JAKARTA (Indonesia) - The second window of the Basketball Champions League Asia-East 2025 tips off April 5 at PJ Arena GMSB Kuningan, with Pelita Jaya Basketball taking center stage on home soil.
After pulling off a dramatic 88-82 comeback win over NS Matrix in Kuala Lumpur, the IBL champions return to Jakarta with a 1-0 record and a clear mission: protect home court and climb to the top two in Group B.
That won't be easy.
They’ll open this window on April 5 against Bishrelt Metal, who stunned NS Matrix 98-86 in their opener behind Byron Wesley’s near triple-double (34 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists). The Mongolian side made history with that win - the first ever away victory for a Mongolian pro team in a FIBA club competition.
Next, Pelita Jaya will take on Taoyuan Pauian Pilots, who also won in Kuala Lumpur. The squad from Chinese Taipei survived NS Matrix in a 98-95 double-overtime thriller thanks to big performances from Jarrod Jones, Julian Boyd, and Treveon Graham. That game proved how dangerous the Pilots can be, even under pressure.
The final clash will be a rematch against NS Matrix, who enter Jakarta at 0-3 but with every game now virtually do-or-die. The Deers lost three close games in KL — two in crunch time and one after blowing a 20-point lead to Pelita Jaya. They’ve shown they can compete with anyone but desperately need a win to stay alive in the race.
Only the top two teams from Group B will advance to the Final Four, where they’ll meet the best from Group A. From there, only two teams will punch their tickets to the BCL Asia 2025.
In a six-game group phase, every possession counts - and home support can be the difference. Jakarta has proven it can deliver, most notably during the FIBA Asia Cup 2022 when the crowd helped rally Indonesia past Saudi Arabia and pushed defending champs Australia to the edge.
Pelita Jaya will be counting on that same sixth man now. With stars like KJ McDaniels, James Dickey, and Brandon Jawato leading the charge, the mission is clear: defend the home floor, and take one step closer to Asia’s biggest stage.
FIBA