Leicester Riders are set for a colossal matchup against the Super League Basketball Cup Champions Sheffield Sharks in the SLB Championship.
It’s a top of the table clash in Sheffield, with the third placed Riders and second placed Sharks looking to hunt down London Lions at the top of the table.
It’s the Riders’ second trip to South Yorkshire this season as they prepare to take on formidable SLB opponents. Here’s all you need to know about the game…
Fixture information
Sheffield Sharks vs Leicester Riders
Super League Basketball Championship
Canon Medical Arena
Sunday, March 16, 4 pm
Riders look to respond to road loss
Leicester’s title chances took a slight dent last time out, as they fell short of an inspired comeback on the road to Manchester.
Leicester were down 20 in the second quarter and brought it back to a one-score game, and were down 16 with seven minutes left in the game and cut the deficit to three. But Makai Ashton-Langford’s deep three was the dagger in a game of which the Riders could never grab control.
Despite the loss, Riders rookie Charles Thompson went off for a career night. He scored a career-high 26 points, and logged a season-high 14 rebounds and 6 blocks, dominating wire-to-wire.
A career night for CT in Manchester
— Leicester Riders | Basketball (@RidersBball) March 12, 2025pic.twitter.com/z68E8dgvXk
Meanwhile Zach Jackson led the late charge with 14 points in the fourth quarter, making it 22 on the game for the American star wing.
Leicester had uncharacteristic defensive struggles in Manchester, partially in the opening stages. They gave up 31 in the first quarter leading to their 20 point hole in the second, before locking down in the second half to climb back into contention.
They won’t be able to afford any defensive lapses in this one against the in-form team in British basketball.
A win would be momentous in the Riders’ season- seeing them move to a 15-5 record one loss behind the top of the table. With Sheffield playing in Surrey the night before this fixture, the fresh legged Riders will look to bring relentless energy to Sheffield in order to get one over their local rivals.
Cup Champions chase Championship
Sheffield Sharks have been nothing short of dominant in 2025. They enter this weekend having won eight straight games, including the Cup Final against Surrey 89ers where they exploded for 102 points.
They followed that with 101 against Cheshire Phoenix midweek,as the league looks for an answer to the hottest team in the country.
They’re 15-4, a game ahead of the Riders and level on losses with the league leading Lions with three games in hand. And led by their big three of Rickey McGill, Prentiss Nixon and Donovan Clay, they’ll be confident of chasing them down.
McGill has been a top three scorer in the league this season since his arrival in South Yorkshire midseason. Nixon stepped up from his role as the Sharks’ sixth man last season to prove himself as one of the deadliest scorers in the league, and Clay earned Final MVP with 23 points and 9 rebounds, ranking top five in the SLB in boards per game.
Sheffield’s biggest strength is it’s deep shooting. They come into this game as the best three-point shooters in the league at 37.4%, and with five players shooting over 40% from range on the season.
They went 9-22 from three in the Cup Final, which was the key differentiator between the sides in that matchup. The Riders will therefore need to lock in on their perimeter defence in all areas of the game to keep Sheffield’s shooters from heating up.
Where to watch
This game will be shown live on DAZN! You can watch it here!
