Blazer5 Gaming clinched an NBA 2K League playoff berth on Thursday, while Pacers Gaming kept their postseason aspirations alive, each winning a quarterfinal match at The Turn event in Washington.
Another big winner of the night didn’t even play.
By beating Cavs Legion GC in three games, the Pacers eliminated the Cavs and locked Hornets Venom GT into the fifth and final guaranteed playoff spot out of the Eastern Conference.
The semifinals will see Hornets Venom GT oppose 76ers GC in the East before the Pacers oppose Blazer5 in the West.
The Turn is one of three tournaments taking place during the NBA 2K League 5v5 season. The Tipoff, The Turn and The Ticket will set the field for the playoffs, scheduled for Aug. 2-5 in Washington. 76ers GC defeated T-Wolves Gaming to claim The Tipoff in June, and The Ticket takes place in late July.
Group- and bracket-play wins are each worth 10 points, with a win in The Turn final worth 30. The semifinals are Friday followed by Saturday’s final.
The top five teams in each conference at the conclusion of The Turn qualify for the playoffs. The remaining 15 teams will compete in The Ticket for the final two playoff berths.
On Thursday, Blazer5 opened play with a sweep of NBL Oz Gaming, winning 70-56 and 74-72.
After winning easily in the first game, Blazer5 were down by a point with less than a minute to play in Game 2. But a pair of made free throws with 46 seconds remaining gave Blazer5 the lead again, then Claude “Claude” Knight’s jumper made it a three-point lead with 5.8 seconds to play.
An NBL Oz free throw trimmed the deficit to two, then a steal on the inbounds with 1.3 seconds left gave them a shot at the win. But Jyden “Jyden” McBath-Spencer’s 3-point shot at the buzzer was no good.
Nonetheless, NBL Oz is solidly in the playoffs with 100 points. Claude and Isaiah “Harby” Harbinson each totaled 48 points in the two games, with Claude totaling 23 assists. Jyden scored 34 total points in the loss.
Blazer5’s win knocked Grizz Gaming into sixth place in the West and eliminated Grizz from clinching a playoff spot.
In the other matchup, each of the three games were decided by double digits, with the Pacers sandwiching an 82-66 loss with 72-50 and 73-62 wins over the Cavs.
The Pacers got double-digit points from all five players in the final game, with Blaine “Big Reign” Wilson leading the way with 19 points and eight rebounds. He also went for 20 and 10 in the loss, while Kory “Chess” Taylor scored 33 in the Game 1 win and averaged nearly 23 points in the three games. Antoine “Antoine” Featherstone totaled 61 points and 26 assists in the series for the Cavs.
If Blazer5 beat the Pacers on Friday, Pistons GT would make the playoffs. The Pacers must win The Turn to make the playoffs.
With the East playoff field set, Friday’s other semifinal only matters to the Hornets. Though they clinched a playoff spot, the Hornets can improve their seeding with more wins. Their opponent, 76ers GC, have clinched the No. 1 seed in the East.
NBA 2K League The Turn prize pool
1. $100,000
2. $50,000
3-4. $25,000 each
5-8. $12,500 each — Pistons GT, NetsGC, NBL Oz Gaming, Cavs Legion GC
–Field Level Media