(Field Level Media) Kings Guard Gaming, Raptors Uprising GC and the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai swept quarterfinal matches Thursday night in the NBA 2K League’s The Tipoff tournament.
The last semifinal berth went to Jazz Gaming, who pulled out a 2-1 series win over Pistons GT.
The Kings got past Grizz Gaming 84-52 and 67-62. The Raptors defeated Bucks Gaming 84-64 and 90-65, and Gen.G toppled Cavs Legion GC 71-57 and 90-53. The Jazz sandwiched 76-52 and 77-57 victories around a 63-62 defeat to the Pistons.
The semifinals on Friday will feature a matchup of the only two teams that are unbeaten in the event (6-0), the Raptors and the Tigers. The Kings and the Jazz will square off in the other semifinal, and the final will follow later Friday night.
Matthew “Bash” Robles led the Kings on Thursday with averages of 36.5 points and 6.5 assists.
Kenneth “Kenny Got Work” Hailey averaged 29.5 points and nine assists for the Raptors.
The Tigers were paced by Dhwan “ShiftyKaii” White, who produced 31.5 points and six assists per game.
Kimanni “Splashy” Ingram put up 32 points and five rebounds per game for the Jazz.
The $160,000 Tipoff event featured all 23 of the league’s teams divided into seven groups for pool play on Tuesday and Wednesday. Seven group winners and one wild-card team (Gen.G) advanced to the quarterfinals. All playoff matches are best-of-three, including the final.
The Tipoff tournament was scheduled for March 24-28 before the coronavirus pandemic put the beginning of the season on hold.
The NBA 2K League finally began action May 3, and six weeks of remote play were completed before the season was paused for The Tipoff. The tournament champion will receive $70,000. The runner-up will get $50,000, and the two losing semifinalists will each receive $20,000. The Tipoff semifinals and final will air Friday beginning at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN’s digital platforms and NBA 2K League’s YouTube and Twitch channels.
Following The Tipoff, NBA 2K League regular-season play will resume next week with remote action continuing at least through the end of Week 11 (July 14-17).
