Hornets Venom GT Opening 2K League Regular Season Schedule with Hawks Talon GC
May 26, 2021
By Sam Perley
- Hornets Venom GT (0-0) at Hawks Talon GC (0-0)
- Thursday, May 27, 2021 at 8 PM EST (2 games)
- NBA 2K League Twitch and YouTube Channels
- Last time out: Hawks Talon GC won, 2-0, on July 28, 2020
Newcomers Sherm, PeteBeBallin Shine in Hornets Venom GT Debuts
Hornets Venom GT registered back-to-back THE TIPOFF Tournament wins over Celtics Crossover Gaming in its first 2021 appearance last week before falling twice to 2020 2K League Champion Wizards District Gaming, which ended up advancing out of Group 3. Point guard Justin “Sherm” Sherman averaged 23.5 points on 50% shooting and 52% from three over the four-game stretch, while center Peter “PeteBeBallin” Malin double-doubled in all four outings with averages of 13.8 points on 70% shooting and 14.0 rebounds.
One area in particular that Charlotte will need to shore up as it begins its regular season schedule tonight is turnovers. Only Knicks Gaming (8.8) committed more giveaways per contest in last week’s competition than Hornets Venom GT (7.8), which also finished second to last in assists (13.8) ahead of only Cavs Legion (13.5).
Our regular season opener is one day away! 😁@Sherm2x discusses what the team learned in THE TIPOFF, his impressions of @HawksTalonGC and more 🔊 pic.twitter.com/un3ZiI5KNU
— Hornets Venom GT (@HornetsVenomGT) May 26, 2021
Rookie Ceez Leads Hawks Talon GC to 3-1 Finish at THE TIPOFF Tournament
After going a combined 15-19 across all games in 2020, Hawks Talon GC turned heads a bit last Friday evening with two comfortable wins over the reigning regular season champions Raptors Uprising GC. The squad then split a two-game series with Grizz Gaming and failed to advance to THE TIPOFF money round based on point differential.
With 2019 MVP Finalist and point guard Michael “BP” Diaz out of the lineup, 11th overall pick Cesar “Ceez” Martinez finished as the tournament’s co-leader in scoring at 32.5 points on 58% shooting and 9.8 assists. Center Levi “Lee” Lamb averaged 13.0 points on 83% shooting (5th in THE TIPOFF) and 11.5 rebounds, while rookie power forward Thomas “Fakiee” Batts finished second in three-point percentage (75.0%), although did so on just 6-of-8 shooting.
Matchup to Watch: rigby vs. Kel
Two-guard Craig “rigby” Burnett Jr.’s rookie season got off to a solid start with averages of 14.0 points and one total turnover against CLTX Crossover before his scoring (11.0 points) dropped just a touch against Wizards DG’s pesky perimeter defense. Rigby’s ability to stay aggressive and play off Sherm in the backcourt will be important for Hornets Venom GT, with the squad likely needing him to match the firepower of his Atlanta counterpart Mykel “Kel” Wilson (19.0 points on 56% shooting; 14-of-30 from three in THE TIPOFF).