Tag: 2K20

Kevin Durant’s NBA 2K Tournament matchup led to suspension of betting on event

Sportsbooks closed betting on the Players-Only NBA 2K Tournament after they noticed something in the Kevin Durant-Derrick Jones Jr. matchup.

Soon after the Players-Only NBA 2K Tournament was announced, sportsbooks set odds, lines and various prop bets for the event. This was the closest thing to live team sports action anyone had seen since the NBA went on hiatus and all other professional sports leagues and the NCAA followed suit.

When all the betting options came out, Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant wasn’t the favorite to win, but he had the second-best odds to go the distance. So the result of his first-round game against Miami’s Derrick Jones Jr. — a 78-62 loss for the Brooklyn star — was shocking.

Well, for some it was surprising. Not all.

“It became clear that somebody knew something, and that the results had been leaked,” MyBookie.ag’s head oddsmaker David Strauss told Reuters.

For SportsBetting.ag, it became clear something was up when the Durant-Jones matchup bets came in, and those concerns were confirmed after the result, as odds manager Robert Cooper told the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

We initially made Durant the favorite to win the tournament but when … the bets were completely one-sided toward Jones, it became obvious that someone knew the outcome of the game.

SportsBetting.ag lost in the “low five figures” in the first round because of the leak. MyBookie.ag suspended betting on the event.

Kevin Durant upset by Derrick Jones Jr. in first round of Players-Only 2K tournament

Kevin Durant entered the Players-Only 2K Tournament at the top seed, but the Brooklyn Nets forward was knocked out by Derrick Jones Jr.

Kevin Durant didn’t mess around when it came time to pick his first team for the Players-Only 2K tournament on ESPN on Friday. While Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. went with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, the Brooklyn Nets superstar forward decided to take Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers.

But, Durant could not lead the Clippers to a win as Jones and the Bucks blew out Los Angeles 78-62.

Durant’s Clippers’ held a 17-14 lead after the first quarter, but Jones’ Bucks held a 35-31 lead by the half and built on that through the third to enter the final quarter with a sizeable 59-44 advantage, en route to the 16-point win.

Durant shot 52% from the floor with the Clippers (41% from long-range). The big difference was Jones made 12 3-point attempts (out of his 24 tries) while Durant made seven threes.

Durant is now eliminated from the tournament. Jones will play in the second round on ESPN 2 on Saturday.

2K TOURNAMENT PREVIEW: Kevin Durant vs. Derrick Jones Jr.

Kevin Durant is finally ready to represent Brooklyn — just not in the manner Nets fans may have initially expected.

For the first time since March 11, NBA players are back in action. Only, it’s not in the manner fans are used to seeing them. Unfortunately, the NBA is still on hiatus due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

So now, players have resorted to playing 2K20 in the first-ever Players-Only Tournament, which kicks off on Friday.

Kevin Durant is featured in the event. Here’s how everything lays out for the Brooklyn Nets forward and the start of the event:

WHERE YOU CAN WATCH: ESPN, ESPN 2.

START TIME: Official tournament preview starts at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

OTHER WAYS TO WATCH: All games after Durant vs. Jones Jr are on ESPN 2. Everything is available on the ESPN App, NBA.com, the NBA App, and 2K (@NBA2K) and NBA (@NBA) social channels — Twitter, Twitch, YouTube and Facebook.

DURANT’S OPPONENT: Miami Heat wing Derrick Jones Jr. — No. 16 seed. (Players were seeded based on their NBA 2K rating. The tiebreaker was years played in the NBA.)

DURANT’S TIP-OFF: 7:30 p.m.

LINE: Durant -3 (via BetOnline.ag)

DURANT’S ODDS TO WIN IT ALL: 4/1 (via BetOnline.ag)

RULES TO KNOW:  Per the NBPA, when it comes to picking teams, “Prior to the tournament beginning, every player will choose eight of today’s NBA teams, each of which can only be used once. If a mirror match is set, the away team is awarded first choice of team.” When it comes to the scheduling format, “Rounds one and two will be single elimination, with the semifinals and finals running best of three.”

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Not too long ago, Durant was having issues with 2K. If he hasn’t been able to adjust, his run in this tournament could be brief.

Kevin Durant not the betting favorite to win Players-Only 2K Tournament

Kevin Durant is the top seed in the upcoming Players-Only 2K Tournament, but oddsmakers don’t have him as the favored winner.

The upcoming Players-Only NBA 2K Tournament is the closest thing the U.S. has had to live basketball since the league went on hiatus over three weeks ago. On top of fans not being able to track their favorite players and teams, sports bettors are losing out on their action.

But the Players-Only NBA 2K Tournament has given oddsmakers something to work with.

The players have been seeded based on their rating in the actual game, with the tiebreak being number of NBA seasons played. Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant doesn’t have to worry about any tiebreakers, though. He’s a 96 on the game and received top-billing.

However, Durant is not BetOnline.ag‘s favorite to win the tournament. That title has been bestowed upon Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (7/2), who is the fifth seed and will face Denver’s Michael Porter Jr. in the opening round.

Durant’s odds are set at 4/1 — putting him right behind Booker.

BetOnline.ag has also set lines on the opening round matchups. Durant is favored over Miami’s Derrick Jones Jr. at -3.

Another prop is “Player to Score Most Points in the First Round.” Durant and Booker are both 5/1 favorites. You can also bet on “Player to Score Least Points in the First Round.” Booker, Durant and Atlanta’s Trae Young are at the bottom of this list with 20/1 odds.

Spencer Dinwiddie among Nets to receive 2K20 ratings bump, Garrett Temple takes a hit

The people at NBA 2K have been impressed with Jarrett Allen’s play of late, but feel DeAndre Jordan hasn’t lived up to his previous rating.

It’s not exactly a secret Spencer Dinwiddie has been dominant for the Brooklyn Nets over the last couple of weeks. Since Kyrie Irving was sidelined with a right shoulder impingement, He’s been Brooklyn’s top scorer and is now one of 28 players in the NBA averaging at least 20 points per game.

As a result, Dinwiddie was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for Week 5 and was a nominee for Week and for November’s Eastern Conference Player of the Month. But the recognition doesn’t end there for Dinwiddie.

The latest NBA 2K20 ratings updates have been released, and Dinwiddie was among those who received a bump. Dinwiddie started the year with an overall rating of 80 and is now an 83.

Jarrett Allen was also bumped up to an 81 and Joe Harris is now a 78.

But not everyone received a bump in the latest update. Some have lived up to and maintained their current rating. Then there are who haven’t.

Apparently, the people at 2K feel five Nets have been slight disappointments. DeAndre Jordan (81), Taurean Prince: (76), Rodions Kurucs (74), Garrett Temple (73) and Iman Shumpert (72) each saw their individual ratings drop by a point.

RELATED: Nets Report Card: First quarter of 2019-20 season