Week 3 Preview: Raptors Uprising hope to extend unbeaten run vs. Knicks Gaming, Hawks Talon

TORONTO, Canada—Another two matchups on the agenda for Raptors Uprising GC in Week 3 as the team gets back to work Tuesday evening when they take on Season 1 NBA 2K League champions Knicks Gaming.

Toronto (4-0) is off to their best-ever start to an NBA 2K League campaign, outscoring their opponents—76ers GC, Wizards District Gaming, Grizz Gaming, and Hornets Venom GT—by an average margin of 16 points per game along the way.

A big reason for that has been the play of returning veteran Sick One in his first full season north of the border. The New Jersey-native averaged 19.0 points, 13.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 4.8 blocks on 73 per cent shooting from the floor in Week 2, as the centre became the second-straight Raptors Uprising player to be nominated for NBA 2K League Player of the Week after point guard Kenny Got Work took home the award in Week 1.

“I feel some respect from my peers now that I probably haven’t gotten the last couple of years, probably because I’m more of a quiet guy,” said Sick One. “I feel like I’ve always been good at the game, but this year—more so than ever–because my teammates have been trusting me a lot more: it comes from that.”

“Honestly, he’s up for Player of the Week this week, but I feel like he could’ve got it last week as well,” added his brother Legit 973.

Raptors Uprising will look to keep that same energy going against a different looking Knicks Gaming (1-1) side from the one who hoisted the inaugural NBA 2K League title two years ago.

After a disastrous 2019 campaign which saw them pick up only four regular-season wins, they decided to completely turn the page in Season 3, trading centre G O O F Y 7 5 7—their only remaining player from 2018—to Grizz Gaming for a flurry of draft picks.

After rebuilding through the draft, they’ve put the ball into the hands of 2020 second-overall pick Duck, who will try to make a statement on Tuesday against arguably the hottest team in the league.

However, after seeing them a few times in preseason scrimmages, Raptors Uprising are confident that they know what they’re up against.

“They like to get the ball to Original Malik a lot,” said Sick One. “He’s good at scoring the ball. He finds a way to get a bucket and he’s not afraid to shoot his shot. But, we’ve played them a few times in scrimmages already, so nothing I’m too worried about.”

KEY MATCHUP TO WATCH: ReeceMode vs. Original Malik—Early on, Reece and Malik have been two of the more productive secondary ball handlers in the league. As mentioned, New York likes to get the ball into the hands of their shooting guard, however, when he’s not producing, Knicks Gaming may be in trouble, especially if someone like ReeceMode continues to produce for Raptors Uprising. Comfortable playing off the ball if necessary, the sharpshooter has been lights out from downtown in 2020, connecting on 73.3 per cent (33 of 49) of his attempts from long range. Keep an eye on how the secondary scorers effect this outcome.

HOW TO WATCH: Tuesday’s best-of-three series will be televised on Sportsnet ONE (Canada) and ESPN 2 (USA). Alternatively, fans can tune in online on Twitch or YouTube with tipoff set for 7 pm EST.

Then on Thursday evening, Raptors Uprising will turn their attention to a surging Hawks Talon GC (3-1) team, winners of three straight.

The squad from Atlanta is led by a one-two punch in their backcourt, as point guard BP and shooting guard Kel have found a comfortable rhythm playing off one another.

“Hawks Talon are a little bit more balanced,” said Sick One. “Their point guard, BP, is like a super-scorer: he can do everything. Kel has also been giving them some big secondary ball-handling points… so they have a little bit more of an explosive offence as a whole.”

Since dropping their opener to a still-undefeated Mavs Gaming team, Atlanta has strung together three-straight wins, including a pair of victories over Grizz Gaming and Pacers Gaming in Week 2.

Sick One and the rest of Raptors Uprising, however, are once again confident that another solid one-through-five team performance will be enough to prevail in this one, especially if they continue to receive the output from some of their role players.

“I think he’s been playing great,” said Sick One, when asked about his younger brother Legit 973. “He’s been greening from the corner, making passes, playing defence. I think he’s been respected not only on our team, but I think he’s getting the respect from a lot of other teams now.”

KEY MATCHUP TO WATCH: Kenny Got Work vs. BP—Two of the hottest point guards in the league square off as all eyes will be zeroed in on this heavyweight matchup. Both of these players are the leaders of their team—the floor marshals—and slowing down either of these guys will be an extremely difficult task. Both players are widely considered to be elite scorers in the league, so will they once again play hero for their side or will it be the depth that separates these two teams?

HOW TO WATCH: With tipoff set for 7 p.m. EST, fans can stream Thursday’s best-of-three series on Twitch or YouTube. Be sure to tune in for what should be an entertaining bout between two of the hottest teams in the league.