The Lakeland esports team played the Pratt Cannoneers in NBA2K23 action on Friday evening (11/18). Andres Lujan-Salas was the Lakeland player in this match. 

Game 1

Pratt chose the Atlanta Hawks while Lakeland chose the Minnesota Timberwolves. Lujan-Salas got the game going by scoring first and held a 17-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. Lakeland maintained the lead and went into the break ahead 40-28. The key plays for the Lakers was hitting back-to-back 3 pointers. In the 3rd quarter, both teams slowed the pace of the game with substitutions. Lakeland finished the quarter with a commanding 50-34 lead. In the 4th quarter, the Lakers went back to shooting 3's and were able to extend their lead and take game 1 by a score of 70-42.

Game 2

In this game, Pratt selected the Milwaukee Bucks while the Lakers countered with the New Orleans Pelicans. The Lakers were unable to play clean ball as they had numerous turnovers early on. Lakeland also struggled from the free throw line and so trailed 34-15 at the half. The second half didn't change the Lakers fortunes as Pratt maintained control and eventually earned a 64-47 victory.

Game 3

In game 3, Pratt chose the Denver Nuggets while Lujan-Salas selected the Atlanta Hawks. The teams played a back and forth style that kept the game fairly tight for the first half. At the break, Lakeland held a 32-25 advantage. In the 3rd quarter, Lakeland made some tactical changes through substitutions and were able to extend their lead to 43-35. Pratt would not give up though and mounted a furious comeback to tie the score at 52 with less than a minute to play. On the Lakers last posession, Lujan-Salas hit a 3 pointer with 5 seconds remaining in the game to propel the Lakers to a 55-52 victory. The win gave Lakeland the match by the score of 2-1.

Next Up: The Lakers next NBA2K23 game will be on Friday, December 2, in the first round of the play-offs. The opponent is still to be determined. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm in room C-2047.