London Lions get better of Leicester Riders rivals again

Lions, buoyed by an historic 87-76 EuroCup victory over Spanish club Badalona in midweek,were missing Josh Sharma and Sam Dekker but saw Donte Grantham and Matt Morgan combine for 17 points in the first quarter.

Leicester’s offence was a lot more spread out with eight of their 10 players who had logged minutes on the scoresheet.

In a very tight game, Lions led 30-26 at the first break, with both teams shooting over 50 per cent from the field while making their three-point shots.

The second quarter followed a similar script with the scoreline staying close throughout, as Caleb Asberry and Kimbal Mackenzie began to show their scoring touch with 18 combined points by the end of the first half.

Lions were starting to get more points out of their other stars, with Gabe Olaseni, Conor Morgan and Donte Grantham all hitting double digits by the end of the second quarter.

But the game remained tight through the third quarter, with Asberry having 15 points to his name for the home side.

Olaseni and the two Morgans had combined for 49 points by the end of the quarter, with Grantham off the bench still on 15 points as Lions held a 74-72 advantage.

And Lions showed why they are still top of the standings, extending their lead into a bigger one in the final period.

While Leicester couldn’t keep up offensively, the Lions ended up with player of the game Conor Morgan, Matt Morgan, Olaseni, and Grantham all scoring at least 19 points each as they improved their record to 13-1.

Lions return to EuroCup action as they visit Besiktas Istanbul on Wednesday, ahead of a trip to BBL rivals Manchester Giants on Sunday (November 19, 3pm).

The women are back in action against Castors Braine on November 21 (7pm).