London Lions welcome the Leicester Riders to the Copper Box Arena on Sunday afternoon, extending a major British Basketball League rivalry.
The Lions recently bounced back with a win over bottom-placed Plymouth City Patriots, after a dip in form that saw them losing two games in two weeks – not a crisis but a rare occurrence in recent seasons.
The Champions have still only lost three games domestically all season however, making them quite the formidable opponent.
On the other hand, Leicester find themselves in quite an unfamiliar position – deep into a slump and trying to break losing streaks.
Rob Paternostro’s side lost to the Cheshire Phoenix last Sunday, after falling to London just two days prior. Ahead of their clash in the capital, they sit in seventh position with a losing record of 7-9.
Form is not on Leicester’s side either, the six-time Championship winners have won only one of their last six games. They’ll need to snap that run of form in order to compete against Petar Bozic’s squad.
Attack, Attack, Attack
On paper, this should be a showcase of blistering offensive basketball. The Riders are second in points per game for the season, only to the Lions, who lead the league with 93.2.
London are also on top in assists and three-pointers made, so fans can expect elite ball movement and top shooters. London guard Conor Morgan is shooting more efficiently than anybody, letting it fly at a clip of 46.1% from three-point range.
Leicester are the only side ahead of their opponents in
three-point efficiency, at 38.8%, leading the Lions by .5%. Over their last two
games against London, the Riders have shot tremendously at a rate of 40%, but
have failed to slow the Lions down on the other side of the floor.
Key match-up
Two backcourt dynamos are likely to suit up for this
contest. London’s Matthew Morgan leads the league in scoring, averaging 24.7
points per game, at an impressive rate of 53.9% from the field and 44.4% from
deep.
Jaren Holmes is the primary offensive threat for Leicester.
He leads the East Midlands outfit with 14 points per game, while also averaging
4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest.
Importantly for the visitors, they have recently announced the signing of 2023 Canadian Elite Basketball League Most Valuable Players Teddy Allen for the remainder of the season. It remains to be seen if ‘Teddy Buckets’ will be involved against the defending champions.
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