Trae Young and Deandre Ayton made it through their NBA 2K Players Tournament first round games with relative ease. The No. 2 and 10 seeds will now meet in this Tuesday’s Quarterfinals as the stay-at-home crowd tunes in to ESPN and online streaming to see who makes it through to the next round. The sportsbook likes Young in the matchup, but they’ve been mistaken in a few NBA 2K tournament instances already, matching odds to player performances on the parquet versus this new virtual world. Will Young’s real life prowess on the court translate into eSports once again, or will Ayton buck Vegas ‘books and win as the underdog?
The Atlanta Hawks point guard started off the tournament with a bang, taking down Sacramento’s Harrison Barnes with a final score of 101-59 on Friday. Young played with the Milwaukee Bucks, the most popular team choice of the first round, taking an early lead that never gave way. Young’s confidence was evident, talking smack (in a lighthearted manner) to his opponent. Barnes was cooked from the beginning so for casual viewers the game wasn’t all that great. But bettors who wagered on a straight up (SU) Trae Young win were able to rest easy from the opening minutes. Young with bring that same energy into his Quarterfinals matchup, and rumor has it that he’ll be switching to his own avatar and team to take him through to the semis via an onslaught of 3-pointers.
Betting on Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns (+220)
NBA 2K20 Ratings
Overall Rating: 85
3-Point Rating: 60
Dunk Rating: 75
No.10 seed Deandre Ayton experienced a much lower scoring affair on Friday than his soon-to-be QF opponent. Ayton came in as an underdog to beat Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine 57-41 in the first round, playing as the Houston Rockets. It was a close one at the half, with Ayton leading 26-24, but he extended the lead in the third and locked things down in the fourth quarter where the Phoenix Sun allowed LaVine just four points. The low-scoring (in NBA 2K20) center has longer odds for the Quarterfinals, and is priced at +550 to win the entire tournament – not a favorite, but not a long shot either.
Writer’s Prediction
Trae Young’s offensive performance continues as he takes a 91-72 win and advances to the Semifinals.
