Raptors Uprising GC return to action against Nets GC

TORONTO, Canada—Following a bye in Week 4, the hottest team in the NBA 2K League is back in action as Raptors Uprising GC gets set to take on NetsGC Friday evening.

Toronto (6-0) will open up June sitting in first place in the NBA 2K League, outscoring their opponents by an average of 14.1 points per contest. And although the team’s momentum was sky-high heading into their week off, Raptors Uprising are hoping that the 15-day layoff, which seemed to be the only thing that could temporarily slow their side down, will actually serve as a benefactor in preparing for their only matchup of the week.

“We’ve definitely had time to prepare for NetsGC,” said rookie small forward ReeceMode at the start of the week. “We haven’t had much film to watch on them, but we’re prepared in our own way for the upcoming matchup.”

Raptors Uprising, who will face only one opponent in a week for the first time this season, will be zeroed in on their foes from Brooklyn in the days leading up to Friday’s tipoff; NetsGC (3-1) didn’t make their season debut until May 29 and are scheduled to play four games in four days.

After dropping their opener to Mavs Gaming, Brooklyn has bounced back with three straight wins over Magic Gaming, Heat Check Gaming, and Celtics Crossover in Week 5 and will close out their four-game week against the undefeated Raptors Uprising side.

Friday’s meeting between Toronto and Brooklyn will mark their second-ever head-to-head matchup. In Week 4 last season, Raptors Uprising got the better of the 2019 expansion team (54-42). They’ll be tasked to take down a different looking NetsGC side this time around, as only two players (Shuttles and Wavy) return to Brooklyn after the team finished 7-9 in their inaugural campaign.

The revamped NetsGC will trust the ball in the hands of their rookie point guard Choc to lead the charge. He was taken ninth overall in 2020 and so far has not disappointed. But as small forward ReeceMode notes, that may not be enough to stop his Raptors Uprising surging side.

“We know that Choc is a very aggressive scorer, but overall, I feel they don’t really have the firepower to match with us,” said ReeceMode. “We don’t get too high, too low, so I think it should be a good series.”

Some of that lack of firepower may be attributed to Brooklyn having to make a roster tweak midway through the season. Before they tipped of their year, NetsGC learned they’d be losing veteran guard Rando for the duration of the season after the former Hawks Talon GC was suspended for violating the NBA 2K League code of conduct.

In his absence, however, undrafted free agent guard Chess—who was added to the roster just before Week 4—has filled in admirably in the backcourt, creating a strong one-two punch with his point guard.

Raptors Uprising will, of course, counter with their heavy-duty one-through-five lineup, led by their floor marshal and MVP candidate Kenny Got Work. Fresh off capturing his second Player of the Week award, Kenny enters Friday’s contest averaging 32.9 points, 6.4 assists, and 3.1 steals through 14 games so far in his third year in Toronto. But as ReeceMode notes, the difficult thing about playing Raptors Uprising is that you just never know who is going to step up.

“I think the x-factor in this matchup will be Timelycook. He’s just a force on defence, and I think that he and Sick One probably have the best pick-and-roll defence in the league.”

Key Matchup: Timelycook vs. Choc—You heard Reece. This week’s matchup to watch will be on the defensive end, as Raptors Uprising lock Timelycook lines up against Brooklyn’s rookie point guard Choc. So far this season, the Raptors Uprising 2020 first-round pick has shone when matched up defensively against some of the league’s best guards, applying relentless full-court pressure while trusting his team defence to help out if necessary. If Brooklyn’s main source of scoring can’t find a way to breakout against Timely and the rest of the Raptors Uprising defence, then NetsGC may be in for a long evening against the undefeated side from Toronto.

How To Watch: Friday’s best-of-three series is set to tipoff at 7 p.m. EST. You can stream the game live on Twitch or YouTube as Raptors Uprising try to extend their winning streak to lucky number seven.