Leicester Riders are set for their first home game in 2025, taking on Manchester Basketball in the Super League Basketball Championship.
These are two of the in-form teams in British basketball, who both look to bounce back from win streak ending defeats last time out.
Last weekend, the Riders lost on the road to the Newcastle Eagles to end a six game League winning run, and Manchester fell to Cheshire Phoenix in overtime to end a five game streak in all competitions.
That leaves the Riders in third place with a 7-3 record, taking on the 4-6 Manchester in sixth. The teams will play each other twice this weekend in the League and the Cup Quarter-Final, the first of those games being played on Friday as the Riders host Manchester in League action, before they head to the North West on Sunday to play in the Cup.
Here’s how the weekend is shaping up…
Riders run halted in a thriller in Newcastle
The Riders navigated a congested December schedule emphatically, going on a League run which catapulted them into contention for the top of the Championship standings. But after playing eight games in the month, the Riders ran out of steam for the final action of the festive schedule on January 3.
They dug deep and fought Newcastle wire-to-wire, earning a shot for the tie after big clutch plays late. But Jaylin Hunter’s halfcourt heave didn’t go down, and the Riders lost 93-90.
Leicester’s play before that result, in particular back-to-back wins on December 27 and 30 with the latter coming against the League leading London Lions, established them as one of the premiere teams in British basketball.
Their defence ranks best of all teams, holding opponents to 77.8 points per game. They generate the most assists and turn the ball over the least; they won’t beat themselves while playing their team brand of basketball on both ends.
Their stars delivered throughout the month of December. Big man Charles Thompson was named the League’s Player of the Month after averaging 14.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game.
He leads the League in blocks and rebounds per game, while star guard Hunter leads all players in assists with a 7.6 average.
They’ll need every ounce of performance this weekend against a Manchester side who found their groove in December.
Manchester find festive form
Manchester are the trending team in Super League Basketball, and heated up in December to pull out a run of five straight wins in all competitions.
They battled out a win against the second placed Sheffield Sharks, put 106 points on the Phoenix and progressed through to the Cup quarter finals with a win against Hemel Storm.
Manchester have rolled out one of the most explosive offences in the League over recent games. They scored 87.9 points per game in December, making them the second-highest scoring team on the season behind Cheshire.
They’re led by Nathan Cayo, who like Thompson was nominated for the December Player of the Month award. The 6’7” former NBA G-Leaguer is putting up 16.4 points and 6.8 rebounds on the season, with impressive double doubles such as his 23 and 11 night against Caledonia Gladiators and 19 and 10 against the Phoenix.
Manchester’s success, like Leicester, comes from free flowing offence, making these two teams the two best ranked in assists per game. However unlike the Riders, they haven’t had the same success in limiting turnovers on the season, giving the ball away 13.4 times per game.
But the red hot North Westerners, who knock down threes at a 36.6% rate, will need to be met with Leicester’s best defensive effort should they want to add another win to their League tally and progress to their second semi-final of the season on Sunday.
Last matchup
The Riders have faced Manchester Basketball once before, taking a 99-86 win in November.
Riders Riders were a red hot 53% from the field and 43% from three on the game, led by Zach Jackson’s 20 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
Manchester had no answer for Leicester’s free flowing offence, losing the game despite shooting 55% from the field themselves. Cayo led them with 15 points in 29 minutes of action.
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