NBA 2k League Week 9 Preview: Knicks Gaming, Others Need Wins

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 04: A general view of the NBA 2K League Draft at Madison Square Garden on April 4, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Just four weeks of the 2019 NBA 2k League regular season remain and many of the league’s teams are still alive for one of the coveted spots in the playoffs. To qualify, teams currently sitting in the bottom standings like defending champion Knicks Gaming need wins badly.

League Standings Entering Week 9

When Warriors Gaming Squad won “The Ticket” tournament last week they claimed one of the league’s eight playoff spots. That leaves only seven spots for the league’s other 20 teams.

That may have been largely academic, however. Warriors Gaming Squad is currently on pace to make the playoffs anyway. What’s more important is that 10 teams currently not in the playoff picture are still within three games of the eighth spot in the standings.

1. Blazer5 Gaming 10-1
2. Mavs Gaming 10-1
3. Warriors Gaming Squad 7-4
4. Kings Guard Gaming 7-4
5. 76ers GC 7-4
6. Pacers Gaming 6-4
7. Cavs Legion GC 7-5
8. Bucks Gaming 6-5
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9. Magic Gaming 6-5
10. NetsGC 5-5
11. Jazz Gaming 5-5
12. Raptors Uprising GC 5-6
13. Grizz Gaming 5-6
14. T-Wolves Gaming 5-6
15. Celtics Crossover Gaming 4-5
16. Wizards District Gaming 4-6
17. Hawks Talon GC 4-6
18. Heat Check Gaming 4-7
19. Knicks Gaming 2-8
20. Lakers Gaming 2-9
21. Pistons GT 1-10

Those teams looking to solidify or get into playoff position will get chances to do so when Week 9 games start on Wednesday, June 19. Week 9 games will continue through Friday, June 21 and include 14 games featuring 15 of the league’s 21 teams. 76ers GC, Grizz Gaming, Hawks Talon GC, Magic Gaming, Raptors Uprising GC and T-Wolves Gaming all have byes this week.

Kings Guard Gaming at Knicks Gaming

The first game of the week will tipoff at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday. A win would guarantee that Kings Guard Gaming will finish the 2019 season at .500 at worst plus push it closer to clinching a playoff spot. Knicks Gaming needs to win all six of its remaining contests to finish at .500 and have any chance to make the playoffs. Something to watch in this contest is whether Knicks Gaming center G O O F Y 7 5 7 will return to his team’s lineup after he was absent from the team during “The Ticket.” If he’s back on the court he improves the chances Knicks Gaming takes a step toward staying alive in the playoff race.

Warriors Gaming Squad at Mavs Gaming

What could be billed as the game of the week comes early, as the 7 p.m. ET contest on Wednesday. Warriors Gaming Squad comes in playing with house money knowing they are already in the playoffs regardless of how the last four weeks of the regular season go for them and with all the momentum of becoming the first-ever NBA 2k League team to win consecutive in-season tournaments. Mavs Gaming has been one of the best teams in the league in regular-season play. Both teams are playing to improve their seeding for the postseason and Mavs Gaming can essentially lock up a spot with a win in this game.

Knicks Gaming at Pacers Gaming

If Knicks Gaming can manage to get a win over one team currently in playoff position earlier on Wednesday, it will have to have to do the same thing again in order to keep its slim playoff hopes alive. That won’t be an easy task, as Knicks Gaming will have to deal with Pacers Gaming center Ramo, who had a great tournament run last week and had Pacers Gaming won the final most likely would have been “The Ticket” MVP. This game is slated to start at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Warriors Gaming Squad at Celtics Crossover Gaming

The situation isn’t as dire for Celtics Crossover Gaming in the 9 p.m. ET Wednesday game but the margin for error is still slim. To stay alive Celtics Crossover Gaming will need their MVP candidate point guard oFAB to solve the vaunted Warriors Gaming Squad defense which has been stellar at taking away opponents’ best options all season long. On the flip side, Celtics Crossover Gaming could find Warriors Gaming Squad’s balanced attack a problem, as it’s been difficult to key on any one of their players defensively.

Cavs Legion GC at Wizards District Gaming

Cavs Legion GC is one of the teams that the crowd of playoff hopefuls are gunning for, so the nightcap for Wednesday will give Wizards District Gaming an opportunity to not only get a win but muddle the standings further in doing so. Wizards District Gaming comes into this contest having won its last two regular-season games, one of which was a road win over Blazer5 Gaming. Their forward combo of Dayfri and ReeseDaGod combined for a total of 75 points in those two wins and if they can perform similarly Wednesday night will be a quandary for Cavs Legion GC.

Wizards District Gaming at Pacers Gaming

Wizards District Gaming will start off Thursday’s action at 6 p.m. ET against another team it is looking to unseat from playoff position. This game will pit point guards who have been hot as of late, as Wizards District Gaming’s Demon JT was a big reason the team won the last two games and Pacers Gaming’s Swizurk had a strong showing in “The Ticket” as well. If the defense is too focused on the likes of Ramo and ReeseDaGod, Demon JT or Swizurk could make the opposition pay. If Pacers Gaming can sweep its two contests this week, riding the momentum of being the runner-up in “The Ticket”, it could vaunt itself up as high as the third seed entering Week 10.

