Community team Handlez continued a stunning run in the NBA 2K League’s Switch Open, advancing to the semifinals of the three-on-three event with a 4-1 win over Wizards District Gaming on Friday.
The quarterfinal was a rematch of teams that met in the opening playoff round of the initial NBA 2K League three-on-three event, the Slam Open. The Wizards won that match 3-2 and went on to capture the Slam Open crown.
Handlez, who are made up of NotEliteShooter, KazeTheLock and xmiami2k, move on to face Pistons GT in the semifinals on Saturday at the NBA 2K League Studio in Indianapolis. The Pistons ousted Bucks Gaming 4-2 on Friday.
The other semifinal will feature Pacers Gaming and Celtics Crossover Gaming. The Pacers swept Cavs Legion GC 4-0 in the quarterfinals, and Celtics Crossover Gaming eliminated NetsGC 4-2.
The 32-team Switch Open field began with all 24 NBA 2K League squads plus eight other teams: amateur trios that advanced through qualifying, plus community teams featuring 2K social media influencers.
For remote group play, the field was divided into eight groups that each consisted of three NBA 2K League teams and one amateur or community team. The top two teams in each group advanced to the round of 16, which is being held in person in Indianapolis.
The round of 16 also featured best-of-five matches, while the quarterfinals, semifinals and final are all best-of-seven. The winning team in the Saturday final will receive $60,000 from the Switch Open’s $150,000 prize pool.
–Field Level Media