Pistons GT Split Weekend Double Header
August 6, 2018
With a blowout 82-58 victory against Pistons GT (8-4), 76ers GC are postseason-bound and will spend the final week of the regular season playing for seeding.
Pistons GT had the early lead to begin the game, hitting their first few shots to go up 8-3 with plenty of time left in the first quarter. Unfortunately for Detroit, this was the only lead they would have all game, as 76ers GC came to life on a 15-6 run heading into the second quarter.
At that point, the game turned ugly. Led by a barrage of three-pointers from Newdini, ZDS and Radiant, 76ers GC were able to space the floor and extend their lead to double digits. On defense, they put a stranglehold on usual offensive workhorses Lets Get It Ramo and Im So Far Ahead, limiting the two players to 11 points combined and forcing seven total turnovers by then.
After the 22-8 second quarter, Philadelphia led 40-22, and the game was just a formality by the end of the third quarter. Even if Radiant was hitting just 9-of-23 from the field, the sheer amount of attempts 76ers GC were having — Philadelphia had 11 more field goal attempts than Detroit in the game — was enough to bury Pistons GT early and deep, especially from three-point range.
One bright spot for Pistons GT was Lets Get It Ramo turning around his first half struggles to finish the game with 27 points and 18 rebounds. However, it was too little, too late for Pistons GT to overcome an 18-point first half deficit.
While their opponents are guaranteed a place in the playoffs, Pistons GT must prepare for their final regular season game, a Friday night showdown against the Warriors. Should they win that game, they will join 76ers GC in the postseason and get a potential shot at revenge for this tough rout.
Thanks to a handful of weather-delayed games, Magic Gaming vs. Pistons GT wound up being the most impactful game to occur in Week 11 as both tehams remain in the hunt for a playoffs spot. Pistons GT would survive a late scare, securing the 66-65 win to lock in their spot at the inaugural NBA 2K League playoffs.
The defensive affair was close from start to finish, as Pistons GT held a small lead throughout the majority of the contest. Lets Get it Ramo was the hero for Detroit in the first half as the center bullied his way down low to register 15 points and nine rebounds, but a paltry six second-half points opened the door for Orlando to squeeze its way back into the contest.
Magic Gaming actually lead at two separate points during the fourth quarter, but the margin never exceeded more than one point as Pistons GT always seemed to answer right back. Magic Gaming’s point guard, KontruL (13 points, six assists), put his team ahead the second time thanks to a five-point swing in which he knocked down a step-back three pointer, and then turned a turnover into a transition layup. With just over a minute left in the game, the aforementioned five-point turnaround seemed to give Orlando the upper hand, but a missed three-point play by NachoTraynor (17 points, three rebounds, four assists, three steals), in which the small forward converted a beautiful up-and-under near the baseline but subsequently missed the “and-1” free throw, allowed Pistons GT point guard Im So Far Ahead to hit two free throws to put his team ahead once more.
That ended up being the difference as KingCamRoyalty had his shot blocked at the buzzer, preserving the one-point win for Detroit and subsequently clinching no worse than a No. 3 seed in the playoffs. For Magic Gaming, NachoTraynor’s decision to pass up the final shot could haunt them in more ways than one as the team must walk away with at least one win against either Cavs Legion GC or Celtics Crossover Gaming in the final week of the regular season to find themselves in the postseason.