News

CELTICS (4-3)

NUGGETS (4-2)

• Celtics coming off a tough win against a strong Bulls team but also came away with a Randy Cho injury which could derail their ascent up the standings
• Umaraj (18.6ppg) and Abdul Wahedi (16.3ppg) have been consistent in their play but they will need Jasinthan (MIP) to step up if Randy Cho is absent
• Look for the Celtics to pound the paint with Abdul and get to the rim with Umaraj as that is spearheading the offense currently. Abdul vs Chris will be a treat to watch. Need some more production from Jso, Jolly and Aaron.

• Tough loss to the Blazers but it came without their best player but they now are in 3 way tie for 3rd. Those below them are coming
• Dwayne struggled last game with a 2 for 8 shooting night and it won’t get easier if Umaraj is guarding him as he plays defence like a pitbull.
• Nuggets will have advantage at the guard position with Evan, Glenn, and Sen. They should be able to get 5 to 10 points each against Celtics slower perimeter defense.

BULLETS (3-3)

SPURS (0-6)

• Tough loss last week against Jazz and now on 3 game losing streak. They have slipped to the wild card position from the top spot but now they play the worst team by record to get out of this funk.
• Sam back on track scoring 18 points and getting to rim. He will have to do it again but against the trees (JT and Pirasaanth)
• James Arakill make your free throws! This shows every point matters in the game of basketball

• Coming off a bye week to regroup, they are only 3 games out of the playoff spot and the time to make a run is now.
• Dylan playing well as of late with 24 pts last game and averaging 12 ppg for the season.
• The Bullets are in a disarray and if the Spurs jump on them early and hold the lead for the whole game, they will have a shot. Mental composure is key by staying with the game plan and not playing isolation ball.

BLAZERS (6-1)

LAKERS (3-4)

• Guaranteed themselves at least a .500 season and one more win clinches a playoff spot. Blazers are sizzling.
• NJ is proving to be the best 2 way player in the game as he averages 3 steals and 1 block per game this season
• Playing former Blazer, Rahul, they will look to attack the rim and use their ball movement to get open looks. The Lakers defense is a bit shaky as they almost coughed a game against the Pistons.

• Sarwar struggled last game with a 1 for 13 shooting, luckily Ara carried them with 15 pts.
• Lakers are 1 GB of a top 6 seed and they will need some upsets coming up or be relegated to the Wild Card Round
• Ara has been a pleasant surprised averaging 11ppg and 8 rpg. Look for Lakers to go to inside and out throughout the game.

BULLS (3-3)

GRIZZLIES (2-5)

• Bulls lose a close one last week to the improved Celtics. They had their chances tho.
• Making freethrows and not giving up easy points will be the focal point.
• Jeron and Nishan will need to lead the charge like they have for most of the season. The others will follow suit. 
• The zone defence has been effective and we shall see if the Grizz can hit their 3s against it. 

• Grizzlies were on fire last week with their shooting but cooled while the Warriors turned it up and 20’d them in the final score.
• Nisan was the bright spot with 22 and 10 rebounds last week and looked dominate plus JR was hitting 3’s at a high clip.
• Grizzlies need chemistry as they need to work well together and that falls on Vimal and Anthony to right the ship. One game back of playoff spot and a win brings them back.

RAPTORS (3-4)

JAZZ (4-2)

• A tough loss against the Twolves, Harrison and Thileep tried their best to stay with the high scoring team.
• Can we get some production out of Mayuran? He is the X factor of this team.
• Tough game against the Jazz here, they will need to control the pace and not turnover the ball, Demone and Yaga are great defenders. A healthy dose of Harrison pick and roll offense

• Jazz squeak by again with the luck of a missed free throw. GM Sayon is relieved as they are tied for 3rd.
• Bright spot of this season has been Joseph Le, he has been their most consistent player, the ETBL best glue guy.
• Jazz will need to use their bigs and drive to the rim as the Raptors lack inside presence. Demone should utilize drive and kick game with Zaid.

WARRIORS (4-2)

PISTONS (1-5)

• Warriors are surging right now with a 4 game win streak which placed them back in a hunt for a top 6 seed.
• After a slow start, Amit has been a solid addition as he has replaced Paolo from last season. He is a scoring guard and also willing to pass. Averaging 14 pts 6 rebounds and 3 assists a game.
• Warriors have to play better defense as they let the grizzlies shoot whatever they want. Look for the Warriors to push the pace against the Piston defense and quick run outs.

• Last week's inbound play should be a 'how to not run a game tying inbound play'. Kisho should have a Shaqtin compilation.
• The bright spot was that the Pistons played well throughout the game. They were moving the ball and scoring. PJ and Suhi shooting at 50% is a huge boost for the team.
• Pistons will need to share the ball and that is led by Usamah. Usamah will need his team to understand how to beat a 2-3 zone and make shots. Sugee is one of those people as he went for 1-11 last game.