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After picking up a first round victory over Harrison Barnes, Trae Young faced off with Deandre Ayton in the second-round of the NBA 2K “Players-Only” Tournament Thursday night. Young played with the Los Angeles Lakers while Ayton chose the Los Angeles Clippers.
Ayton took an early 16-6 lead in the first quarter, with Young struggling to score early.
3 ball from @landryshamet
— NBA 2K20 (@NBA2K) April 10, 2020
Deandre says Trae and Shamet were the best shooters in their draft class.. Agree? pic.twitter.com/OZLMoLpn6U
Young battled back to make it a little closer in the second, and trailed by six points at half.
.@DeandreAyton drops the with Kawhi pic.twitter.com/gxl7uIRjsq
— NBA 2K20 (@NBA2K) April 10, 2020
Young tied the score with a big run early in the fourth quarter, taking the lead with a bucket by LeBron James with 3:56 to play.
@NBA2K Players Tournament @TheTraeYoung & @DeandreAyton trade big dunks with @KingJames & @kawhileonard!
— NBA (@NBA) April 10, 2020
: #NBA2KTourney on ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/5Dl0u0gDNW
Ayton stormed back, leading 61-58 with 2:40 remaining.
.@Yg_Trece TAKIN OVER for Deandre pic.twitter.com/1UQP8pkuJ5
— NBA 2K20 (@NBA2K) April 10, 2020
Ayton pulled away the final moments, taking home the 73-66 win. It was a close game throughout, but Young game up just short.
Young will now turn his focus to the upcoming HORSE tournament that will begin on Sunday, April 12 at 7:00 pm ET and be televised on ESPN. If he is able to knock out Chauncey Billups in the first round, the semifinals and championship matchup will air on Thursday, April 16 at 9:00 pm ET.
Ayton will go on to play in the semifinals of the 2K tourney Saturday on ESPN, with the time TBA.