Weekly Recap: Hornets Venom GT Shifts Back to 3v3 Play for SWITCH Open
June 13, 2022
By Sam Perley
After just narrowly missing out on making THE TURN bracket last week, Hornets Venom GT returns to action tonight hoping to replicate its 3v3 success and then some from earlier this season.
A Look Back: THE TURN Powered by AT&T
June 1 vs. 76ers GC: Philly was in control of this one from the start, winning the first quarter, 20-11, and then the second, 27-22, to take a 14-point lead into the break. Charlotte regrouped through by winning the third, 27-22 and eventually found itself trailing by just eight with 2:50 still left on the clock. However, 76ers GC peeled off a quick 8-2 run, giving itself enough separation to withstand Charlotte’s late comeback attempt.
Glennratty scored a team-high 24 points and Tate (12 points and 11 assists) and DJ (18 points and 11 rebounds) both double-doubled in the loss. Philly got a combined 49 points from its backcourt of Dre (32) and reigning MVP and Rookie of the Year 630 (17) in the win.
June 2 at Raptors Uprising GC: Hornets Venom GT had itself a six-point lead and possession with about 1:20 remaining in the fourth, but a bad turnover opened the door for Toronto’s FantaSZN to drain two huge back-to-back 3-pointers and tie the game at 63-63. Glennratty and FantaSZN each missed go-ahead shots in the final 26 seconds, sending the game to overtime.
Still knotted at 65 with about a minute left in the bonus frame, Glennratty broke up a Raptors Uprising GC alley-oop attempt, leading to a transition dunk for Nick (@IcyyThaGoat). Glennratty then stripped Kenny Got Work on Toronto’s next possession, as Charlotte went up by four following an eventual second-chance put-back by DJ. FantaSZN came up empty on an ensuing 3-point attempt and Glennratty iced the game at the free-throw line for a 71-65 victory.
This 2nd-chance bucket by @TrustDjMoney__ proved to be the clincher in tonight's OT thriller!! 💥#TheTurn2KL | @NBA2KLeague pic.twitter.com/6hK9gqZrFu
— Hornets Venom GT (@HornetsVenomGT) June 3, 2022
Splitting these two games left Hornets Venom GT with a 2-3 record in group play, a one-win improvement from THE TIPOFF. Unfortunately though, that mark was only good enough to tie for fourth in the standings with 76ers GC – which went on to win THE TURN – grabbing the final ticket to Indianapolis by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Coming Up Next: The Coinbase SWITCH Open
The NBA 2K League’s second 3v3 tournament of the season begins tonight with 32 teams – eight amateur qualifiers – divided into eight groups of four. The top two teams in each group (16 total) following double round-robin play over the next two weeks will then advance to Indianapolis with the winning team eventually taking home $60,000. Second place gets $30,000, third and fourth receive $15,000 and then $7,500 for the fifth through eighth-place squads.
Charlotte notched a second-place finish in group play of THE SLAM back in May, then upset a heavily-favored 76ers GC before falling to Wizards District Gaming. The squad primarily utilized the now-departed KingHaad, Nick and DJ (@TrustDjMoney__) as its go-to trio for this competition and now Head Coach BiggWest (@BiggWest_) will lean on either Glennratty or Tate (@_TateGotGame) at point guard with Crown (@TopTierCrown) also a possible frontcourt option for this upcoming 3v3 go-around.
Tuesday, June 14 (9 PM ET) / Wednesday, June 22 (7 PM ET) vs. Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai: The Tigers didn’t advance out of group play in THE SLAM last month, winning just two of their six best-of-five matchups. After notching victories in its first seven outings of THE TIPOFF, Gen.G has lost some steam as the season’s progressed, going just 4-4 in all 5v5 contests since.
Wednesday, June 15 (10 PM ET) / Thursday, June 23 (8 PM ET) vs. Wizards District Gaming: Runner-up in THE TURN, Wizards DG knocked off Hornets Venom GT in five games in THE SLAM Quarterfinals, despite Charlotte utilizing a multitude of different lineups. Dayfri, Just Awkward and Newdini eventually powered Washington to THE SLAM crown, marking the organization’s first-ever in-season tournament title.
Thursday, June 16 (9 PM ET) / Tuesday, June 21 (10 PM ET) vs. Rim Runnerz: One of the amateur teams in the field, Rim Runnerz earned its spot via the Xbox bracket qualifier and features Seldum, Lawrich and Low. Seldum is a two-time NBA 2K League Draft pool prospect who served as a temporary replacement player for Cavs Legion GC during THE TIPOFF earlier this season.