Hornets Venom GT to Compete in THE TIPOFF Tournament
June 16, 2020
Team to Play Four Games in Group State Action On Wednesday Starting At 6 p.m.
June 16, 2020 – Hornets Venom GT, the official NBA 2K League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, will compete this week in THE TIPOFF powered by AT&T. The four-day tournament, which features all 23 NBA 2K League teams competing remotely from their local markets, begins today. Hornets Venom GT will play four games in pool play tomorrow, taking on Wizards District Gaming in back-to-back games at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., followed by two games against T-Wolves Gaming at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Games will air live on ESPN2, ESPN’s digital platforms and the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
Pool play consists of five groups of three teams each and two groups of four teams each. Each team will play four games during pool play, facing off against two teams twice. Listed below are the teams that make up each group:
• Group 1: 76ers GC, Nets GC, Pistons GT
• Group 2: Celtics Crossover Gaming, Jazz Gaming, Mavs Gaming
• Group 3: Grizz Gaming, Pacers Gaming, Warriors Gaming Squad
• Group 4: Hawks Talon GC, Kings Guard Gaming, Magic Gaming
• Group 5: Bucks Gaming, Heat Check Gaming, Knicks Gaming
• Group 6: Blazer5 Gaming, Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai, Lakers Gaming, Raptors Uprising GC
• Group 7: Cavs Legion GC, Hornets Venom GT, T-Wolves Gaming, Wizards District Gaming
The teams with the best record in each group, along with one wild card team, will advance into an eight-team playoff to compete for a total prize pool of $160,000. The winning team will earn $70,000, with $50,000 awarded to the runner-up, and $20,000 going to both the third- and fourth-place teams. All playoff matchups will be best-of-three series, with the quarterfinals taking place on Thursday, followed by the semifinals and final on Friday.
Hornets Venom GT enters the first of the NBA 2K League’s three in-season tournaments with a record of 5-2 through the first six weeks of the regular season. Following THE TIPOFF, the NBA 2K League will continue remote gameplay through at least the end of Week 11 on Friday, July 17. The remainder of the regular-season schedule will be announced at a later date.
GAME PREVIEWS
By Sam Perley
Hornets Venom GT vs. Wizards District Gaming (Games 1 + 2 starting at 6 PM EST)
These two teams met back on May 22 with Wizards District Gaming (6-1) notching a 2-0 sweep following a 75-69 overtime win in Game 1 and then a 59-56 victory in Game 2. Hornets Venom struggled to score against Wizard DG’s stingy half-court defense, which currently ranks first in the 2K League in points allowed per game (57.8). Look for Hornets Venom to make transition offense and floor spacing (just 14 total three-point attempts in the first series) a priority in the rematch.
Key Matchup: Type vs. Dayfri
This frontcourt showdown will feature two of the best centers in the NBA 2K League in third-year veterans Xavier “Type” Vescovi and Ryan “Dayfri” Conger. Type stuffed the statsheet in the first meeting with 10.0 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 5.0 APG, 2.5 SPG and 1.5 BPG, while his counterpart Dayfri responded by averaging 14.5 PPG, 11.0 RPG and 5.0 APG. The Wizards DG big man shot 76 percent from the field across the first two contests (13-of-17), making Type’s rim protection and defensive presence imperative for Hornets Venom.
We're making our @NBA2KLeague Tournament debut tomorrow with a rematch against @WizardsDG! 🙌🏼
Highlights from our regular season meeting on May 22 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/5SlQUOlSI5
— Hornets Venom GT (@HornetsVenomGT) June 16, 2020
Hornets Venom GT vs. T-Wolves Gaming (Games 3 + 4 starting at 8 PM EST)
The reigning NBA 2K League Champions have lost their last two regular season series against Grizz Gaming and Pacers Gaming after starting 5-1, although clearly have a history of tournament success. T-Wolves Gaming’s last four individual games (all losses) have been decided by an average of just 5.5 points, so Hornets Venom should expect to see this Minnesota squad right in the thick of things down the stretch.
Key Matchup: Snubby vs. BearDaBeast
Hornets Venom’s rookie point guard Justin “Snubby” Stemerman rolled off three straight 20-point games in a 2-1 series win over Celtics Crossover Gaming last Wednesday, shooting 66 percent from the field in the process. And despite his team’s relatively recent struggles, last year’s 2KL Finals MVP Michael “BearDaBeast” Key hasn’t missed a beat with averages of 27.0 PPG and 7.4 APG over his last five contests.