Grizz Gaming falls in season opener

Grizz Gaming, the NBA 2K League affiliate of the Memphis Grizzlies, fell in both games of a best-of-three series against Raptors Uprising GC (3-0) to open its 2020 regular season Tuesday night.

In game one, the teams traded buckets for nearly the entire first half before Raptors Uprising GC took a 39-36 lead into the break. The Raptors opened the second half on a 10-2 run and never looked back on their way to a 98-61 victory. Vandi (Zach Vandivier) led Grizz Gaming with 33 points, including 23 in the first half. G O O F Y 7 5 7 (Dayvon Curry) had a double-double of 17 points and 10 boards in his debut. Despite being held to two first half points, Kenny Got Work (Kenneth Hailey) led Raptors Uprising with 28 points while Sick One (Gerald Knapp) recorded a triple-double (22 points, 12 rebounds 10 assists).

The second game was in the opponents’ favor as well, with Raptors Uprising GC holding a double-digit lead for the majority of the game in route to an 84-62 win to clinch the series. Vandi finished 25 points to once again lead Grizz Gaming in scoring while G O O F Y 7 5 7 had 17 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to approach a triple-double of his own. The Raptors had a blistering night from long range, shooting 30-of-44 (.681) across the two games.

Grizz Gaming returns to action tomorrow night at 6 p.m. against Hawks Talon GC. Fans can tune in on the ESPN app as well as the league’s Twitch and YouTube channels and the Grizz Gaming Twitch channel.