Hornets Venom GT Moves into THE TURN Quarterfinals to Face Nets GC
July 16, 2021
By Sam Perley
- #3 Hornets Venom GT (11-5) vs. #6 Nets GC (11-7)
- Friday, July 16, 2021 at 6 PM EDT (best-of-three)
- NBA 2K League Twitch and YouTube Channels
- Last time out: Hornets Venom GT won, 73-71, on Aug. 20, 2020 (2KL Playoffs)
Hornets Venom GT Survives, Advances Past Knicks Gaming
Coming on the heels of a one-point win and a four-point loss, Charlotte rallied from a 12-point first-half deficit in Game 3 to knock off Knicks Gaming, 2-1, on Thursday evening. Hornets Venom GT closed out the second quarter of the tiebreaker on an 18-5 run, then outscored New York, 20-14 in the third quarter to gain control down the stretch. Guard Justin “Sherm” Sherman led the way with 27 points (6-of-8 from three) and 11 assists in the clincher.
Rallied to take a 38-37 lead at the break!@Sherm2x with 22 PTS on 6/8 shooting from 3P 🔥 pic.twitter.com/i5zJa2uNcB
— Hornets Venom GT (@HornetsVenomGT) July 16, 2021
Tonight’s sides squared off five total times last season; Hornets Venom GT took the regular season series, 2-1, on Aug. 5, then swept Brooklyn by a combined seven points in the 2KL Playoffs two weeks later to advance to the Quarterfinals. Much like Charlotte, Nets GC heavily turned over its roster in the offseason with star point guard Josh “Choc” Humphries the only returning player from last year’s squad.
Brooklyn Knocks Off Magic Gaming Behind Big Showings From Choc, Shotz
Nets GC rallied from a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Magic Gaming in Game 1 on Thursday evening, then dropped Game 2 by 23 before finally advancing to the Quarterfinals with a series-sealing 70-58 victory. Choc (28.7 points and 14.0 assists) undoubtedly led the way for Brooklyn – although he did also average 4.7 turnovers – but it was the play of center Connor “DatBoyShotz” Rodriguez that put the team over the top (24.7 points on 82.9% shooting, 10.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.7 blocks).
Are you not entertained? @Shotz_
Live now: https://t.co/6dc8AW2dsp pic.twitter.com/pPQXeF7CXq
— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) July 16, 2021
Opposing Player to Watch: Josh “Choc” Humphries
Last season’s ninth overall pick, Choc currently ranks in the top-6 in the NBA 2K League in both scoring (28.7 points on 51.9% shooting; 6th) and assists (14.0; 3rd) for the sixth-seeded Nets GC. The Tampa, FL native possesses one of the heaviest usage rates in the league, although also leads all players in turnovers (4.7) and has totaled a rather minuscule 8 steals in 18 regular season appearances.