We’ve previewed all other NBA 2K Players Tournament match-ups, including Derrick Jones Jr vs Montrezl Harrell, Andre Drummond vs Patrick Beverly, and Trae Young vs Deandre Ayton, so now we move on to the final two players of the tournament’s elite eight. It’s no secret that we had Devin Booker pegged with the best odds to win the NBA 2K Players Tournament, but has that changed now that the first round is in the books? Does rising star Rui Hachimura have a shot at taking down one of the favorites? Let’s find out.
No.5 seed Devin Booker bucked his own team to play as the Milwaukee Bucks in his Sunday win over the Nuggets Michael Porter Jr, who also shunned his own colors to play with another – the LA Lakers. Like with all other first round competitors who played with the Bucks, Booker took the win, beating Porter Jr 85-75. A 10-point win is not a large spread so far in the tournament, as most score differentials were above 20-points. For that reason the sportsbook lost some confidence in Booker, who once wore the odds’ crown with a leading listing price of +300 to win the whole tournament. Now he sits behind Trae Young in the category, priced at +350 to Young’s -250. Still, Vegas likes Booker to take out the Wizards Rui Hachimura this Tuesday evening. And no, he won’t be playing as a Phoenix Sun in this round either.
Betting on Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards (+130)
NBA 2K20 Ratings
Overall Rating: 79
3-Point Rating: 61
Dunk Rating: 80
If likability was a factor, the No.13 seed would win the entire tournament. But that’s not to take away from Rui Hachimura’s first round performance, as he managed a final second 74-71 win over Utah Jazz band member Donovan Mitchell. However, that close-call doesn’t incite too much betting confidence in a Quarterfinal straight-up win against Devin Booker, but sometimes bettors go with their heart and there’s a lot to love about Hachimura. For example, he used a real life waterboy to deliver a towel and a bottled water during each timeout in his at-home play against Mitchell. That’s awesome. Hachimura played with Lebron James and the LA Lakers, but is expected to switch things up for the Quarters as he did not get the higher scores he was looking for in the first round.
