Leicester Riders are ready to take on Newcastle Eagles in the Super League Basketball Playoff Final at the O2 Arena.
It all comes down to this. The Riders have eyes on their 20th piece of top-flight British basketball silverware- the 2025 SLB Playoff title.
In their way, Newcastle Eagles, the most decorated team in the country gunning for their second trophy of the season.
The stage is set for a classic between these two old rivals.
Fixture information
Leicester Riders vs Newcastle Eagles
Super League Basketball Playoff Final
O2 Arena, London
Sunday, May 18, 4:30 pm
Road to the Final: Leicester Riders
Leicester Riders entered the postseason as the second seed, earning them a Quarter-Final matchup with the seventh-seeded Bristol Flyers. The Riders outclassed the Flyers on the road in the First Leg to win by 23, led by 18 from Zach Jackson.
Their lead was as much as 40 on aggregate in the Second Leg, easing them through to the Semi-Finals without much of an incident.
However, the Riders survived a Semi-Final scare against Sheffield Sharks to book their spot in the Final. A difficult shooting night saw them down 20 in the First Leg on the road, which they clawed back to a ten point hole after a five point burst from Jackson to close the tie.
Despite taking a deficit back home, the Riders were right back in it in the opening quarter of the Second Leg. Charles Thompson exploded for three early dunks to tie the game on aggregate. Then the sides engaged in battle for one of the most intense finales in British basketball history.
There were ten lead changes in the fourth, and just as the Riders seemed to be tightening their grip through the play of Spencer Johnson, Sheffield dug deep and tied the game with Rickey McGill’s free throws.
In overtime, Jaylin Hunter went off for 10 of the team’s 12 overtime points, sending Leicester to the O2 Arena.
Road to the Final: Newcastle Eagles
A difficult finish to their league season saw the 2025 Trophy-winning Newcastle Eagles fall to the fifth seed for the Playoffs. That meant they faced Manchester Basketball in the Quarter-Final, playing out the First Leg at home.
They made the most of home court advantage in the First Leg. 19 from star guard Mike Okauru led Newcastle to a 78-71 win- a seven point lead going to Manchester.
That advantage was just enough to see of Manchester on the road. They had a gritty fourth quarter comeback to scare the Eagles late, but a potential game tying three from Makai Ashton-Langford missed, sending Newcastle on to the semis.
They met the League-winning London Lions, who were going for a three-peat after winning the Playoffs in back-to-back years. The Eagles pulled off a shocking upset.
The Lions went 3-20 from three and turned the ball over 18 times in the First Leg in London to lose 77-71 to Newcastle. Okauru was at his brilliant best again to score a game-leading 25.
The sides went up north for the Second Leg with Newcastle hoping to hold on to their two-score advantage. Instead, they built on it. The Eagles, infront of a raucous home crowd, ran out to an early lead through more London turnovers. They led by as much as 16 on the night, and then held off a late London surge with crucial buckets down the stretch to take the win.
Season series
The Riders and Eagles have faced off six times this season, four times in the Championship and a further two in the Semi-Final of the Trophy.
It was a hard-fought season series which the Riders won 3-2-1. They went undefeated at home, winning comfortably on two occasions. They took an average margin of victory of 21 points in Leicester in the league, lost by only three points in their first league game in Newcastle, and won by 15 in their most recent meeting.
In the most high-leverage moment of the season between the Riders and Eagles, however, it was Newcastle who emerged winners. They met over two legs in the Trophy Semi-Final, and the Eagles won by four points on aggregate to advance to the Final, which they won.
Leicester fought valiantly in both legs despite ending up as losers of the matchup. They were down 13 in the fourth quarter of the First Leg before cutting the game to four, and down 20 on aggregate in the fourth quarter of the Second Leg before rallying to cut their deficit to four. But 34 points from Okauru saw the Eagles through.
Ones to watch
Riders’ leading scorer Jackson enjoyed success against Newcastle all season. He averaged 19.8 points per game and led the game’s scoring in three of his five games against the Eagles.
Jackson was named to the Team of the Year this season. A top-three scorer in the league, the American put up 17.7 points per game on 52.4% shooting from the field and 47.7% three point shooting.
His three point percentage made him the most efficient deep shooter in the SLB of those who played over seven games and took more than one three point attempt per game.
Lining up in black and white, Okauru was also named to the Team of the Year alongside Jackson. He had the highest-scoring game of any player in this season series with his 34 in the Trophy Semi-Final, and scored double-digit points in every game against the Riders.
Okauru was the second-highest scorer on the season with 17.9 per game, and a threat to every opponent he suited up against all year long.
Where to watch
This game will be streamed live on DAZN and YouTube. You can watch it here.
