Giants target BBL Champions Leicester in second matchup of the season

‍The Manchester Giants host reigning BBL champions Leicester Riders tomorrow night in a festive thriller at the National Basketball Performance Centre.A win for the Belle Vue outfit would boost them up to fifth in the league standings, despite having five games in hand over Sheffield Sharks and Cheshire Phoenix, as well as two in hand over Caledonia Gladiators – all of whom they would leapfrog if they beat the Riders.

Coach Vince Macaulay’s team come into the game fresh off a resounding 83-92 away victory against the Sharks last weekend, where they turned some shaky road form around to put in a convincing performance at the Shark Tank.The last time these two sides met was back in October, where the Giants travelled to the East Midlands to face the six-time BBL champions.

On that occasion, the guys in green were unable to better Rob Paternostro’s men, going down 102-89 on the back of 20-point performances from Riders pair Zach Jackson and Patrick Whelan. It was far from all doom and gloom in that outing though, as power-forward William Lee made his presence known in all areas of the court for an outstanding 23 points alongside seven rebounds and three steals.

Rahmon Fletcher was his usual commanding self too, offering both scoring and facilitation for a solid 16 points and nine rebounds.Statistics show that the Giants will put up a high points total on Friday night – they lead the BBL in that category with 90.9 per game.

The NBPC remains an impenetrable fortress for all visitors – the Giants are unbeaten at home all season. While the previous match up between two of the league’s most exciting teams at the Morningside Arena ended in defeat for the Giants, they will be quietly confident that they can give fans yet another home victory to celebrate ahead of the Christmas break.