Public Enemy and No Look squared off in the Xbox MPBA Gauntlet finals, the first Unified Pro-Am finals of NBA 2K22. Public Enemy took down No Look in three games, officially claiming the first major tournament of pre-draft. Results, game summaries, highlights, and more below.
Xbox: Public Enemy vs. No Look
Public Enemy: (PG) Jvmper (SG) Token (SF) BigRim (PF) TheyLoveRoyal (C) SickOne
No Look: (PG) Bash (SG) ShiftyKai (SF) TBShiftay (PF) Krazy (C) Slaughter
Game One: Public Enemy def. No Look, 65-59
Game one featured a slow offensive start for each team, leaving both point guards scoreless after a quarter. BigRim (20pts-1stl) opened the second with a pair of threes, finishing the first half a perfect 5-for-5 from deep, and Public Enemy entered halftime with a five-point lead.
The team’s advantage quickly increased to double-digits early in the third quarter behind a pace-controlling Jvmper-led offense. Public Enemy’s defense allowed just a single field goal to the opposing point guard through three quarters, taking an eight-point lead into the final frame.
The story of the fourth quarter, and really the entire game, was the consistent scoring provided from secondary positions. Token (15pts), BigRim (20pts), and Royal (15pts) combined to score 50 points on 14-for-17 (82.4%) from three-point range. A couple of extra passes from SickOne and Token led to wide-open shots down the stretch and Public Enemy fought off a late-game comeback attempt from No Look, taking game one of the series (65-59).
Game Two: No Look def. Public Enemy, 53-41
Another slow start on the offensive end for each team, with just 19 points (12-7) scored by the end of the first quarter. Public Enemy opened the second with a 9-0 run, claiming a lead of their own that wouldn’t last long.
After a combined zero points from their starting backcourt in the first half, No Look’s defense sparked it’s offense in the third quarter, turning stops into easy transition scores. No Look was facing an 8-point deficit headed into game one’s fourth quarter, but this time around, they were the team with a near double-digit advantage.
No Look didn’t slow down in the fourth quarter either, keeping Public Enemy at bay and evening the series at 1-1 in a must-win game. Slaughter led the way with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 blocks on a flawless 10-for-10 from the field. Bash nearly matched his center’s double-double, falling just short with 9 points and 9 assists, while Krazy stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 11 points, 3 steals, 2 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Game Three: Public Enemy def. No Look, 64-50
After consecutive slow starts, Jvmper looked much more comfortable in game three, getting to his spots and making the right decisions consistently. Public Enemy’s floor general reached the 20+ point mark early in the third quarter, and thanks to his increase in production, the team was enjoying a commanding lead entering the fourth.
No Look managed to cut the lead to seven with just four minutes remaining, but that was as close as they would get. A pair of Royal threes re-extended the gap to 13 points, and once again No Look’s comeback attempt would fall short. No Look point guard Bash had his best performance of the series, posting 28 points and 6 assists, but his efforts were not enough in the end.
Jvmper finished with 24 points and 9 assists, including 6-for-10 from beyond the arc. BigRim chipped in another 20-point performance to pair with his 2 steals and 1 block. With the series win, Public Enemy officially became the first Unified Pro-Am tournament winner of NBA 2K22’s pre-draft.
Gauntlet Finals MVP: BigRim (17.7ppg-1apg-1spg-79%-83%)
Rim led the Public Enemy defense that gave talented opposing guards, Bash and Kai, problems all evening long. In addition to the lockdown’s quality defense, BigRim provided consistent scoring, posting 15+ points in all three games on 79%-83% splits.
By-the-Numbers:
- BigRim shot 83.33% on three-point attempts during the series, including just a single miss in Public Enemy’s two wins (12-for-13)
- After averaging 11.5 points and 6.5 assists per contest in the first two games, Jvmper registered 24 points and 9 assists on 60% shooting from deep in a closeout game three
- Public Enemy’s lockdown defender BigRim led the series in scoring with 17.7 points per game, including a pair of 20+ point performances in the team’s wins
- Public Enemy dominated the second quarter in each contest, averaging 18.3 points per second quarter compared to No Look’s 11.7
Public Enemy
PG | Jvmper: 15.3ppg-7.3apg-1.3spg
SG | Token: 8.3ppg-2.0apg-1.7spg
SF | BigRim: 17.7ppg-1.0apg-1.0spg
PF | TheyLoveRoyal: 8.0ppg-2.3rpg-1.3spg
C | SickOne: 7.3ppg-9.3rpg-3.7apg-2.3spg
No Look
PG | Bash: 13.3ppg-8.3apg-1.3apg
SG | ShiftyKaii: 10.0ppg-2.7apg-2.3spg
SF | TBShiftay: 8.3ppg-0.7apg-1.0apg
PF | Krazy: 7.0ppg-1.7rpg-1.7spg
C | Slaughter: 15.3ppg-11.0rpg-2.0apg-1.0spg
