Raptors Uprising eye another league record in rare Monday game vs. Heat Check Gaming

TORONTO, Canada—It’s been a memorable 2020 so far for Raptors Uprising GC, who will have the opportunity to set another NBA 2K League record when the squad takes on Heat Check Gaming in a rare Monday night game.

Winners of 17-straight series in all competitions, Raptors Uprising (10-0) will eclipse Mavs Gaming’s 2019 record for most wins to begin a regular season if the team can overcome a struggling Heat Check Gaming side.

“Honestly it’s always nice to be a part of the record books, but we’re focused on the task at hand,” said Kenny Got Work. “We’re trying to keep this momentum that we have going into THE TURN tournament next month.”

Led by Kenny at point guard, Toronto will like their chances to keep their train rolling in Monday’s matchup with Miami. The team from the North showed their might when facing a weaker opposition, making light work out of Magic Gaming (2-0 series) their last outing in Week 7.

And Heat Check Gaming (2-6) hasn’t fared much better than their Florida counterparts.

Miami is 3-9 in all competitions this season after narrowly getting by 76ersGC (1-7) their last time out. The team from South Beach hasn’t lived up to expectations after reshuffling their deck and bringing in five new faces in the offseason.

“Heat Check Gaming are kind of similar to Magic Gaming,” said Legit 973, “they both got off to a rough start. I feel like a lot of people had expectations for them and they just haven’t pulled through as yet.

“No team we take lightly, though. We’re always 100 per cent locked in against any team, no matter what their record is.”

If Miami were to find a way to pull out an upset, it’d likely be thanks to a solid contribution from 2019 all-NBA 2K League second-team centre Hotshot, who has formed a solid one-two punch with eighth-overall pick GlennRatty. GlennRatty has shown he’s capable of catching fire at point guard in Season 3, while Hotshot is always a player that the opposition has to be wary of.

Raptors Uprising, meanwhile, will counter will the same starting five that has yet to drop a series so far in 2020, highlighted by veterans Kenny Got Work, Sick One, and Timelycook. The high-scoring trio has been complemented perfectly by rookies ReeceMode and Legit 973 to form the league’s best lineup, one through five.
Toronto enters Week 8 in first place overall, carrying a 3 ½ game lead over the second-place Warriors Gaming Squad.

The all-time series between Miami and Toronto is tied at one win apiece. Kenny Got Work and Sick One, the only players remaining from last year’s Raptors Uprising team, will remember their loss to a struggling Heat Check Gaming squad a season ago: a (55-63) defeat which officially eliminated Raptors Uprising from playoff contention.

Stat to Watch: 11-0 –All eyes will be on the result Monday evening as Toronto has the opportunity to cement their spot as arguably the greatest NBA 2K League of all time. With a win, Raptors Uprising would record their 11th-straight regular-season victory, setting a new league record for best start to a season.

Key Matchup: Sick One vs. Hotshot – Both Sick One and Hotshot have been elite big centres in the league since Season 1, with Hotshot earning NBA 2K League all-second team honours in 2019. In 2020, however, Sick One has taken his play to another level on the inside this season. He’s top-five in the league in blocks per game, top-10 in rebounds, top-15 in assists, and the league-leader in triple-doubles this season (6). There hasn’t been a centre in the league that can slow down Sick One in Season 3, can Hotshot?

How to Watch: As always, fans can watch Raptors Uprising play Heat Check Gaming on Monday (9 p.m. EST) in its entirety via the Twitch Command Center, which is available on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch channel. The match will also be available on Sportsnet and ESPN’s digital platforms, plus streamed on the league’s YouTube channel.