Raptors Uprising lock in on Week 4 with matchups vs. Mavs Gaming, Wizards DG

TORONTO, Canada—Looking to rebound, Raptors Uprising GC, NBA 2K League affiliate of the Toronto Raptors, will take on Mavs Gaming and Wizards District Gaming in Week 4 NBA 2K League action.

After dropping a pair of games to Gen.G Tigers last week, Raptors Uprising (1-9) head into Wednesday evening’s tilt with Mavs Gaming having lost three straight. While the team has been playing better of late, as veteran scorer All Hail Trey illustrates, it’s starting to reach a point where the results will need to follow.

“We have 18 games left. I expect the guys to come back down into the lab, lock back in, and try to make a run for it,” said All Hail Trey. “We’ve got nine losses, so the margin for error is really low, but we’ve still got hope over here.”

Reigning MVP Kenny Got Work leads all Raptors Uprising scorers heading into this one. In nine regular season contests this year, the point guard is averaging 22.9 points, 8.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. After a slow start to the year, adjusting to a new game, Kenny has started to come into his own, as he’ll be relied upon to play a pivotal role for this Raptors Uprising team down the stretch.

On the other hand, Mavs Gaming are winners of three straight heading into this contest after a pair of wins against Cavs Legion GC to close out Week 3. The team from Dallas boasts a familiar face in that of Sick One, who played for Raptors Uprising in Seasons 2 and 3. He was traded to Hornets Venom GT in exchange for Type, before being dealt to Mavs Gaming shortly after.

In five regular season games, the 2020 All-NBA 2K League centre has posted averages of 12.8 points and 13.8 rebounds on 72.5 per cent shooting from the floor.

According to All Hail Trey, however, he isn’t the player that Raptors Uprising have to watch out for.

“They’re really good on defence,” said the fourth-year pro on Raptors Uprising. “I think if we slow their secondary down, Gen, we’ll be in good hands to win that series against them.”

Lining up at shooting guard, Gen has been averaging 21.0 points per game heading into this one. He hasn’t been able to do much else, evident by posting just 1.6 assists and 0.6 rebounds per game, so if Toronto can slow him down offensively, as All Hail Trey pointed out, the team from the North will stand a good chance at derailing this Dallas side.

Tipoff on Wednesday is set for 7 pm EST.

And then on Thursday, Raptors Uprising have a date with reigning NBA 2K League champions Wizards District Gaming in a rematch from Week 1.
“After we lost to (Wizards DG) the first week of the season, we watched film and saw what we did wrong,” said All Hail Trey. “We’ll be prepared for them.”

Washington (5-3), who won both games against Toronto in Week 1, are coming off a series split against a formidable Warriors Gaming Squad.

2020 first-overall pick JBM leads all Wizards DG scorers so far this season, averaging 24.1 points and 10.4 assists per game at the point guard spot. Look out for the deadly duo of JBM and centre Dayfri—the 2020 NBA 2K League finals MVP—as they’ll be hoping to replicate some of the early-season success they found against Raptors Uprising in Week 1.

Thursday’s contest tips off at 7:15 pm EST.

Key Matchup to Watch: Type vs. Sick One—These two guys were traded one-for-one for one another this offseason, so it’s easy to highlight the matchup down low as the one to watch this week. However, aside from the trade, they’re also two players who play a similar style of play at the centre spot—and have posted almost identical numbers. As mentioned, Sick One comes into this one averaging 12.8 points and 13.8 rebounds on 72.5 per cent shooting from the floor, while Type has posted 15.4 points, 12.7 rebounds on 75 per cent shooting from the floor. If one of these players can separate themselves from the other this matchup, then it may just give their team the lift they need to pick up the win.

Stat to Watch: -13.7—Heading into Wednesday’s matchup, Raptors Uprising own the third worst average point differential in the NBA 2K League at -13.7 points per game. That’s not a stat that Raptors Uprising would like to be affiliated with, and as we mentioned off the bat, while the team has played better basketball of late, the results will soon need to follow—and it starts with changing that number right there. Keep an eye.

How to Watch: Raptors Uprising and Mavs Gaming will tipoff at 7 pm EST before once again squaring off at 8 pm EST Wednesday night. Toronto will then take on Wizards DG on Thursday night with tipoff set for 7:15 pm and 8:15 pm EST. As always, fans can tune in on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch or YouTube channels.