The schedule for the first NBA 2K League season has been released.
The 2K League is a collaboration between the NBA and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., publisher of the NBA 2K game series. It’s the first esports league founded and sponsored directly by a major traditional sports league.
Following the draft in April and the season-opening Tip-Off Tournament, regular season play will start on May 11. All games will be played in the 2K League studio in New York City and streamed on Twitch.
The schedule and results for the regular season are as follows. This post will be updated weekly for results of all the action.
Weeks 1-4
The 76ers stayed hot following their win in the Tip-Off Tournament. But it’s Celtics Crossover that lead the table with a 2-0 record.
The second week of 2K League was once again all 76ers. They beat a solid Mavs Gaming squad to stay perfect on the season.
The Wizards also had a nice bounce-back week with two straight victories after a tough loss to Celtics Gaming in week one. The same happened with Cavs Legion who won a pair this week after their opening loss to Jazz Gaming.
Jazz Gaming continue to improve, seeing more threes drop in a comeback overtime victory over Raptors Uprising, who are still win-less on the season.
The third week saw the 76ers lose their first game, to Raptors Uprising no less. The Raptors opened the regular season with three-straight losses, but started off strong against the 76ers, opening up a 10 point halftime lead before surviving a comeback attempt to win by four.
The 76ers went uncharacteristically cold from three, shooting 3-for-9, while the Raptors lit up from downtown, going 8-for-15.
With the 76ers loss, only Blazer5 Gaming and Pistons GT remain undefeated. The next week of play will be about qualifying for the second tournament of the season.
Blazer5 stayed on top after squeaking by Raptors Uprising, the same squad that had felled the 76ers in week three. The 76ers got their frustrations out by crushing Kings Guard, while the Pistons suffered their first loss of the season, leaving Blazer5 as the lone unbeaten team heading into the first Mid-Season Tournament.
Weeks 5-8
After Blazer5 gaming dominated the first Mid-Season Tournament, winning by an average of over 17 points in the three knockout round games, they got right back into it by dominating Heat Check Gaming and winning a closer match against 76ers Gaming Club. The 76ers have looked like the second-best team for a while but just can’t match Blazer5’s firepower.
Both Cavs Legion and Mavs Gaming suffered losses as well, though. Perhaps they suffered form some hangover after the tournament. That’s allowed Jazz Gaming, Celtics Crosover Gaming, and Pistons GT to catchup a bit in the standings.
Blazer5 Gaming squad came back to earth a bit this week, squeaking by Warriors Gaming Squad. They beat the worst team in the league by just three points, but the important part is that they won. Jazz Gaming continued their climb up the standings by getting a big victory over Celtics Crossover Gaming. And 76ers GC avenged a loss to Blazer5 last week by absolutely spanking Magic Gaming by one of the biggest margins we’ve seen yet.
They lost! After going undefeated since the Tip-Off Tournament, a run through six regular season weeks, Blazer5’s recent drop in form finally resulted in a loss to Celtics Crossover Gaming. The game did not start well for the guys in green: they scored only seven points in the first quarter and gave up 24. But a big second quarter gave them a one point lead heading into halftime and they sealed the deal in the third quarter. A great upset and a great story heading into the third mid-season tournament.
After last week’s loss, Blazer5 got back on track with a victory over a strong Cavs Legion squad. Heat Check got a big victory over Jazz Gaming to tie them in the standings
After the eighth week, the teams will break for the second Mid-Season Tournament.
Weeks 9-12
After Knicks Gaming unexpectedly went from near-last place to winning the The Ticket and earning a spot in the playoffs, competition will really get heated for the last four weeks as teams fight for the remaining spots.
Blazer5 got back on track this week with a victory over Mavs Gaming, a potential playoff foe. The team had struggled a bit on the last meta change, but now it’s Mavs Gaming who are in trouble. Pistons GT continued their hot play of late, as did Heat Check Gaming, who earned a big victory over 76ers GC.
Blazer5 officially punched their way to the playoffs with a 2-0 week with both games coming down to the wire. The Pistons and 76ers inched closer to playoff spots of their own.
The condensed week 11 still saw plenty of heartbreak as more teams were eliminated from the playoffs. Jazz Gaming were unable to hold onto a big lead heading into the fourth quarter vs. Knicks Gaming and fell in OT. Grizz Gaming were also eliminated by a Raptors Uprising squad that’s still in the hunt for a playoff spot. The last week of the regular season should be exciting.
After the season ends, Knicks Gaming, the winner of the last Mid-Season Tournament, and the next seven best teams by record will play in the season-ending playoffs.
