Raptors Uprising to face NetsGC, Warriors Gaming Squad in Week 8

TORONTO, Canada—Two matchups Raptors Uprising GC have had circled on their calendar have arrived, as the team from the North will take on NetsGC on Wednesday evening before closing out Week 8 NBA 2K League action against Warriors Gaming Squad on Friday.

Up first, Raptors Uprising, NBA 2K League affiliate of the Toronto Raptors, will welcome back Season 3 alumni Legit 973, who was originally drafted by Toronto in 2020 before being selected by NetsGC in the 2021 NBA 2K League draft this offseason.

“Playing against Jake, he was a great guy, part of the 16-0 run—historic season,” said Team and Business Ops. Coordinator Kevin Franklin. “And he was one of my favourite guys on the team last year; he was a great guy on and off the court, really stepped up and matured throughout the season very quickly. It’s going to be one I want to take from him for sure, so we’re going to go in with the mentality to make sure we get the W over Jake.”

While the return of Legit 973 is certainly something to keep an eye on, Raptors Uprising know which player this NetsGC squad revolves around and will be doing everything in their power to throw Brooklyn’s talented point guard off his rhythm.

“The story that goes with the Nets is just focusing in on Choc,” said Franklin. “He can do everything on the floor, so just zeroing in on him.”

Choc enters this matchup fourth in NBA 2K League scoring, averaging 29.2 points per game, and first in assists, posting 13.8 per contest. If Raptors Uprising (5-17) can find a way to contain the second-year pro, they’ll put themselves in a good position to steal one or two games away from the fifth-place NetsGC (14-8).

Thursday will mark the third and fourth ever head-to-head matchups between the two sides, with Toronto coming away victorious in the previous two meetings. The two teams last played in Week 5 in Season 3, with Raptors Uprising earning a 2-0 series sweep. Tipoff is set for 9 pm and 10 pm EST on Wednesday.

And then on Friday, Raptors Uprising will be faced with another tough matchup as they take on a fourth-place Warriors Gaming Squad (11-7).

Like NetsGC, there’s some history between these two sides, particularly for Raptors Uprising centre Type, who will be going up against his former team.

“I think this one is going to mainly for Type, his former squad, so I know he has that one checked off on his calendar,” said Franklin. “They’ve got a great backcourt—CB13 and Gradient—and that’s who we’re focusing in on and game planning for. That’s the game going into our second bye week, so that’s definitely one we want to get the 2-0 sweep to set the tone heading into our bye week and then closer to THE TICKET.

“So, that’s one we have checked off, but specifically Type, and I think the guys want to rally around and get Type that sweep.”

Type was selected by Warriors Gaming Squad in the fourth round (52nd overall) of the 2018 NBA 2K League Draft and would spend two seasons in Golden State. After winning THE TURN Tournament with the Warriors—earning tournament MVP honours in the process—Type was surprisingly left exposed in the Season 3 Expansion Draft, where he was eventually chosen by Hornets Venom GT with the first-overall selection.

The do-it-all centre has averaged 17.3 points, 11.7 assists, and 1.8 blocks in 20 games so far this season in his first year in Toronto and will enter Friday night’s contest with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

As Franklin alluded to, Warriors Gaming Squad’s most dangerous player is likely CB13—an All-NBA 2K League First Team guard last season. If Toronto can find a way to mitigate his playmaking ability, they’ll give themselves a real shot here in this one. Tipoff is set for 9 pm and 10 pm EST on Friday night.

How to Watch: Raptors Uprising and NetsGC will tipoff at 9 pm EST before once again squaring off at 10 pm EST Wednesday night. Toronto will then take on Warriors Gaming Squad on Friday night with tipoff once again set for 9 pm and 10 pm EST. As always, fans can tune in on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch or YouTube channels.