Weekly Recap | Week 10

76ers Gaming Club (GC) (8-5) split its Week 10 matchups on Wednesday at the NBA 2K League Studio Powered by Intel in New York City. In its first game of the week, 76ers GC fell to Grizz Gaming (6-6), 52-49, while Game 2 saw 76ers GC defeat Hawks Talon GC (4-7), 60-54. The split moves 76ers GC’s record to 8-5, the fifth-best in the league.

76ers GC and Grizz Gaming’s Wednesday night contest was dramatic from start to finish. Grizz Gaming’s star player, Mehyar “AuthenticAfrican” Ahmed-Hassan, kept the team’s playoff hopes alive with a stellar performance. His 22 points, eight rebounds, three assists, four steals and one block proved pivotal. Grizz Gaming made sure to play lockdown defense in the second half, holding 76ers GC to just 18 points over the game’s final two frames. Grizz Gaming’s aggressive defense made it difficult for 76ers GC to find consistency.

After the opening frame, 76ers GC led by a score of 18-11. However, Grizz Gaming came back strong to lessen the deficit. Going into the half, 76ers GC led by a score of 31-23. From there, it would be Grizz Gaming’s defense that controlled the game as 76ers GC’s pick-and-roll offense was stifled.

76ers GC stars Rashann “ZDS” Perry and Ethan “Radiant” White each dropped 16 points, however, the team was unable to find consistency. 76ers GC was outscored, 10-9, in the third quarter, and 19-9 in the fourth to end the game.

76ers GC shooting guard Manuel “Newdini33” Newman II turned in nine points on 3-of-7 shooting with four rebounds and a steal. Center Alexander “Steez” Bernstein scored six points while also collecting a game-high 10 rebounds.

Grizz Gaming’s point guard Zach “Vandi” Vandivier tallied 19 points and six assists, helping propel the team to the victory.

76ers GC was able to turn the week around in part through registering the first Team Takeover in NBA 2K League history. Takeover is a new system for NBA 2K19, which allows players to build an on-screen meter toward temporary ability boosts. Radiant’s spectacular play led to the Team Takeover, which gave all five of 76ers GC’s players a lift for a period of time.

The game saw Hawks Talon GC routinely finding easy baskets near the paint, while 76ers GC star Radiant carried the team’s offense from the perimeter.

Hawks Talon GC started the game strong by getting out to a 19-11 lead after the first quarter. 76ers GC responded in a big way by winning the second quarter 16-11, bringing the score to 30-27 going into halftime.

76ers GC kept it rolling throughout the second half, outscoring Hawks Talon GC, 17-14, in the third, and 16-10 in the fourth. They never let their foot off the gas.

Rebounding proved key for 76ers GC and leading the way in that category were power forward Christopher “BreadwinnerLA” Lafanette (game-high 13) and center Steez (seven). The two combined for 20 of the team’s 23 rebounds. Hawks Talon GC only managed to collect 14 total rebounds, as the category proved to be the difference in the game. Extra possessions fueled 76ers GC’s offensive production.

The first NBA 2K League Team Takeover took place in the fourth quarter when BreadwinnerLA hit a corner three with six seconds remaining to ice the game.

76ers GC point guard Radiant lead the way in scoring with 24 points. He also made sure to get his teammates involved with his game-high 13 assists, an overall balanced performance.

It was a total team effort for 76ers GC, with Newdini33 tallying 13 points, ZDS with seven points and three assists, Steez with eight points and seven rebounds and BreadwinnerLA with eight points and 13 boards.

Hawks Talon GC was led by shooting guard Randolph “Rando” Moreno, who posted 20 of his team’s 54 points. Point guard Mark “XxSTL2LAxX” Hampton and power forward Connor “Dat Boy Shotz” Rodrigues were also in double figures in points, with 10 and 12, respectively.