Week 3
Welcome to Console Corners’ NBA2k League Power Rankings. Week 3 of the 2020 Season is now complete and we had some very exciting match ups to watch that ultimately shook up the Power Rankings even more than last week. Only Team to play yet as of now is Nets GC so they will of course not be included once again. Among the Games this Week, Mavs were shocked in three, Hawks hang in there, and the Hornets fall short to the Wizards. You can check out all of the action Live Tuesday-Friday 7 PM EDT on Youtube, Twitch, and the ESPN Watch App.
Don’t forget you can check out all of the NBA2k League Stats for both Teams and Players now on our website here.
1. Raptors Uprising GC
Once again the Raptors remain undefeated as they take down the Knicks and Hawks. Knicks tried their best but the Raptors continued to show why they are so good on both ends of the court. The Hawks however made a strong case for themselves as they kept it close at times but the Raptors were able to pull through. Kenny even had a cold ring for the first time this Season but once the Raptors gave up the rebounds in order to transition on defense quicker they started to force more turnovers, shut down passing lanes and ultimately ran away with the game. Sick gave Lee a rough time in the paint the second half of Game 2 and once he started to struggle Sick sort of just took off. Another 43 point performance from Kenny and another win for the Raptors.
2. Warriors Gaming Squad
The Warriors are the only other undefeated Team coming in at the end of Week 3 besides the Raptors. They did face the Lakers which hasn’t been much of a problem thus far. However the Lakers had good ball movement starting off but then the Warrior’s Slaughter just took things in his own hands. He finished Game 1 with a Double-Double where he had 25 Rebounds and looked like he was pushing for the single game record at one point. After that it just went downhill for the Lakers as the Warriors continued the momentum into Game 2. Slaughter once again goes nuts as he almost a TEAM TAKEOVER in the 1st Quarter. The Warriors were hot all night, Slaughter went insane, and they held Sav and the Lakers in check all night.
3. Mavs Gaming
Mavs remaining in the Top 4 is sort of generous considering they ended up losing their only matchup this week to the Hornets. However, the Mavs are still a Top 3 Team in the League despite the loss as they have one of the best complete teams. If they lose another they will no doubt fall down the list as there are about 3-4 Teams creeping up the list themselves. Petebeballin was doping a great job vs Type in the beginning as he gathered a Double-Double in the first half of Game 1 and the keep away method from Sherm and Dimez was working at first until the Hornets found a way to shut it down. The Mavs are still good, really good actually, they shot 64% fro mthe field in Game 3 but 15 turnovers cost them the game so working on that portion of the ball they should return to form sooner than later.
4. Wizards District Gaming
The Wizards showed out this week as they absolutely murdered the Pistons in their debut then were able to beat the Hornets in just 2 Games. JBM has been playing lights out and not just on the scoring as he has been making more plays on the defensive side of the ball. This is something that was missing early in Weeks 1 and 2 . They had a 20+ point lead vs the Pistons that just kept growing after halftime. Game 1 of the series with the Hornets went to Overtime thanks in large part ot Expose from the opposition but the Wizards were able to put it away with a couple big three’s. The entire night the Wizards were lighting it up from behind the arc, Dayfri controlled the boards and held Type in check and never really let him too comfortable. The best play was with 16.7 seconds on the clock end of Game 2 the Wizards were forced to call timeout with 2.7 on the shot clock and decided to hold the ball to prevent a potential transistion score from the Hornets. This worked out in their favor as they led by three and with the final 14 seconds they locked up the three point line and Hornets turned the ball over. People doubting the Wizards but they came to play and Dayfri and JBM leading the pack.
