Mykel Wilson) added 18 points and a team-high three steals, while MRSTYLEZ (Andrew Valle) finished with eight points, two rebounds and two blocks. Rounding out the group was ARKELE (Derrion Elmore) who contributed with five points, five rebounds and two assists.
In the second game, Hawks Talon’s KEL led the team with 23 points, three assists and four steals. LEE recorded his third consecutive double-double performance after totaling 14 points and 13 rebounds, while BP was just shy of a double-double performance after totaling 15 points and nine assists. ARKELE recorded a career-high nine points and six rebounds, and MRSTYLEZ scored eight points and added a game-high five steals.
Hawks Talon (5-8) will continue its remote gameplay throughout the remainder of the 2020 NBA 2K League regular season. The club returns to play at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 31 against Cavs Legion GC, the official affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The games will continue to stream live on ESPN’s digital platforms and the league’s Twitch and YouTube channels.