Grizz Gaming fights but falls, ending their season

Grizz Gaming entered Friday night and the second night of the NBA 2K League Ticket Tournament looking to shock the league and keep their season alive.

Game One:

The Grizz and Knicks stayed close throughout the first two quarters. The Knicks had a better defensive second quarter and led 35-29 at the half. Then, the Grizz went down by 13 in the third quarter. Vandi got a cold ring, but the Grizz were able to cut the Knicks Gaming lead down to 4. The score was 50-46 score headed to the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter the Grizz would rally. Several three pointers from JRod, along with Grizz Gaming Point Guard Vandi getting some defensive stops and scores had the Grizz in it until the final buzzer. It was a one point game, Grizz Gaming ball, and Vandi makes the buzzer beater, but a tenth of a second too late. Grizz Gaming would fall to the Knicks in game one by a score of 65-64.

Game two:

Grizz Gaming got off to an awful start in game number two, getting behind by as much as 13 in the first quarter, and trailing the Knicks 20-10 after one quarter.

Following a brutal start, Grizz Gaming was able to outscore the Knicks 19-11 in the second quarter and get within two of the Knicks. Memphis trailed New York 31-29 after two quarters in game two.

The second half would be quite the show for Grizz Gaming despite a slow third quarter. The Grizz would rally in the fourth quarter as Grizz Gaming Point Guard Vandi would separate himself and the Grizz from the pack. Drilling numerous shots down the stretch, Vandi and the Grizz would force a game three with a huge game two victory.

Game three:

The start for Grizz Gaming would be even worse than their start to game two. Trailing by as much as 16, and Vandi collecting another first quarter cold ring, Memphis was in a bad spot after the first quarter. With 26-11 being the score, and Grizz Gaming trailing were we in for another second quarter comeback?

Grizz Gaming showed signs of life in the second quarter, cutting what once was a 16 point lead down to 4, the Grizz let their foot off the gas. Failing to end the second quarter strong, Memphis trailed the Knicks 46-33 heading into the second half, with their season on the line.

The second half? A roller coaster of emotions. From 16 down, Grizz Gaming would claw their way back into it with a three from JRod.

Following that game-tying three, Vandi would put the team on his back, making big time shots, that would lead the Grizz to an overtime game three victory as they would move onto a semifinals matchup with Blazer5 Gaming.

Semifinals Game One:

Game one, Grizz Gaming would head over to West Coast servers as Blazer5 Gaming would host the series. From the tip, it would be all Blazer5 Gaming. A 23-12 start from Portland, then, a 28-8 second quarter by the Blazers that had the Grizz down 51-20 at the half.

This happened in the regular season, the roles were just reversed. Memphis stood no shot in game one, but would have to capitalize in game two as they would host on East Coast servers. Grizz Gaming would fall by a score of 97-50 in game one to Blazer5.

Game Two:

Grizz Gaming would have a much better start to game two verses Blazer5 Gaming. The Grizz would come out of the gates with a 21-19 first quarter lead on the Blazers. Following that strong first quarter, the Grizz would fall behind by as much 10 points in that second quarter. Before the half, Memphis was able to salvage a rocky second quarter by cutting the Blazer5 lead to six.

In the second half, Grizz Gaming would turn this one into a defensive showdown. Outscoring the Blazers 19-12 in the third quarter, the Grizz headed into the fourth quarter with a 47-46 lead with their season on the line.

The fourth quarter was a tug of war affair. Another game that would come down to the final possession for the Grizz. Calling back-to-back timeouts to finalize the play call, the Grizz would be unable to convert at the rim. Grizz Gaming would fall to Blazer5 Gaming on Friday night in the Ticket Tournament, ending their season.

For more Grizzlies talk, subscribe to the Grizzly Bear Blues podcast network on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and IHeart. Follow Grizzly Bear Blues on Twitter and Instagram.