Bristol Flyers find themselves in a three-way tie on points at the top of the British Basketball League (BBL) after beating defending champions Leicester Riders 91-84 in an enthralling contest.
This second versus third in the table clash more than lived up to its billing, as two inspired teams produced scintillating shooting and dogged defensive performances in what was an amazing advert for British basketball.
A packed crowd at SGS College Arena in Stoke Gifford helped create a play-off atmosphere to match the excitement on the court as the Flyers, led by game MVP VJ King’s 30-point salvo, leapfrogged Leicester into second spot behind frontrunners London Lions.
With the win, Bristol has improved to 12-6 on the season, and is now tied with London and Leicester on 24 points - though the Lions have played four fewer league games than both their rivals.
Of potential importance though is the Flyers now have 2-1 lead over the Riders in their four-game regular season series, having beaten them at SGS in October, which could have some bearing on seeding in the post-season.
Forward King, who has shone since joining Bristol last summer, will rightly make the headlines for this memorable victory after he played potentially his best game in a Flyers jersey yet.
The American went 12 of 20 from the field, including 3 of 5 from three-point range, as well as grabbing 7 rebounds, a block and a steal. A former player on the New York Knicks’ NBA G-league team the Westchester Knicks, King caught fire in the second quarter, scoring 13 out of the Flyers' last 17 points in that period.
But the Flyers are a team that does it by committee, and Friday’s (January 6) game was no exception, with various players stepping up throughout the game with key plays.
Point guard and team captain Michael Miller contributed immensely in every facet of the game, with 9 points, 7 rebounds and a game-high 10 assists - indicative of his laser-like passing and precision playmaking.
Brandon Mahan - usually known for being a sharpshooter from deep - grabbed eight boards, and made three steals and a block. He caught the eye with his industrious hustle and energy, typified by one athletic leap and last-ditch pass he made to save the ball from going out of bounds, securing the Flyers an extra possession.
Centre Malcolm Delpeche quietly went about his business to win the battle of the bigs against opposite number Darien Nelson-Henry, finishing with 14 points and three blocks. Two of these denials came in a clutch defensive play down the stretch.
With the Flyers leading by just one point with less than a minute left in the game, Delpeche first swotted away a Patrick Whelan shot from just under the rim, then in the resulting frenzy as the ball went loose, he tussled for the ball with Nelson-Henry, eventually blocking him too, before Leicester eventually ran out of time on the shot clock and turned the ball over.
Meanwhile, rookie Jelani Watson-Gayle, who is having quite the breakout year, sprinkled in 14 points and 3 assists off the bench. Thomas Bell III and Leslee Smith also chipped in with hugely impactful minutes, as the Flyers bench outscored the Riders’ by 10.
There wasn’t much between the two teams throughout this tight, engrossing encounter. Both teams shot the rock well, around 50% from the floor - the Flyers just edging it 52% to the Rider’s 47%, with Bristol taking three fewer shots.
Both teams finished with 35 rebounds a piece, while the ball movement from both sides was also good, though Bristol - orchestrated by court general Miller - led in the assists category 20 to 15.
It is often said in basketball that good defence leads to good offence, and this old adage truly spoke to how the Flyers were able to carve out this dub.
Bristol finished with three more steals and five more blocks than their opponents, who turned the ball over six more times. This translated into Bristol winning 17-6 in points off turnovers and 17-12 in the fast break points.
King told BristolLive after the game those stats were “an indication of which team was playing harder".
“I think we wanted this game more”, King said, “and we came out and played like it. This was a very big game for us. We wanted to bounce back from our New Year’s loss at Surrey, and we did that today.
“We knew the team we were playing was in the second spot, and that’s where we wanted to be. We took on the challenge and we were able to get it done.”
A truly great match requires contributions from both sides, and Leicester showed a grit that explains why they are reigning BBL champions. Riders forward Marc Loving and guard Zach Jackson were red hot, finishing with 25 and 20 points a piece.
The pair regularly came up with big-time buckets that silenced the Flyers faithful when the home side seemed to be pulling away. Bristol’s biggest lead in the whole game was 9.
Jackson produced the play of the night in the fourth, when he collected a loose ball to run down the court and throw down a nasty one-handed jam on King, winning an ‘and one’ foul free-throw.
The officiating added to the drama of the game. As well as reversing a number of decisions, the referees also made a number of calls that left spectators confused as to what was happening, as the tense game reached its climax.
After Jackson’s poster slam dunk, and before he took his foul shot, teammate Conner Washington received a technical foul for dissent, giving the Flyers two free throws, before Jackson then took his ‘and one’.
And in the third, after much deliberation, the officials decided to let a Nelson-Henry bucket stand despite the centre being called for an offensive foul on the Flyers’ Smith, as the ball had hit the backboard before the foul was committed.
Despite the confusion at times, King praised the referees after the game for having done a “pretty good” job, and joked the pauses in play had allowed the player to enjoy a break from the pulsating game.
One area the Flyers will look to try and improve in their next game away at Manchester Giants on Sunday (January 8) is their free-throw shooting. Bristol got to the line 30 times - 20 more than Leicester. Yet they only made 16 of their freebies while Leicester shot 9/10, helping to keep the score close.
Regardless, Bristol Flyers head coach Andreas Kapoulas was full of praise for his team for achieving a “huge result”.
“You look back at it and this could have been a double-digit win, but it’s part of the game. At the same time you have got to keep give credit to our guys.
“Even though they didn’t make those free throws, they stayed focused, having to deal with foul trouble. Even when Leicester brought it to a one-point we came up with a crucial stop, it shows a lot about the toughness of our group.”