5. Hornets Venom GT
I feel for the Hornets, I really do, reason is they have had hands down the toughest schedule in the League asnd there is no debating that. They have had to play the Raptors, Wizards, and Mavs. That is scary and although they were beaten by 2 of those 3 they showed grit and kept themselves in all of those matchups. The Hornets fell to the Wizards on Day 4 but going back to Day 2 of Week 3 they were able to defeat the then undefeated Mavs. They were able to force a Game 3 by eliminating the pick and roll from Sherm in Game 2 and put their lock on Dimez for most of the game leaving both guards unable to find any success. The Mavs guards couldn’t hit shots late into Game 3 as Type is force on the defensive end both in the paint and at the top once again. The Mavs shot 64% like mentioned before but the Hornets forcing 15 turnovers was huge. Another key to this teams success against these juggernauts is the fact they allow Zae to be more involved on the offense side as the PF, something we don’t normally see from other teams this season. Look for him to get a few more touches coming down the stretch.
6. Blazer5 Gaming
Blazer5 didn’t play this Week but they remain in the Top 10. Mama time will be coming soon again more than likely and Onewildwalnut has also been putting up big boy numbers down low. They have the first series to start off Week 4 vs the Bucks who have been red hot behind the scoring machine Regg lately. Watching Mama vs Regg will be a show you will not want to miss.
7. Hawks Talon GC
The Hawks only played one matchup this week and it was a rough 0-2 loss to the Raptors. However, the Hawks kept themselves in both those games but were unable to force a Game 3. There were times when they got really good looks for open jumpers essentially leaving Sick alone in the paint which eventually leading Lee to being a big factor that couldn’t deliver towards the end. Once the Raptors took the jumpers away Lee was left open many times and couldn’t convert with Sick play tight defense on him. They even had a lead in Game 1 but gave it up with Lee turning the ball over late into the game. What is most impressive is in Game 2 with BP on a cold ring the Hawks were still able to keep the game tight and were up 1 late into the 4th of Game 2. Although the 43 from Kenny and forced plays led to them losing out to the Raptors overall. If Lee can win his fights downlow more often than not in the future this team will get even better. As for BP, at least he now knows he has 4 guys ready to step up if he hits cold rings or is getting locked up more often down the stretch.
8. Kings Guard Gaming
Man the Kings love to change their lineups a lot. They did this again vs the Grizz and it seemed to pay off for them yet again. Game 1 was over once you seen the 3rd Quarter turnovers from the Grizz being taken to the rim by Kings on easy transition buckets. Both teams were hitting three’s all game as well but Crush goes beast in the 4th to close it out for the Kings. Two big things happened in Game 2 of this matchup, Bash gets open looks, a ton of them when the lock moves off him. Which didn’t make much sense since he was held to only 2 points in the first half. Once this happened he took off, even hitting the game winner with 1.1 on the clock. Also, Bash was left wide open for that shot due to the Grizz, for some odd reason, guarding the inbound. Kings have some tough games coming up but if they finally found a lineup they like then they should put on a good show against anyone right now.
9. T-Wolves Gaming
The T-Wolves came out with a different lineup vs the Pistons this week as they moved BigSaint to SF and Jmoney to the SG. Seemed to work perfectly, although hard to really guage this move since the Pistons are playing awful to start their 2020 Season. At the same time however, the Wolves were blowing the Pistons out and allowed them to pull within 14 late into the Game which would have been good momentum heading into Game 2 until Discord crashed worldwide and drained all of that away from them during the downtime. Biggest takeaway from this was the lock for Pistons picked up 5 fouls in the 1st half and this allowed BearDaBeast to just takeover the game and do whatever he wanted. T-Wolves seem to be getting better but besides the Hawks, they have had sort of an easy schedule in my opinion.
10. Bucks Gaming
Bucks Gaming are another Team who didn’t have matchups in Week 4. In Week 2 Regg put on shows in both of their matchups and brought them to .500. However, Week 4 will be a big test as they face Blazer5 to start the week out. Can the Regg Show return with Mama on the otherside? Someone will need to step up and if Plondo is slotted at the PF again it just might need to be his time to shine.
