Wizards District Gaming kept alive their hopes for an NBA 2K League three-peat, rallying to beat Knicks Gaming 2-1 on Friday in the Eastern Conference final at the 5v5 Championships in Indianapolis.
Standing in the Wizards’ way will be Bucks Gaming, who edged T-Wolves Gaming 2-1 in the Western Conference final.
The Knicks jumped on top with a 68-56 win before the Wizards rebounded for 57-50 and 68-55 victories.
In the decisive third game, Justin “Just Awkward” Howell scored 23 points and Justin “Kapp” Kaplan had 19 for the Wizards. Malik “OriginalMalik” Hobson logged 19 points for the Knicks while teammate Ethan “Radiant” White put up 18 points and six assists.
The Bucks opened with a 68-63 win before the T-Wolves leveled the series with a 66-64 decision. The Bucks took the decisive third game 77-67.
Artreyo “Dimez” Boyd came through for the Bucks in the final game, logging 28 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Teammate Mason “Johhny” Bracken contributed 22 points. Dhwan “ShiftyKaii” White’s 23 points weren’t enough for the T-Wolves.
The tournament champion will pocket half of the $1 million prize pool. The runner-up will get $200,000, while the losing semifinalists will receive $80,000. All matches are best-of-three until the best-of-five final on Sunday.
NBA 2K League 5v5 Championships prize pool
1. $500,000
2. $200,000
3-4. $80,000 — Knicks Gaming, T-Wolves Gaming
5-8. $25,000 — Gen.G Tigers, 76ers GC, Lakers Gaming, Warriors Gaming Squad
9-12. $10,000 — Heat Check Gaming, Magic Gaming, Mavs Gaming, Jazz Gaming
–Field Level Media