Pistons GT at Blazer5 Gaming

It’s been a long season for Pistons GT but it could make some noise by getting a road win against Blazer5 Gaming in the 7 p.m. ET game on Thursday. Blazer5 Gaming can essentially clinch a playoff spot by prolonging Pistons GT’s struggles and it has little room for error if it wants to hang on to the top seed with Mavs Gaming right behind it. Blazer5 Gaming point guard Mama Im Dat Man was the league’s Player of the Month for May and he is one of the strongest candidates for MVP this season. This will be an opportunity for him to pad that résumé.

Lakers Gaming at Kings Guard Gaming

Lakers Gaming is all but eliminated from playoff contention but it has a great chance to play the spoiler in the 8 p.m. ET Thursday contest. Getting at least one win in Week 9 will be important for Kings Guard Gaming to stay in the top eight and by the chalk, this game represents their best chance to do so. If Kings Guard Gaming’s big three of BallLikeSeem (15 points per game, shooting 56 percent from the field including 50 percent from 3-point range), BP (17.5 points and 6.8 assists per game) and Worthingcolt (averaging 14.2 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting over 54 percent from the field) all have their typical showings this should be win no. eight or nine for them depending on how the contest against Knicks Gaming goes.

Mavs Gaming at Celtics Crossover Gaming

Success in this league is largely predicated upon point guard play and this 9 p.m. ET game promises a ton of that. Between oFAB and Mavs Gaming’s Dimez, Thursday’s final game will be worth the wait. Should Mavs Gaming defeat Warriors Gaming Squad Wednesday and Pistons GT manage to pull off the upset earlier Thursday, Mavs Gaming would have an opportunity to take over the top seed. If Mavs Gaming gets two wins this week, it clinches a playoff spot. Celtics Crossover Gaming needs to win this game to stay in the playoff race. Dimez and oFAB have met before but the stakes have never been higher.

Jazz Gaming at Blazer5 Gaming

Friday’s action starts at 6 p.m. ET with this tilt between teams of intrigue. If Blazer5 Gaming can dispense of Pistons GT on Thursday it will have a chance to clinch a playoff spot with a win over Jazz Gaming here. Jazz Gaming could have a new look as it recently completed a trade to acquire Lotty from Heat Check Gaming. It will be interesting to see how Lotty gets inserted into the Jazz Gaming lineup should he take the court for his new team right away, as MOAM occupied the small forward spot for Jazz Gaming prior to being sent to Heat Check Gaming and Lotty has played shooting guard most of the season up to this point. Either way, Jazz Gaming needs a win to stay in the playoff race.

Bucks Gaming at Lakers Gaming

Bucks Gaming has shown flashes of brilliance and ineptitude at different times this season. This Friday 7 p.m. ET game is not the time for Bucks Gaming to be a dud against what many would consider an inferior opponent. Several teams are right on Bucks Gaming’s trail and would greatly appreciate Lakers Gaming pulling off the upset here. With a loss, Bucks Gaming could easily find itself out of the playoff picture heading into Week 10. If Week 8 Player of the Week Plondo can replicate his performance, it’s likely the brilliant Bucks Gaming will be on display in this game.

NetsGC at Heat Check Gaming

The Friday 8 p.m. ET game will be Week 9’s first contest that doesn’t involve at least one team currently in playoff position but that could mean both teams in this one should be more desperate as both teams are still alive for spots. This will be Heat Check Gaming fans’ first chance to see MOAM on the court and if he can replicate what he did the last time he played against his new team, scoring 22 points, he will be a welcome boost to his teammates. This game will be decided by which team can contain Wazy.Zay and Hotshot, as those players are the most dangerous scoring threats for NetsGC and Heat Check Gaming respectively.

Jazz Gaming at Pistons GT

Pistons GT gets another chance to play spoiler in the Friday 9 p.m. contest against a Jazz Gaming team which will either be looking to snag a seventh win or rebound from an earlier loss. Upsetting Blazer5 Gaming and defeating Pistons GT could see Jazz Gaming enter Week 10 in playoff position depending on how other contests go. The play of Jazz Gaming point guard Yeah I Compete will have a lot to say about that, as the offense runs through him.

Bucks Gaming at NetsGC

The final game of Week 9 tips off at 10 p.m. ET on Friday and it should be a tight contest. Only half a game separates these two teams in the standings and both have had seasons that have seen extreme highs and lows. Sleeper players which could play big roles in their teams winning this game are Bucks Gaming’s BigMeek and NetsGC’s Shockey (if he’s in the lineup). Both are averaging scoring in double figures this season and could be the beneficiaries of the opposing defenses keying on other players.

All the Week 9 games are available to stream live for free on the NBA 2k League Twitch and YouTube channels. Two more playoff spots could be claimed and the middle of the standings could be muddled even further this week, making the week’s slate of games one that can’t be missed.