Raptors Uprising come up short in hard-fought battle with Boston; shift attention to 76ers GC
July 22, 2021
TORONTO, Canada—Raptors Uprising GC, NBA 2K League affiliate of the Toronto Raptors, battled hard Wednesday night but ultimately came up short, dropping a pair of games to Celtics Crossover Gaming to begin Week 7.
“Going 0-2 is unacceptable, even with the lineup change,” said Type. “None of that is an excuse, I think we all know we’re great players and what we’re capable of, we just didn’t go out there and perform tonight.”
After completing a trade which sent ReeceMode to Mavs Gaming in exchange for Dimez on Tuesday evening, Raptors Uprising were forced to roll out a different looking lineup, one that notably saw power forward All Hail Trey shift to the shooting guard position for the first time this season—and to start Game 1, the team looked really good.
BIG moves are happening👀 pic.twitter.com/MdE0ZYOQJJ
— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) July 20, 2021
All Hail Trey’s 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field helped Raptors Uprising (5-15) open up an early 10-point lead after the opening quarter, however, Celtics Crossover Gaming (8-10) would reply very quick in the second quarter thanks to 15 points from point guard FT, as Toronto saw their lead shrink to just one heading into the break.
A back-and-forth third quarter set the stage for an entertaining fourth, where Boston would find an extra gear late, opening up a seven-point lead with approximately two minutes left to play. Credit to the Celtics, because from that point on, the team would lock in defensively and get crucial stops down the stretch when they needed it, ultimately taking Game 1 by a score of 66-59.
FT led all scorers with 28 points, while Type led Raptors Uprising in scoring, posting a strong stat line of 20 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks. Reigning MVP Kenny Got Work, meanwhile, chipped in with 19 points and 12 assists.
Type and Kenny Got Work would build off their performances in Game 1, as the opening quarter would see many lead changes. However, an 11-2 run to end the first quarter meant Boston would carry a 24-17 lead into the second, where Type and Kenny would keep things close for Toronto. The duo combined for 24 points, seven assists and three rebounds in the opening half as Raptors Uprising trailed by six heading into the third quarter.
Boston would really pull away after the break as a 13-6 run quickly saw their lead jump up to as much as 13 points. But as they’ve done all season, the team from the North would not go away without a fight. Trailing by 10 heading into the final quarter, Raptors Uprising would outscore their Eastern Conference rivals down the stretch, making the conclusion of this game very interesting.
But a few pivotal rebounds and dunks from Worthingcolt in the post, followed by some tough jumpers from FT would help Celtics Crossover Gaming hold off the late push from Raptors Uprising and take Game 2 by a score of 77-72.
Fear the green🍀 @CLTXGaming sweeps their matchup! pic.twitter.com/MrpOwpo3zD
— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) July 22, 2021
“It’s kind of tough because obviously a lot of pressure is on us to win out, and try to at least make the playoffs without THE TICKET Tournament,” said Type. “And with those two losses, it just makes it even harder. So, right now we’re just focused and locked in on the next mission, which is Friday night.”
Raptors Uprising will try and bounce back on Friday when they take on a talented 76ers GC team, who are currently fifth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 9-7.
“76ers GC are a really tough team,” said Type. “Right now, they’re top-five in our conference. It would be pretty cool to go ahead and knock them off. Obviously, we went 0-2 today, so our goal is to sweep and we don’t want to split anything at this point in the season; every win is going to matter. Who knows what the playoff picture is going to look like.”
They’re led by fourth-overall pick Dre at point guard, who has been on a tear in his first season in the league as he enters this contest ranked 11th in the NBA 2K League in scoring, averaging 25.9 points per game, and ninth in assists, averaging 10.1 per game.
As TsJosh points out, Dre and Season 1 MVP OneWildWalnut will be the ones to watch out for Friday night.
Friday 7/23 @ 9 PM vs @76ersGC https://t.co/6DFRcBs27E pic.twitter.com/rhyPcM7Aq9
— Raptors Uprising GC (@RaptorsGC) July 20, 2021
“We know that they’re point guard heavy for sure,” said TsJosh. “They just traded for Arooks, but they’re still point-guard dominant, which kind of how the 76ers have always played…OneWildWalnut is having a great year too, so that game is really about containing them two.
“I think it just starts with just cutting off the head of the snake and that’s Dre and Walnut.”
Tipoff times Saturday night is set for 9 pm and 10 pm EST. As always, fans can tune in on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch or YouTube channels.