Cairo vs Damascus

Damascus has stuck to their formula of running the offense through Corey and Singer, with a win vs Istanbul. Cairo will trust their defenders to win their matchups and force an inefficient game from Damascus. I expect Ahmed Ismaeil to take on Singer and Jay Wiggins to match up with Corey. Damascus will have to slow it down to take the pressure off their shotmaking over the course of the game.

If you don’t approach the game with a good defensive plan, Cairo will make you pay as they did putting up 96 last week. Starting down low, Damascus need to get good positioning early so Trey’s length doesn’t result in too many easy buckets. Against Jay, they’ll need to close the gaps to stop him getting downhill. On top of all that, Cairo still has Omar Hussein.

Cairo has too many scoring options to take away without a near perfect defensive showing.

Cairo by 7

Tripoli vs Gaza

Gaza will be careful to not turn this into a track meet against Mana and AK, taking their time offensively to set up shots for Omar. Tripoli may choose to match up with Elias but I think Moad may be better suited to get through the screens while Elias defends Fursan closer to the basket. Gaza might also want to use a smaller lineup to draw Tripoli’s bigs out the paint.

It will be interesting to see how Gaza choose to match up with AK. If Fursan can hold it down on his own, that would be a huge boost for Gaza. Brandon will make things difficult for Mana around the rim, where he likes to operate. Tripoli will need a balanced effort, with a big game from either Elias, Moad or Moayad.

Fresh off a loss, Tripoli should be locked in mentally which will be important in a close game.

Tripoli by 3

Amman vs Kabul

Offensively, Kabul hasn’t put it all together yet so Amman won’t feel too challenged to find answers defensively. On paper, it might have seemed like Kabul may have an advantage inside earlier in the season with Raied and Khalied but Amman have proven to be tough in the paint. As long as they play with effort and intensity, Sal and Ali can hold it down.

Once this game opens up, things could get bad fast for Kabul. Jay, Mahdy and Adeeb will look to run the open floor and Kabul have to make sure to keep the pace under control the whole game, not just the first half. I’d anticipate some combination of Raied, Hossam and Hassan Farhat taking on the matchups of Mahdy, Adeeb and Ali Suiafan.

On paper and stylistically, this game tilts in Amman's favor.

Amman by 12

Mombasa vs Beirut

Beirut will definitely be looking to get the offense back on track and have a couple things working in their favor. Khalid should be able to get some offensive rebounds and good positioning throughout the game against Mombasa’s frontcourt. Shafic should see the floor well against less on ball pressure. Mombasa may look to their zone to shrink the paint and force them to win from 3.

Mombasa has constantly been scoring in the 70-80 range for most of the season and their balance has been the main driver for their consistency. If Towfeek can take away Dean and Khalid makes things harder for Will at the rim, Beirut can stop a couple of their top options. With Sal and Ali Hassan in the mix as well, Beirut should focus on dragging the game out.

With a full team, Mombasa look like the top team to beat in the league.

Mombasa by 4

GAME OF THE WEEK: Granada vs Islamabad

Islamabad lost to Lahore last week and Granada can give them similar problems if they don’t adjust. Islamabad needs the aggressive scoring version of Deep to be an option, especially if Zain makes things difficult for Shahzaib at the basket. Islamabad is at their best when the ball is moving, and Granada will attempt to take away as many options as they can with players like Anas, Joey and Omar.

It will be up to Granada to have the patience to look for the best shot possible as Islamabad is unlikely to completely take away parts of the floor defensively. If they can get into the lane, they’ll also be able to take advantage on the offensive glass. Islamabad needs to stay compact and between the ball and basket at all times vs players like Anas and Zain.

Islamabad need to get Amir Charrkas going earlier in the game when the tempo gets decided and until that happens, Granada has a slight edge.

Granada by 5

Jerusalem vs Istanbul

Big win for Jerusalem and they’ll look to build off that and carry momentum heading into the playoffs. Nick has been the main man for Istanbul. Fares has the frame to match but will need to be on his game defensively as Nick has been cooking with the footwork in the paint. The second half of the season has been uncharacteristic for Muhanad and they have no chance if he’s not a difference maker.

Based on how this season has gone, Mike and Mahrooz should have a field day against this Istanbul defense. Istanbul needs to take it a step at a time, starting with withstanding teams’ first wave of attack. If they continue to give up easy transition baskets and dribbles from the top of the key, their defense won’t make any strides.

Istanbul haven’t given any reason to believe they can pull this one off.

Jerusalem by 8

Dhaka vs Lahore

Much needed win from Lahore, showing that their progress throughout the season translates to a quality win. Julian and Adham have been too much for teams to handle in the paint. Historically, this Dhaka core has not been good enough defensively to slow this down, but they’ve shown positive signs since Tavian joined the team midseason. He’ll be key for them if he can hold his own on the glass.

Dhaka has always been dangerous offensively and they have some of the top individual talents in this game between Tavian, Ian and Nabil. Lahore needs a big game from their perimeter defense so their bigs can finish the job down low. They would be smart to force Dhaka to utilize their supporting cast.

It feels like Dhaka has been building towards a win but Lahore has shown enough to make them the more comfortable pick.

Lahore by 4