Blazer5 Gaming Goes 1-1 at Tipoff Tournament, Not Enough to Advance
April 6, 2019
Blazer5 Gaming capped off the week of pool play in the 2K League’s THE TIPOFF tournament, sponsored by AT&T on Friday, facing Bucks Gaming in the first game of Pool 7. A barrage of three pointers (12-17) by Milwaukee helped them defeat last season’s best team. Mama Im Dat Man led Portland with 25 points and 9 assists in the loss.
Yet, after a disappointing open to the season Friday, Blazer5 Gaming bounced back with a dominant 73-57 victory over Jazz Gaming.
Blazer5 Gaming’s loss to Bucks Gaming in the first game Friday clearly left the team with a bitter taste in their mouth, as they came out with a sense of urgency in the second game of the day. And rightfully so, as the team needed to win every quarter and win the game by at least 25 points in order to advance to the next round of the tournament.
For a minute, it appeared as though they might pull it off.
After a closely contested first quarter, Blazer5 Gaming decided it was time to open things up. With high-pressure defense leading to turnovers and quick offense on the other end, Portland got the lead up to 11 at halftime. Then, in the third quarter, knowing they were in need of points in a quick manner, Blazer5 Gaming turned it up to another level. Utilizing a full-court press and leak outs at every change of possession, they started to string together scoring possessions and built their lead up to 23 points midway through the period.
Unfortunately, that was as close as they would get, as Jazz Gaming responded with a 19-5 run from that point, and Blazer5 Gaming never again got close to the pivotal 25-point mark. But even in defeat, Blazer5 Gaming showed flashes of the team that owned the best record in the 2K league last season.
Point guard Mama Im Dat Man was brilliant once again for Blazer5 Gaming, scoring a game-high 29 points and dishing out 10 assists in the winning effort. Now, in his first two games of the 2019 season, Mama Im Dat Man has recorded a total of 54 points and 19 assists while shooting 57 percent from the floor. Center OneWildWalnut was close behind, scoring 20 points on 10-of-12 shooting to go along with 18 rebounds and five assists.