11. Jazz Gaming
We finally get to the Jazz in action and boy was it entertaining. Facing the Magic who has been mediocre so far would be interesting since the Jazz hadn’t played at all but they showed up, especially late into the games. Ria was having problems early on with DT but ended up finding his groove and found ways to score around offensive boards and good pick and rolls. Jazz battled back in the 4th of Game 1 and even hit a game winning shot from Spalshy to close it out. Overall the Jazz played good defense in crunch time and even kept Toxsik contained who had been shooting super well, leaving him 1 for 5 from behind the arc in Game 2. They had a matchup vs the Heat as well but that game was postponed due to tech problems.
12. Pacers Gaming
The Pacers are victorious in a matchup people thought they would lose. They end up keeping the 76ers winless and in a convincing manner at that. The Pacers moved Wolf to SG, Jomar to C, and Swixurk to PF, all of which are arguably their natural positions. This allowed Wolf to be the lock and focus primarily on defense which he loves to do. Pair this with the new archetypes from Wolf and NateKahl and the Pacers become even better on both sides of the ball. I personally cannot wait to see this lineup against someone playing better than the 76ers, no offense Philly.
13. Gen.G Tigers
The Tigers also only had to matchup with the 76ers this Week and it was also another ShiftyKai show as the 76ers failed to contain him. Biggest takeaway for me however, was Gen, who shot phenomenally in Game 1 and showed finally that he can step up alongside Kai on the offensive end of the court. He is one fo the best shooters in the League and he has to continue to put up nights like this if Gen.G stands a chance at making a run late into the season. Kai did Kai things all night long and the rest of the team stepped up as well, but Gen shooting lights out is the big story for me, now just keep doing that and the Tigers will only get better moving forward.
14. Knicks Gaming
The Knicks went up against the power house in Raptors to start their Week 3 and it was a rough one. They kept the games close to begin with but just fell behind and never found anyway back into the series. Their matchup with the Celtics was a much more interesting one. They were taken to 3 games by Celtics but were able to squeeze out a victory to move themselves back to .500. Knicks came out in Game 1 on a 15-0 run and were showing aggressiveness on both sides of the ball super early. The end of quarter one the score was 24-6, the Knicks held Celtics to 6 points in the entire 1st Q. That looked scary and even continued to push the lead past 30 late into the 2nd half. Game 2 was a different story however, late game turnovers and putting themselves in foul trouble early on allowed the Celtics to keep themselves in it and eventually take a 1 point win to force Game 3. Now Game 3 had a ton of problems with connection issues for the Celtics and the Knicks ended up taking the win after a Game reset was called for. The Knicks only missed 3 shots after the reset in the 1st half and Duck regained compusre and put on another show matching up against one of the 2k League Legends in oFab.
15. Magic Gaming
The Magic basically fell apart slowly as the night went further. Toxsik was moved to SG since he has been shooting so well all season but eventually finished Game 2 1 for 5 from three. Manwhile May shot lights out in the 1st half of Game 1 from behind the arc with 5 of 6 shooting. Afterwards, he only had one shot attempt for the rest of the night and he missed it. Not many PFs in the league get a ton of scoring opportunities but May was hot and the defense didn’t really change anything to lock him up so why not keep feeding him on stretch options? DT also played well on Ria to begin with but then once May fell out of the equation the court spread wasn’t as big in the gameplan and DT started having trouble with Ria who took over the paint. Another huge thing was thet DJBama, a former PG has been moved to SG then moved to SF, a position he isn’t clearly as comfortable playing. Magic have some problems after this Week and need to figure out a lineup before they start to fall behind.
16. Celtics Crossover Gaming
Celtics only played their series this week with the Knicks, their matchup with the Cavs which was supposed to be their Season debut was rescheduled due to tech problems on the Celtics end. Those problems seem to continue as Game 3 vs the Knicks had to be reset due to connection issues for them. Clearly someone is dropping the ball in Boston and it just ins’t the Players. Now I was generous since they have had so many off court problems tech wise and this could be the reason they played so poorly, plus it was their debut for the season compared to others who have played and are warmed up already. I have no doubt oFab and his squad of Vets will step up their play and make a run here late in the remote play section of the season but it’s still a tough situation. No Autographs played well, Mel did alright and oFab had a tough time but again, I expect this team of vets to pick it up very soon.
