Today’s playoff bracket pit the Utah Jazz and the Cleveland Cavs’ 2K squads against each other. Brandon “Hood” Caicedo, a small forward for the Cavs, ended up being the game-runner for his team, scoring over half his team’s points.
This weekend’s tip-off tournament is the start of the NBA’s brand-new 2K league. It’s a fresh introduction to how virtual basketball might translate into the realm of esports and Twitch. While it can seem odd and very video game-y at times, the tempo and pace is still pretty much the same as any actual NBA match.
Caicedo, who plays under the tag Hood or Hood Is Glitchy, is 20 years old and was the first pick for the Cavs in the NBA draft, no. 16 overall. He’s put up impressive numbers during the season, but today Caicedo was clutch in securing the razor-thin 71-70 win over the Jazz. With 46 points to his name, Caicedo shot 22-for-28 and only attempted one, missed, three-pointer.
It was a dominating performance to put the team through to the semifinals, but maybe Caicedo’s teammates can shoulder a few more points in the next one.
The rest of the playoff bracket runs throughout tonight, and you can find the action over on the NBA 2K Twitch channel.
Compete is Deadspin and Kotaku’s joint site dedicated to competitive gaming.