Mavs top Suns as 12.5K viewers watch 1st suspended game on NBA 2K
The Phoenix Suns went forward with their plan to continue playing out their 2019-20 schedule on NBA 2K.
Phoenix fell 150-136 to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday in the club's first virtual matchup since the coronavirus outbreak suspended the NBA season indefinitely.
Mavs star Luka Doncic led the way with 50 points and 19 assists in the high-scoring affair, which was streamed live on Twitch.
The Suns were represented by Antonio "UniversalPhenom" Saldivar, a native of Phoenix who plays in the NBA 2K League for the Memphis Grizzlies' affiliate. His counterpart was Lawrence "Buddy" Norman, a brand ambassador for Mavericks Gaming.
"This was put together in as little as five hours, and the outcome was beyond expectations," Saldivar told ESPN's Arda Ocal. "We wanted to give the fans something to look forward to with everything going on and just try to interact with them as much as possible and try to bring both gaming and real-life sports together."
Shoutout to the @Suns for letting me hop on the first suns @Twitch stream tonight! Amazing things happening in phoenix! Stay up to date with everything social big things continuing to come! Appreciate all the love💜🧡 pic.twitter.com/qCh3yKeN22
— P H E (@UniversalPhe2K) March 14, 2020
Over 12,500 viewers tuned in for the NBA 2K matchup at one point, placing the Suns' stream among the top 10 live channels on Twitch, according to 98.7 Arizona Sports' Kellan Olson.