Grizz Gaming pulls out Game 2 win to split doubleheader against Magic Gaming

Memphis, Tenn. — The Memphis Grizzlies NBA 2K League affiliate, Grizz Gaming, used late-game heroics to win Game 2 of a Friday night doubleheader against Magic Gaming. Grizz Gaming moves to 12-6, still in the mix as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference after Week 6 of the NBA 2K League.

Grizz Gaming started off with a slim lead in Game 1 as Vandi (Zach Vandivier) found his shot early, going 2-for-3 from 3-point range for eight points in the first quarter. Grizz Gaming marched to a 28-24 lead at halftime as they held Magic Gaming to 12 points in both the first and second quarter. Vandi led all scorers with 14 points to go with three assists and two rebounds in the first half. Grizz Gaming looked to be in control after a run stretching the lead to open the third quarter before Magic Gaming turned around to bring the score to 44-42 with one quarter left. Magic Gaming built a lead in the fourth quarter and used a two defensive stops in the final minute to hold on to a 66-57 Game 1 victory. Vandi tallied 23 points and eight assists while AuthenticAfrican (Mehyar Ahmed-Hassan) found 16 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Four Magic Gaming players scored in double-digits with Reizey (Brendan Hill) leading the way with 22 points and nine assists.

Grizz Gaming’s Game 1 struggles continued early in Game 2 as Magic Gaming put up a 20-11 lead in the first quarter on 7-for-10 shooting from the field. Grizz Gaming scored 21 points in the second quarter to bring the deficit to 36-32 at halftime. AuthenticAfrican scored 12 points and five rebounds in the half while DT (Daniel Tlais) went 4-for-5 for 10 points for Magic Gaming. Grizz Gaming came back with 24 third-quarter points to establish a four-point lead to defend final quarter. Magic Gaming used a scoring barrage in the fourth quarter to grab a one-point lead with 27 seconds left, but a steal from FollowTHEGOD (Kwan Niblack Jr.) led to a game-winning corner three from Spartxn (Josh McHatten) with less than a second left to secure the series split. Vandi poured in 27 points and 15 assists in the victory while AuthenticAfrican had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Reizy notched a double-double with 28 points and 11 assists.

Grizz Gaming will participate in THE TURN, the second of the NBA 2K League’s three mid-season tournaments, from July 14-17 before returning to regular season action action against Pacers Gaming on July 30 at 6 p.m. CT. All regular season games will air live on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels. To view the Grizz Gaming game exclusively, enter the ‘Command Center’ on the league’s Twitch channel.

Fans can follow the team on Twitch at twitch.tv/grizzgaming, @grizzgaming on Twitter and Instagram, as well as GrizzliesGaming on Facebook to follow along with the team’s 2021 season.