There were few presentation additions made to the first round of the "NBA 2K" Players Tournament, and the lack of TV bells and whistles from ESPN seemed like a concerted effort to make the event feel somewhat like watching the players compete in a private living room battle.
It was an imperfect broadcast, but one that probably offered enough to bring viewers back for more. Fans after all are starving to see their favorite players do anything basketball related.
The quarterfinals begin Thursday night on ESPN 2 at 7 p.m. Here is all you need to know about watching the Players Tournament this week:
MORE: Full bracket for the 'NBA 2K Players Tournament'
What time is the 'NBA 2K' tournament today?
The quarterfinals of the "NBA 2K" Players Tournament begin at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 9 with the first match between Devin Book and Rui Hachimura. The last match of the round is scheduled to start at 10 p.m. ET with Andre Drummond vs. Patrick Beverley.
TV schedule, live stream for players-only quarterfinals
As it did in the first round of the tournament, ESPN holds exclusive rights to the live broadcast. It will show every Thursday quarterfinals contest on ESPN2, starting at 7 p.m. with a duel between Devin Booker and Rui Hachimura.
Viewers can stream the tournament live online using the Watch ESPN app. It will not be available live on Twitch or YouTube.
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Thursday, April 9
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel |
| Devin Booker vs. Rui Hachimura | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Montrezl Harrell vs. Derrick Jones Jr. | 8 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Trae Young vs. DeAndre Ayton | 9 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Andre Drummond vs. Patrick Beverley | 10 p.m. | ESPN2 |
Teams banned from use
- Devin Booker can no longer use the Bucks.
- Rui Hachimura can no longer use the Lakers.
- Montrezl Harrell can no longer use the Clippers.
- Derrick Jones Jr. can no longer use the Bucks.
- Trae Young can no longer use the Bucks.
- DeAndre Ayton can no longer use the Rockets.
- Andre Drummond can no longer use the Lakers.
- Patrick Beverley can no longer use the Bucks.
'NBA 2K' tournament results
Only one game was decided by fewer than 10 points as the good "NBA 2K" players separated from the very bad ones.
Hopefully more quarterfinals games will resemble the down to the wire thriller between Donovan Mitchell and Rui Hachimura from Sunday.
Round 1
| Matchup | Winner | Result |
| Kevin Durant vs. Derrick Jones Jr. | Derrick Jones Jr. | 78-62 |
| Zach Lavine vs. Deandre Ayton | Deandre Ayton | 57-41 |
| Trae Young vs. Harrison Barnes | Trae Young | 101-59 |
| Hassan Whiteside vs. Patrick Beverley | Patrick Beverley | 84-54 |
| Donovan Mitchell vs. Rui Hachimura | Rui Hachimura | 74-71 |
| Devin Booker vs. Michael Porter Jr. | Devin Booker | 85-75 |
| Andre Drummond vs. DeMarcus Cousins | Andre Drummond | 101-49 |
| Montrezl Harrell vs. Domantas Sabonis | Montrezl Harrell | 73-51 |