Another week of NBA 2K League action, another week of craziness. Wild weather, meaningful matchups, and fraught faces once again prevailed in the studio. Top seeds lost, bubble teams won, and the league announced five candidates for the season MVP award. Four playoff spots remain, as well as seeding from the No. 2 to No. 7 spots, all to be decided by 13 games in the league’s climactic week 12.

Raptors Uprising GC 72, Grizz Gaming 69: Raptors Uprising missed Caribana, but it was worth it. The Uprising eked out a hard-fought 72-69 win over Toronto native AuthenticAfrican and Grizz Gaming, stopping the Grizz on two late possessions to emerge victorious. KingQuai614 led the charge, exploiting a mismatch inside to finish with a team-high 29 points and 12 rebounds. Kenny added his customary double-double with 25 points (on 12 of 14 shooting) and 10 assists. Birthday boy AllHailTrey hit the three-point dagger and notched four steals in a great defensive performance against AuthenticAfrican, who scored 33 points (only 51 below last week’s record-setting effort) but committed five turnovers. The Raptors rebounded from a sluggish opening few minutes to roar back into the lead, never-to-be-relinquished, with a 14-2 run, and proceeded to hang on to withstand the Grizz’s charge.

Uprising Forecast: The Uprising earned the right to fight another day. Their final matchup will be against MVP candidate Hotshot and Heat Check Gaming, who have a lot left to play for but will also have three games on the final weekend due to flight cancellations in week 11. The Uprising have done well against teams that feature the shot-creating slasher on offense, but the Heat are the most team-oriented of those squads and play the best defense among them. The Raptors will once again call AllHailTrey’s number to do the main work, but the entire team will need to play tight, smart defense to have hope of qualifying for the playoffs. A win is a necessary, but the Raptors still need help to qualify for the playoffs.

Canada watch: Week 11 was a quiet one for Canadians. Only Yusuf_Scarbz and AuthenticAfrican played, as discussed above. Devilon and the Mavs didn’t play due to Kings Guard Gaming not making it to New York; likewise, 24K Dropoff and Heat Check Gaming didn’t make the stage due to inclement weather, and in consequence will play three games in week 12. Celtics Crossover Gaming played, but Speedbrook went to the bench in favour of a more defensive lineup with PalmOilPlease starting.

League Roundup: Bad weather in New York cancelled a lot of league flights and limited the slate of games to just seven. Celtics Crossover Gaming, who were blown out by Pacers Gaming  after the Pacers made it to New York a day behind schedule last week,  earned a huge 74-61 win over Cavs Legion GC to stay alive in the playoff hunt. The Celtics reintroduced PalmOilPlease into the lineup with success, as he held Hood to just eight points; Fab had a 24-point, 13-assist double-double and Arsonal grabbed 20 rebounds. Boo Painter scored 57 points to lead Wizards District Gaming to an incredibly important win over Blazer5 Gaming, meaning that there are still eight teams in contention for four playoff spots. 76ers GC also notched a victory over Pistons GT that gives them the inside track at the #2 seed.  

MVP thoughts: The five candidates for NBA 2K League MVP: Blazer5 Gaming’s OneWildWalnut and MamaImDatMan; Pistons GT’s LetsGet_It_Ramo; Heat Check Gaming’s Hotshot; Wizards District Gaming’s Boo Painter. Mama and Boo are second-round picks, while Ramo, Walnut, and Hotshot went 5-6-7 in the inaugural NBA 2K League draft. Boo and Hotshot are shot-creating slashers, while Walnut and Ramo are the best two-way big men in the league. Mama is the lone point guard. Boo leads the league in scoring, with Hotshot sitting in third. Walnut leads the league in rebounding and blocks. The Wizards are on the playoff bubble, sitting perilously at 7-6 in need of a win and help, while the Heat and likely playoff entrants. Blazer5 Gaming and Pistons GT have clinched playoff berths; a win by the latter in week 12 could see the two teams finish first and second in the league, respectively. Luckily for you, the fan, you can vote for the MVP (fan voting counts for 33 per cent of the final) and the Play of the Year (100 per cent) here.