Hornets Venom GT Recap: Rough 3rd Quarter Hands Venom Another Loss

Hornets Venom GT, the official NBA 2K League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, played their final game in week one of Tipoff group play on Friday, April 8. With the undefeated Raptors Uprising GC taking the virtual hardwood opposite Venom, it was scheduled to be a big man battle between Dimez and DJ.

Strangely, both bigs struggled compared to their usual lofty standards. For Venom, DJ finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, and four assists on 7-9 shooting from the field. Despite the solid game, it is the first time in his career he failed to record a double-double. Missing the threshold by one rebound, he gets a pass in this one. It was an “off night” but barely.

On the other hand, Dimez got shut down offensively. He was held to eight points, 10 boards, three dimes, and two blocks.

This was largely thanks to Crown, who is putting up Defensive Player of the Year type of numbers through the first week of play. Shooting 5-6 from the field and 4-4 from beyond the arc, Crown ended with 14 points and his best game of the season. He added six rebounds, two assists, three steals, and three blocks. That gives him six steals and seven blocks through Venom’s first three games!

Where the game got away from Venom was in the third quarter. After outscoring Uprising 18-8 in the second, Venom got blitzed in the third frame, 25-10. In a game they lost by 14 points, a 15-point deficit quarter makes a big difference in the final outcome.

Venom’s starting point, two-guard, and lock, King Haad, Glennratty, and Nick, combined for 30 points on 12-31 shooting from the field and 6-18 from deep. Conversely, Uprising’s 1-2-3 combined for 62 points on 22-35 shooting from the field and 14-24 from three.

Up until the third quarter, it was a tight, back-and-forth game. From there, former MVP Kenny Got Work took over (21 pts, 8-9 FG, 5-5 3FG) and pushed Uprising to yet another victory. The 3-0 Uprising GC swept their week of group and play and knocked Venom to 1-2 through the first week of the season.

If Venom wants to make it to bracket play of the Tipoff, they are going to have to probably win their two games next week, which is definitely doable.