PeteBeBallin Dunks Game-Winner in OT, Hornets Venom GT Sweeps Gen.G Tigers
June 12, 2021
Sherm Resets Season-High With 34 PTS; Charlotte Escapes with Narrow Game 2 Victory
By Sam Perley
What initially looked like back-to-back blowout wins for Hornets Venom GT over the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai on Friday night got too close for comfort in the closing minutes of Game 2, although the former still managed to come away with a big series sweep.
Charlotte opened Game 1 looking strong once again, holding Gen.G to just eight second-quarter points on its way to a 37-20 halftime lead. The visitors never looked back from that point and outscored the Tigers by nine in the second half to notch an easy 80-54 Game 1 victory.
Guard Justin “Sherm” Sherman tallied a season high for the second consecutive outing with 34 points on 13-of-19 shooting and 13 assists. Guard CJ “rigby” Burnett had 22 points, lock Gio “Trap” Elizondo tied a season high with 10 points and forward Kinglsey “Crown” Braggs chipped in six points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. Center Mihad “FEAST” Feratovic led four Tigers players in double figures with a team-high 16 points and 10 rebounds.
HAMMER 🔨 FOR 🔨 SHERM 🔨
(and the foul 😏) pic.twitter.com/LEcuoqnshP
— Hornets Venom GT (@HornetsVenomGT) June 11, 2021
Holding a double-digit lead heading into the fourth quarter of Game 2, Hornets Venom looked to be in line for another smooth victory, but Gen.G rallied to make it a one-possession game in the final minute. Leading 70-69 with three seconds left, Sherm split a pair of free throws, with the rebound quickly moving up court to Christopher “TURNUPDEFENSE” Anderson. The Gen.G lock drew a foul, then calmly hit both shots from the line to send the affair to overtime.
The Tigers opened up the extra frame on a 5-0 run to take a 76-71 lead, but Hornets Venom responded with an 8-3 stretch capped off by a long Rigby three-pointer to knot the score at the 54-second mark. After an empty Gen.G possession, Charlotte followed two missed go-ahead attempts with consecutive offensive rebounds before Sherm fed center Peter “PeteBeBallin” Malin for a one-handed dunk right underneath the basket to put the visitors up by two.
Nothing better than an overtime game-winner! 🥳@Sherm2x finds @PeteBeBallin for the last-second bucket to seal our Game 2 victory! 🙌🏽 #LetsGo2KL pic.twitter.com/xlfqUs1cdf
— Hornets Venom GT (@HornetsVenomGT) June 12, 2021
Left just 1.6 seconds on the game clock, Gen.G got a great look at the other end, but TURNUPDEFENSE’s game-winning three clanged off the rim right as the final buzzer sounded, sealing the victory and sweep in favor of Hornets Venom.
Rigby (27) and Sherm (22) both cracked the 20-point barrier in the win, with the former tying a single-game franchise record with a career-high seven three-pointers. PeteBeBallin double-doubled with 15 points and a season-high 15 rebounds and Crown chipped in another eight points and 12 rebounds. Guard Jordan “JMoney” Martinez tallied 32 points and nine assists for Gen.G, which moved to 0-4 on the regular season (three losses by two-or-fewer points now).
.@RigbyCB with the game-tying 3P in overtime from just inside the tiger's tail! 🐯
He finished with a career-high 7⃣ 🔼's! (cc: @Dirk_JDR) pic.twitter.com/9477OyrqPz
— Hornets Venom GT (@HornetsVenomGT) June 12, 2021
Charlotte had another big night from behind the arc after connecting on 28-of-52 three-point attempts (53.8%), while Gen.G went just 17-of-36 (47.2%) from long distance. Hornets Venom also committed just six total turnovers – two in Game 2 – compared to the Tigers, who had 14 giveaways over the two-game span.
Hornets Venom GT will return to the court next Friday, June 18 to face the Gen.G Tigers once again, this time for a pair of home contests starting at 7 PM EST. Catch all the action on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch or YouTube channels.