A depleted London Lions side travel to Scotland to face a Caledonia Gladiators outfit looking to take advantage in Friday night British Basketball League action.
You could argue that their starting five is now on the injury list, with last season’s MVP, Sam Dekker, and the current leading scorer, Matt Morgan added.
Still, the Lions still boast a side stacked with big-time players capable of winning games.
With London beginning a three-game spell with games against Surrey Scorchers and Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles to follow, the opening months of 2024 will be a challenging, almost make-or-break period.
However, one positive for the champions is that their domestic schedule is much lighter until February, with just one game in January alongside four games in the BKT EuroCup.
Perhaps if there were ever a time to play the Lions, this would be the moment, Caledonia enter this game in inconsistent form themselves, with three wins and two losses in their last five.
Joy for Gladiators last time out
The visitors led by as many as 11 points but were pegged back with a three-pointer from Jordan Taylor at the end of regulation damaging their spirit.
However, thanks to 26 points each from Ian Dubose and Patrick Whelan, Caledonia plugged away and won 100-94 on December 3, the last time these two sides met.
The Gladiators showed incredible fortitude that night, recovering from being unable to wrap things up after four periods to outscore London 17-11 in the extra period.
Hitting 17 three-pointers didn’t hurt matters, either.
Conor keeping the Morgans in check
Matt Morgan, is a significant loss, with his 20.2 points a game wiped out for an undetermined amount of time.
The Lions, though, still have Conor Morgan, who has been in stunning form in his last four games, averaging 20.7 points a game as his side rides on a five-game winning run.
Second in the team in scoring at 14 points and leading in rebounds at 5.6 a game, Conor will undoubtedly be looked upon to carry the scoring load alongside crashing the boards.
Conor will look to Great Britain internationals Gabe Olaseni (12.4 points, 5.3 rebounds), Josh Sharma (10.7 points, 4.7 rebounds) and Luke Nelson (9.2 points, 3.6 assists) for support.
Yes, London is riddled with injuries, but they still possess strength in numbers.
To watch this game of the 2023/24 British Basketball League season, tune in to Sky Sports on Friday, December 29 at 7:45pm GMT.
This website aggregates and curates news articles, blog posts, and other content from a variety of external sources. While we aim to link back to the original source, this site does not own or claim ownership of any articles, posts, or other content indexed on this site. The views, opinions, and factual statements expressed in each piece of aggregated content belong solely to its respective author and publisher. We make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of aggregated content. Visitors are advised to verify facts and claims through the original source before reuse or redistribution.
