Raptors Uprising put in valiant effort despite loss to Blazer5 Gaming

Sick x 973 scored 15 points in his debut, but it wasn’t enough as NBA 2K League leading-scorer Mama Im Dat Man continued his hot start to the year to help the red-hot Blazer5 Gaming edge Raptors Uprising 61-53 in Week 6 NBA 2K League action Wednesday afternoon.

Box Score

Raptors Uprising (2-4) outplayed the second-place Blazer5 Gaming (7-1) for most of the game, maintaining the lead for the majority of the contest and into the fourth quarter. However, Mama Im Dat Man’s 22 points and 11 assists for his Blazer5 Gaming side were too much for the team from Toronto to handle down the stretch. The Blazer5 Gaming point guard was his team’s pulse all night, setting up open looks for his teammates when he wasn’t busy finding his own.

Power forward Joman12 PR was a direct beneficiary of the playmaking from their MVP-candidate, chipping in with 10 points for Blazer5 Gaming on a perfect four-of-four from the field in his first start of the season.

“We just need to close out games,” said Raptors Uprising Coach Ognjen Micic on the loss. “That will come with more reps at the studio with this new look roster. You can see the potential; it was our first time with [Sick x 973] on the court. We have got to hold our heads high after that one.”

For Raptors Uprising, newly-acquired Sick x 973 brought energy and made his presence felt early in his Toronto debut, utilizing a shapshooting rebounder archetype at the centre spot. The New Jersey native ended the contest with 15 points, five rebounds, and two blocks on six-of-10 shooting from the field — all while limiting reigning league MVP OneWildWalnut to 14 points and just eight rebounds for Blazer5 Gaming. The big man started off hot with seven points in the opening quarter, but ultimately cooled off down the stretch like the rest of his Raptors Uprising team.

“Sick played well,” said Coach Ogi. “It’s only going to get better with more studio experience as a unit. We kept them guessing with the Sharpshooting Rebounder archetype he was on. It’s different when you have five shooting threats on the court.

“He’s going to get more and more comfortable, and I’m excited to see him perform in the second half of the season.”

Kenny Got Work, meanwhile, was another bright spot for the team from the North, finishing with a team-high 16 points on seven-of-12 shooting at small forward.

Raptors Uprising will have the opportunity to bounce back Thursday night when they take on former teammate Detoxys and his expansion side Lakers Gaming, where Coach Ogi says his side will try to build on a positive showing against Blazer5 Gaming.

“We plan on coming out strong against Lakers Gaming and controlling the pace just like last game,” said Coach Ogi. “We just have to capitalize on a couple more possessions on both ends and we’ll be fine.”

Tune in live to Twitch.tv/RaptorsGC at 7 p.m. ET to see if Raptors Uprising can get the better of their former teammate Detoxys and win their inaugural matchup with Lakers Gaming.