by Vlad Ionasc
Cheshire Phoenix will look to return to winning ways when they’ll take on the Plymouth Raiders at the Plymouth Pavilions later this evening.
The Raiders prevailed in the first meeting between the two sides on January 20th by a score of 82-to-76.
Paul James’ team is currently on a six-game winning streak in the BBL Championship, while the Nix have dropped their last couple of games against the Leicester Riders and Newcastle Eagles.
GAME DETAILS
Date: Saturday 3rd April, 2021
Tip-off: 7:30 p.m.
Competition: BBL Championship
Where: Plymouth Pavilions
How to watch: BBL Player
The BBL Player is the new one-stop-shop for all BBL action as you can watch every club and every game (excluding Bristol’s home games) live and on-demand for £19.99 per month. Alternatively, single-game passes are priced at £4.99.
Because of how the BBL is structured, all the money from the BBL Player goes directly to the clubs, so make sure to select the Cheshire Phoenix as your ‘club to support’ when registering, as all the revenue will help carry the club through this incredibly difficult period of financial insecurity.
RAIDERS SCOUTING REPORT
The Raiders have a 23-11 record in all competitions.
Paul James’ team has won 10 out of the 16 games that they’ve played at home.
The Raiders are currently third in the BBL Championship, with a 14-8 record.
Plymouth has second best defence (76.6 points-allowed-per-game) and the fourth best offence in the league (83.5 points-per-game).
The Raiders rank in the top five in field-goal percentage (45.7% FG) and three-point percentage (35.8% 3PT), however they’re just eighth best in the free-throw department (68.5% FT)
The Raiders average the second most fouls (20.5) and turnovers (14.4) per game, however they’re in the top three in rebounds (38), steals (7.8) and blocks (3.1) per contest.
James’s side is dead last in assists per game, with 15.6 dimes per night.
Mike Morsell leads his team in scoring, with 16.3 points-per-game, while Ashley Hamilton (15.6), and Rickey McGill (12.9) are both also averaging double-figure points.
Prince Ibeh leads the Raiders in rebounds, with 7.5 per contest. He also averages the most blocks in the league (1.8).
McGill is Plymouth’s main distributor, with 5.3 assists per contest, while former Nix guard Elvisi Dusha is Plymouth’s secondary playmaker, as he’s averaging 3.9 assists per game.
Ryan Beisty, Will Neighbour, and Morsell are all shooting over 37% from three-point range.
The Raiders have obtained just two wins in the last five meetings between the two sides.
KEY PLAYERS
Plymouth Raiders: Rickey McGill — The American point-guard is currently averaging 12.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game in the BBL Championship. McGill comes into the game in red-hot form, having scored 15 or more points in each of his last four games.
Cheshire Phoenix: Jalen Hayes — Phoenix’s captain scored a game-high 24 points in the first meeting between the two sides back in January. Hayes is also in pretty good form, having supplied the Nix with a 25-point performance in his last game against the Eagles.
COACH’S CORNER
Ben Thomas: “After a disappointing week of results last week we need a bounce back performance.
“Today’s game is huge! We face a very tough Plymouth side who have been in very good form over the last couple of months. But this game could decide the head to head, we have to level it up!”
NEXT HOME GAME
The Nix will be back in action at the EPSV on Sunday 18th of April, against the Plymouth Raiders in the BBL Championship. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.