SINGAPORE (Singapore) - Last season, the Zhejiang Golden Bulls finished third in their first ever appearance at the FIBA Intercontinental Cup. Now, Al Riyadi Beirut will attempt to make it back-to-back podiums for teams from Asia.
Al Riyadi Beirut vs. Tasmania JackJumpers (3rd Place Game)
Key matchup: The momentum is on opposite sides for these two teams. The JackJumpers suffered a heartbreak defeat to NBA G League United, narrowly missing out on a spot in the Final, while Al Riyadi enjoyed a clutch win over Petro De Luanda to enter this one on a winning note.
The backcourts are loaded for both teams, but it could come down to the battle of the bigs. Will Magnay has been the best defender of the whole event, and he will face a different challenge this time around.
Instead of the high-flying dunkers and athletic centers from the G League, he'll now be up against one of the more fundamental centers in international basketball in Elmedin Kikanovic.
The 36-year-old is full of old school shots and tricks, and has scored in double digits in both Beirut games so far. If he can do it against Magnay too, Beirut could follow in the Golden Bulls footsteps and make it two straight years with an Asian team in the top three of the Intercontinental Cup.
X factors: Turnovers have bothered the JackJumpers in Singapore, as they averaged 17.5 per game in group phase.
If they have another slow game in that regard, the lanes could be wide open for Al Riyadi to do what they usually do, as they average 17 points from turnovers per contest.
For Al Riyadi, the X factor would also be limiting the damage in rebounding. They grab just 25.0 defensive boards per game, just slightly above Tasmania's 19.5 offensive rebounds per game. It's clear who is the favorite to win the rebounding battle, so the BCL Asia champs should focus on controlling the margin there.
How to watch: The game tips off at 16:00 local time in Singapore, which is 18:00 in Tasmania, Australia, and 11:00 in Beirut, Lebanon.
Basketball fans worldwide will have the chance to watch all games LIVE from Singapore, either on a TV channel, on the official FIBA YouTube channel, on Courtside 1891 or via a streaming service.You can find the list of broadcasters here.
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Petro De Luanda vs. Quimsa (5th Place Game)
Key matchup: While they couldn't repeat fellow BCL Americas team Sesi Franca's last year's success, Quimsa still have something to play for - to avoid finishing last in this event.
The Argentinians will take on BAL champions Petro De Luanda in the first game of the program on Sunday, and with Tavario Miller grabbing 13.5 rebounds per game, it's easy to spot the difference maker inside for Quimsa.
The man responsible for pushing him away from the painted area would be Yanick Moreira. Petro De Luanda's biggest star has been their top scorer and rebounder with 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds, and another such performance would allow them to leave Singapore with a winning feeling in the air.
X factors: If there is one thing that worked well for Luanda, it's their ball pressure, and the fact they got 9.0 steals per game in their first two fixtures.
If there is one thing that worked well for Quimsa, it's their free throw shooting at 73 percent so far, a percentage looking sky high compared to 59 percent by their African opponents from the same distance.
Keep an eye on steals and free throws, those are the X factors in this one.
How to watch: The game tips off at 13:00 local time in Singapore, which is 2:00 in Argentina, and 6:00 in Angola.
Basketball fans worldwide will have the chance to watch all games LIVE from Singapore, either on a TV channel, on the official FIBA YouTube channel, on Courtside 1891 or via a streaming service.You can find the list of broadcasters here.
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