Lakers Gaming won the last three games to rally past Blazer5 Gaming 4-3 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the NBA 2K League’s Slam Open.
The Lakers’ semifinal opponent will be another team that earned a 4-3 win on Friday in best-of-seven action, DUX Infinitos, who eliminated Pacers Gaming.
The other semifinal will feature Wizards District Gaming, who topped Hornets Venom GT 4-1, and Grizz Gaming, who defeated Hawks Talon GC 4-2.
The knockout rounds of the $150,000 Slam Open are being played at the NBA 2K League Studio in Indianapolis. The best-of-seven semifinals and final are scheduled for Saturday. The winning team will receive $60,000.
The 32-team Slam Open field included all 24 NBA 2K League squads plus eight other teams: amateur trios that advanced through qualifying plus “community” teams featuring 2K social-media influencers.
For remote group play, the field was divided into eight groups that each consist of three NBA 2K League teams and one amateur or community team. The top two teams in each group advanced to bracket play.
The NBA 2K League season will run through August, with the focus on tournament play and qualifying events for tournaments. The traditional five-on-five tournaments are The Tipoff (season opener), The Turn (midseason) and The Ticket (late season).
The league is also adding a trio of three-on-three tournaments that will lead up to a three-on-three championship featuring a separate prize pool.
–Field Level Media
