Leicester Riders take on Manchester Basketball on the road in their last action before the international break.
They’re high on confidence after a 110-84 win against Cheshire Phoenix on Thursday which improved them to 12-4 in the Super League Basketball Championship standings.
Sending them home with a poster
— Leicester Riders | Basketball (@RidersBball) February 13, 2025@CThompson_19 pic.twitter.com/76rpazKXAI
Meanwhile Manchester look for a bounce back after falling 93-74 against Sheffield Sharks midweek.
Here’s all you need to know about the fixture…
Leicester hunting down top spot
Thursday’s win against the Phoenix meant the Riders remained within touching distance of the top of the Super League Basketball standings, as they continued their season-long battle with Sheffield Sharks and London Lions.
It was a complete team effort to beat Cheshire with 52 bench points scored on the night. Duke Shelton took home Player of the Game honours with 19 points and 8 rebounds, dominating the paint with his post play wire-to-wire.
DUKE BROUGHT THE HEAT TONIGHT
— Leicester Riders | Basketball (@RidersBball) February 13, 2025pic.twitter.com/9Beq4Agd6J
It was the first time the Riders had scored a century of points since October- their offence clicking into gear for the home stretch of the season.
The Riders dished 32 assists that night, led by 9 from star guard Jaylin Hunter. That continues the trend of team basketball Leicester have played all season to lead all teams in assists per game with 21.7.
On the defensive end, they blocked six shots to maintain their elite defensive record and league-leading blocks average. Five players sent away Cheshire shots on the Riders roster, led by 2 from Ethan Wright off the bench.
The Riders’ shot blocking prowess will be pivotal against the high-flying Manchester team with an affinity for playing above the rim.
Manchester look to stop four game slide
Manchester Basketball look to get their season back on track after four League defeats on the bounce.
The North Westerners appeared to be in rhythm after winning four games in a row in December, but recent form has seen them slide back down the table into seventh with a 5-11 record.
Giving up 88.4 points per game, Manchester allow the second most points in the League behind the Riders’ midweek opponents, Cheshire Phoenix. Their opponents have scored over 80 in every game in their four game slide.
Offensively, Manchester remain a fastbreak threat, punishing their opponent’s mistakes at the highest rate in the league. They score the most points from turnovers of any team, running in transition with killer quickness.
Nathan Cayo leads their scoring with 16.7 points per game, putting him sixth among all players, a place behind Leicester’s Zach Jackson. The CEBL champion has scored in double digits in all but one league game this season, and will look for another big performance against the Riders to get his side back in the win column.
Previous meeting
The sides last met in the Super League Basketball Cup Quarter-Final in Manchester- the Riders coming away 85-77 victors.
The Riders led by as much as 15 in the fourth, but having played three games in six days and playing a Manchester team which hadn’t played in 20 days, they hung on for the win late on tired legs with big plays in the clutch.
Jackson hit the dagger, a floater off the dribble, and led the game with 18 points and 5 assists to earn Player of the Game.
Where to watch
This game will be streamed live on DAZN. You can watch it here!
