by Vlad Ionasc
Cheshire Phoenix will look to build on their successful two-game road trip when they’ll host the Glasgow Rocks at the EPSV later today.
The Nix played delivered one of their best performances of the season in the last meeting against the Scottish side, which finished 107-87 in favour of Ben Thomas’ men.
The Rocks dropped their fifth game in the BBL Championship against the Bristol Flyers (73-91 L) on the 22nd of January, however they recently qualified for the Semi-Finals of the BBL Trophy after their overtime win over the Thames Valley Cavaliers on Friday night.
GAME DETAILS
Date: Sunday 6th February, 2022
Tip-off: 5:30 p.m.
Competition: BBL Championship
Where: EPSV
How to watch: Tickets available on the door / BBL Player
ROCKS SCOUTING REPORT
The Rocks have lost three out of their last four games in the BBL Championship.
Gareth Murray’s men have a 4-8 record on the road (all competitions).
Glasgow suffered another loss against the Bristol Flyers after their 20-point defeat at the EPSV, however they bounced back with an overtime win over the Thames Valley Cavaliers on Friday night.
The Rocks have a 1-2 record against the Nix this season.
The Scottish side crashed out of the BBL Cup at the Semi-Final stage of the competition, despite winning their first leg against the Giants by double-digits.
The Rocks currently have the best field-goal (51.5% FG) and second-best three-point percentage (40.4%) in the BBL.
The Rocks are third in the league in free-throws made (12.8) and attempted (17.3) per game.
Murray’s men average the third-most assists per game (21.4), with only the Newcastle Eagles (22.3) and Leicester Riders dishing out more assists per contest (23.9).
Jordan Johnson ranks fourth in points (17.9) and second in assists (9.3) per game in the BBL Championship. Glasgow’s point-guard draws more attention than any other player, as he leads the league in fouls drawn per game (5.6).
Jordan Harris leads the league in steals, with 2.4 per game and also ranks seventh in the scoring leaderboard, with 16.9 points-per-game. Harris currently boats a league-best two-point shooting percentage of 70.5%.
Jaycee Hillsman is Glasgow’s top rebounder, with 7.8 boards per game (9th most league-wide). The American also leads the league in three-point accuracy (60% 3PT).
Jonny Bunyan is one of only three players to still have a perfect percentage from the free-throw line. The Scottish guard ranks third in three-point accuracy (52.5% 3PT).
Ali Fraser, who missed the last game at the EPSV, is expected to suit up for the Rocks today.
KEY PLAYERS
Glasgow Rocks: Jordan Harris — The American shooting-guard is Glasgow’s second leading scorer (16.9 points-per-game), however he can affect the game in a multitude of ways as he’s currently also averaging 5.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.4 steals per contest. Harris dropped 20 points on 3-of-5 shooting from deep in the last meeting between the two teams.
Cheshire Phoenix: Namon Wright — The two-time BBL Slam Dunk champion stuffed the stat-sheet last time out against the Rocks, as he supplied the Nix with 22 points, eight rebounds, five assists, four blocks and three steals. Phoenix’s leading scorer (16.6 points-per-game) will have to produce a similar performance tonight in order for the Nix to obtain another win over the visitors.
COACH’S CORNER
Ben Thomas: “Today’s game provides us with a great opportunity to extend the good run of form that we are on at the moment!
“The Rocks will give us a stern test, no doubt about it, but we are confident that we can get the result that we want as long as we stick to the game-plan and execute the same way we did when we played them on January 16th!”
NEXT HOME GAME
The Nix are next in action at the EPSV against the Bristol Flyers (5:30 p.m. tip-off) in the BBL Championship on the 13th of February. Tickets are now on sale!