17. Cavs Legion GC
The Cavs like mentioned above had their only Week 3 matchup with the Celtics moved to a later date so we didn’t get to see them action. The team still has been struggling no doubt. Look for Godddof2k to either improve on defense or get moved to SF to play the lock in the near future. Larry also needs to step up with so many good Centers in the League now and the Cavs need to find a way to score more consistently.
18. Heat Check Gaming
The Heat finally catch a break and pick up their first victory. Nonetheless it was against a dismal Grizz Gaming but a win is a win at this point for the Teams struggling to find any success. The Heat ended up shooting 67% in Game 1 and only committed 4 turnovers. That my friends is good basketball. They also forced the Grizz to hold the ball until the shot clock expired multiple times and played tough interior defense as the Grizz were missing layups left and right. Also bringing King Peroxide back in the lineup was huge as he was draining key threes all night. They continued to put up 60%+ shooting and limiting their own turnovers for a much needed win.
19. Lakers Gaming
The Lakers have one thing going for them and it is Sav who was 2nd in the League for PPG coming into Week 2. However the Warriors knew this and locked him down and the Lakers were unable to find any success on the offensive end due to it. Now of course Sav still found a way to score at times but it wasn’t enough for the Lakers to contend with the Warriors, who are among the League’s Top Teams currently. You cannot afford to lose rebound battles in the League this Season, especially when you allow one guy to grab 25 of them himself. Lakers need to work on moving the ball and finding someone to score other than Sav, maybe you know the PG since it works for almost every other team.
20. Grizz Gaming
The Team had its perfect opportunity to get its first victory against a winless HeatCheck but ended up falling short once again. They then lost their second matchup this week against the Kings. The team continues to come out game after game with the same lineup and same archetypes. Somethign has got to change for the Grizz. They actually have the worst record for any franchise in 2k League history. Now it has only been 2 nd a half seasons but still something needs to happen a large scale and it starts with the lineups maybe. The Grizz failed to find good looks vs the Heat and couldn’t hold Bash from the Kings in check failing to put the lock on him. Vandi unlike all other PGs in the league cannot put up huge numbers on a consistent basis and their interior defense is atrocious. Again, something needs to change, lineups, archetypes, roster, front office, anything at this point.
21. Pistons GT
Oh my goodness this team started the season on a low note. They get blown out by the Wizards in their season debut and pretty much showed the same in their series with the T-Wolves. The Pistons missed the memo when they were told to shoot more threes. Which is weird since they don’t shoot poorly behind the arc when they do throw it up from deep. In their 4 Games they shot 6-13, 7-25, 7-20, and 12-20. So yes they did shoot poorly twice but overall they are shooting 41% and most of the time those hail marys late into ball games when they have no choice and are either getting blown out or on the verge of getting blown out. I doubt many of the Players read these, but if they are, Pistons GT, please SHOOT MORE THREES.
22. 76ers GC
The veiwers have given this team a new name, the 0-6ers. Yes, you guessed it if you didn’t already know from watching the Games this Team is 0-6. They have played a total of 13 Games and have only won one of those. This means 5 of their losses have been straight 0-2 matchups. This team was back to back TICKET Tourney winners, and made the NBA2k Finals last Season and had a really good draft in the off-season. I truly do not know what is going on in their heads but they need to do some yoga or mental excercies because this funk needs to be shaken off and quickly. Time is running out for them in remote play as there is only 3 more weeks and they have only 3 matchups remaining. Those are against the Magic, Hawks, and Heat. Those are series they can contend in if they find a way to change their woes now. The Hawks will be a tough one but watching film on all three teams from this past week they can find ways to win those, they just need to fix whatever problems they have now and fast. Time is running out.
Blu is a senior content writer for ConsoleCorner.Co. To keep up with all things esports, check out the website or follow Console Pro News on Twitter.