Both London Lions and B. Braun Sheffield Sharks are looking for festive cheer ahead of their British Basketball League clash at the CopperBox on Christmas Eve.
With the two sides looking for form of a different kind, they also face some time away from their beloved home floor.
London, currently unbeaten in four games, will be touring the country for a three-game road spell.
The Sharks’ next seven games will see them on the road for six of them, with a home gathering just before the New Year against Manchester.
They snapped their two-game losing streak with a 76-66 overtime win over the Bristol Flyers on Friday night.
Both will be looking to spend Christmas Day with their friends and family with a win.
Home Wreckers
Sheffield had positively started life at their impressive new Canon Medical Arena with two wins out of two.
Then, the Lions came to crash the party.
London led for the majority, peaking at 23 points, with Conor Morgan pacing the champions with 19 points as they toppled the Sharks 92-76 on October 20.
It was a blip for the Yorkshire outfit, who have since won five of their next six on their home floor.
Unfortunately for them, their away form hasn’t been as impressive, with three wins out of six games, so with a long away schedule ahead, they will look to recapture their home form to stay within the early Play-Off hunt.
They also need their scoring trio of Jalon Pipkins (13.6 points), Kipper Nichols (11.9) and Devearl Ramsey (11.7) on top form in the capital.
Coming through in the clutch
London has recovered from their slight dip in form over November, where they lost twice in five games played.
It’s absurd saying that in a way, as they won three, but seeing as they started a perfect 14-0 and have one foot in the BKT EuroCup knockout phase, two losses plus another loss to Caledonia in the first week of December has made this group of superstars… human.
With a bullseye on their chest, the size of an actual dartboard, teams have brought their A-game to the Lions, with the league leaders being taken to the limit.
The Sharks will be no different on Christmas Eve as they will look to relegate their subpar away form to the trash bin and come away with a win, just like they did back in March at the CopperBox.
This season, though, we have seen a London team that can play through adversity in both British Basketball League and BKT EuroCup encounters, with Jordan Taylor and Sam Dekker being the heroes with perfectly executed plays in the game’s final moments.
The champions have shown that they can hold their nerve at the death, and with Sheffield being another side that is fond of close finishes, we could see another nailbiter to bring in the festive day.
Catch London Lions vs B.Braun Sheffield Sharks on the British Basketball League YouTube channel on Sunday December 24 at 1pm.
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