After taking a break from Championship action for the British Basketball League Trophy in January, Leicester Riders return to League action on Saturday to take on the Surrey Scorchers on the road.
Here, we bring you back up to speed with the Championship season so far…
The State of Play
The Riders sit seventh in the standings with a 10-11 record, battling to get over .500 to set up the rest of their season.
Having played the same number of games as the second-placed Caledonia Gladiators, they find themselves just three wins behind and are ready to make a run up the table.
It’s a tightly packed midfield in this season’s British Basketball League Championship. Only three wins separate second and seventh, and six wins separate second from ninth, allowing for movement up and down the table as the teams fight for playoff seeding.
| Position | Team | Wins | Losses | Games Back |
| 1 | London Lions | 22 | 3 | – |
| 2 | Caledonia Gladiators | 13 | 8 | 7 |
| 3 | Cheshire Phoenix | 12 | 8 | 7.5 |
| 4 | Newcastle Eagles | 11 | 9 | 8.5 |
| 5 | Sheffield Sharks | 11 | 10 | 9 |
| 6 | Bristol Flyers | 11 | 11 | 9.5 |
| 7 | Leicester Riders | 10 | 11 | 10 |
| 8 | Surrey Scorchers | 7 | 14 | 13 |
| 9 | Manchester Giants | 7 | 16 | 14 |
| 10 | Plymouth City Patriots | 3 | 17 | 16.5 |
The Riders, in good form in the League of late, will look to benefit from that movement.
Last time out
The Riders went 4-1 to close out the year, heating up going into their Trophy run. They scored over 80 points in each of those games and finished 2023 with a dominant win against the Sheffield Sharks.
It was a 103-75 victory, led by Teddy Allen and Miryne Thomas, who scored 25 and 22 points, respectively. The Riders had four double-digit scorers, Jaren Holmes having the biggest positive effect on the team, leading the game with a +/- of 32.
Leicester exploded from three, shooting 51.9% from behind the arc, and held the Sharks to 28% deep shooting on the other end.
The three-point accuracy has been a trend for the Riders all season long.
The numbers
In all phases of the game, the Riders are among the elite in the British Basketball League with their shooting efficiency.
They lead all teams in three-point percentage (38.9%), and are second in field goal percentage (46.9%) and free-throw percentage (77.1%). This has led to 88.9 points per game, which is third in the League.
After a solid Trophy campaign defensively, where the Riders ranked second in defensive rating, they will look to lock into that side of the ball as the Championship resumes.
They’ve struggled in that department so far, giving up the second most points per game with 87 a night, but the additions of Duke Shelton and Teddy Allen have helped in that regard, allowing the Riders to defend the rim and pull down defensive boards more effectively.
Should they maintain their offensive efficiency while showing more resistance on the other end as they did throughout January, Leicester will put themselves in good stead in the later months of the season.
Want to see the Riders in action?
Get tickets to our next home game against Plymouth City Patriots!
