Rookie Saif “Clampism” Ali sank a tiebreaking 3-pointer at the overtime buzzer to give two-time defending champion T-Wolves Gaming a 2-1 series victory over Bucks Gaming in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA 2K League’s 5v5 The Tipoff event on Thursday in Washington.
Clampism’s trey gave the T-Wolves a 65-62 over the Bucks in the third game of their series. The Bucks, the defending NBA 2K League 5v5 champions, took the opener 73-71 before the T-Wolves pulled level with a 94-66 blowout.
Clampism was the last pick in the 2023 NBA 2K League draft.
The T-Wolves advance to the Western Conference final, where they will oppose Grizz Gaming, who defeated Warriors Gaming Squad 2-0. The Grizz won a pair of tight contests, 64-60 and 75-71.
While Clampism had the biggest individual moment, Michael “BearDaBeast” Key was the overall star of the night for the T-Wolves. BearDaBeast averaged 27.3 points and 10.3 assists in the match. Teammate Dhwan “ShiftyKaii” White contributed 22.7 points per game.
The Grizz relied on Harry “CP” Friedman, who put up 30 points and eight assists per game, and Justin “Jrod” Rodriguez, who added 13.5 points per game.
The conference finals in the $250,000 tournament are scheduled for Friday, with the Gen.G Tigers and 76ers GC squaring off in the East and the T-Wolves and the Grizz clashing in the West. The final is scheduled for Saturday.
The NBA 2K League 5v5 season will include three tournaments — The Tipoff, The Turn and The Ticket — that will set the field for the playoffs, scheduled for Aug. 2-5 in Washington.
Remote group play in The Tipoff set the field for this week’s remote bracket play. The tournament is concluding with in-person tournament play at District E in Washington.
NBA 2K League’s 5v5 The Tipoff prize pool
1. $100,000
2. $50,000
3-4. $25,000
5-8. $12,500 — NBL Oz Gaming, Magic Gaming, Bucks Gaming, Warriors Gaming Squad
–Field Level Media
