NBA 2K Players Tournament: Derrick Jones Jr. upsets No. 1 Kevin Durant in first round

Ryan Young
·Staff writer
Updated ·4-min read

NBA fans finally had watchable basketball on Friday night for the first time since the league suspended operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

While it wasn’t what we’re used to, it was certainly entertaining.

The first four matchups of the NBA 2K Players Tournament took place on Friday night on ESPN, and provided some exciting upsets right away.

No. 1 seed Kevin Durant upset early

The first matchup of the tournament provided us with what would have been a tremendous battle in real life.

Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr., with the Milwaukee Bucks, took on Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant, who used the Los Angeles Clippers.

Durant, though, failed to live up to the No. 1 seed he was given.

Jones topped Durant 78-62 in the first round, knocking him out of the tournament on the first night.

Durant grabbed the early lead, though Jones had fought his way back in to grab a slight lead at halftime. While the commentary between the two was entertaining in the first half, fans seemed much more interested about the incredible view Durant had from his apartment in New York.

Jones then exploded in the third quarter, quickly mounting a 15-point lead with the Bucks. By then, it was far too late for Durant to make a comeback. Jones, sitting in his bedroom with a hoodie on over his head and a full rack of shoes behind him, cruised to the 16-point upset win.

With the win, Jones will advance to the quarterfinals and take on either Montrezl Harrell or Domantas Sabonis.

Deandre Ayton cruises past Zach LaVine

The Houston Rockets’ small ball style works.

Well, at least in 2K.

Phoenix Suns big man Deandre Ayton, playing with the Rockets, beat Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine, who was playing with the Miami Heat, 57-41 in the second matchup of the night.

Early on, despite saying that he had been playing a lot of 2K during the league shutdown, Ayton had to ask how to throw an alley-oop — clearly looking to throw down with Jones, the reigning dunk contest champion. He also forgot that Andre Iguodala was now with the Heat, and seemed shocked when seeing him out on the floor in the game.

The two seemed to talk the entire time, too, about their favorite places to play in the league, what they’re doing to stay sane during the coronavirus outbreak and more.

Ayton will now take on Trae Young in the quarterfinals.

Trae Young dominates Harrison Barnes in 42-point win

Trae Young didn’t waste any time on Friday night.

The Atlanta Hawks guard stormed out of the gates with the Milwaukee Bucks in his first round matchup against Harrison Barnes, who used the Toronto Raptors, and cruised to an extremely easy 101-59 win.

Barnes didn’t put up much of a fight, either. Young, who had gone back home to Norman, Oklahoma, during the league break, got out to a 25-11 run and had a 19-point lead by halftime.

It only got worse in the second half.

While Young is very good at 2K, and had the No. 2 seed going into the tournament, it looked as if Barnes hadn’t played the game in quite some time. The 42-point blowout loss, while not real at all, is likely to sting the Sacramento Kings big man.

Young will take on Ayton next in the quarterfinals.

Patrick Beverly hilariously tops Hassan Whiteside

It was a good night for the Bucks, and Patrick Beverly made sure to keep that trend going.

Beverly became the third player to utilize the Bucks in the first round, and easily picked up a 84-54 win against Hassan Whiteside, who played with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Beverly brought a ton of energy to the game, too.

The Clippers guard even took a shot at LeBron James after blocking Whiteside in the first half.

Beverly will take on either Andre Drummond or DeMarcus Cousins in the quarterfinals after his 30-point win.

The final four first round matches are set to take place on Sunday afternoon.

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