eSports
HAWKS TALON GC ELIMINATED FROM THE TICKET, ENDS 2024 SEASON
Hawks Talon GC, the official NBA 2K League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks, were eliminated from the TICKET on Tuesday night after falling to the No. 5 Nets GC 88-79, ending their 2024 season.
Talon entered the last chance tournament as the No. 4 seed, amassing 60 points over the TIPOFF and TURN 5v5 tournaments.
“Ending the season in the TICKET is always a tough way to go out, but there are a ton of things we can take away,” said Hawks Talon Head Coach Ismael ‘MAELO’ Diaz Tolentino. “The way Bait, Duck, Low, and E all meshed with MDS in their first year with us is something to be proud of. Our guys fought throughout both threes and fives all season, and all of them should keep their heads up going into next year.”
Talon finished 3v3 gameplay with a 7-9 record over group and bracket play, including a 4-4 record in bracket play, and finished the 5v5 season with a 6-6 record over the TIPOFF and TURN.
During the 3v3 SLAM tournament, Talon finished as one of the top six teams, starting out 3-0 in bracket play and earning $8,000 from the prize pool.
Mark David “MDS” Smith led the Talon in scoring throughout the 5v5 season, averaging 28.0 points and 7.1 assists in 12 games. During the week of May 27-June 2, MDS earned Player of the Week honors behind a 60-point performance against Celtics Crossover Gaming, breaking the franchise record for most points in a game and the fifth most in NBA 2K League history. He also became only the second player in franchise history to win Player of the Week.
Ludlow “LOW” Samuels averaged a double-double, collecting a team-high 10.4 rebounds to go along with 13.5 points throughout the 5v5 season while Christopher “Duck” Charles dished out a team-high 9.5 assists.
Talon newcomer Elijah “Underratedgoat” Spears netted 12.3 points, while rookie Tyler “Baitpickk” Montague collected 6.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.