Hornets Venom GT Opening Back-to-Back with Rematch Against Gen.G Tigers

By Sam Perley 

• Hornets Venom GT (8-2) vs. Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai (3-5)
• Friday, June 18, 2021 at 7 PM EST (2 games)
• NBA 2K League Twitch and YouTube Channels
• Last time out: Hornets Venom GT won, 81-79, in OT on June 11, 2021

Busy Weekend Highlights Hornets Venom’s Pre-Bye Week Schedule

Charlotte cruises into tonight’s back-to-back opener with a rare rematch against the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai – a squad it swept last Friday evening – followed by tomorrow’s outing against Knicks Gaming. Hornets Venom’s first two victories against Gen.G couldn’t have been more different; one an 80-54 triumph, the other a two-point overtime victory after the team squandered a huge fourth-quarter lead.

Guards Justin “Sherm” Sherman and CJ “rigby” Burnett continue to fly under the radar as one of the 2KL’s better, more balanced backcourt duos. Both players are currently averaging at least 20 points per game, while shooting greater than 50% from both the field and three-point range.

Gen.G Regrouping Following 0-4 Regular Season Start

After dropping each of its first four outings of the regular season, the Tigers have rebounded to win three of four, including a 74-67 win over 9-3 Pacers Gaming on Wednesday night. Jordan “JMoney” Martinez (21.4 points and 10.8 assists this season) and center Mihad “FEAST” Feratovic (18.4 points and 11.0 rebounds) look to have rediscovered their chemistry, following the pair being traded from Minnesota in the offseason.

One specific area that Gen.G currently finds itself near the top of the 2KL leaderboard in is blocks, currently ranking fourth. Charlotte might need to make the outside game even more of a priority with both FEAST (1.8) and forward Donald “BxmpyDon” Newsome (1.0) each averaging at least one swat per game.

Matchup to Watch: Rigby vs. Bsmoove

Rigby averaged 24.5 points and shot 12-of-26 from deep (46.2%) in last Friday’s sweep, leading the rookie to being named a finalist for the NBA 2K League Player of the Week award. His counterpart, Alex “BSmoove” Reese, didn’t play nearly as well, although is averaging 22.5 points since then, which includes a 31-point showing (9-of-12 from three) against Raptors Uprising GC. Whichever sharpshooter can compliment his respective point guard the best tonight will likely give his team the upper hand, especially on the offensive end.