Week 5 is upon us. Your favorite NBA player Lonzo Ball is back for week 5 predictions!


7:30 PM Slate

Mombasa (Black) @ Mecca (White):
Both these teams coming off very impressive performances. I know Mecca did lose, but they lost by single digits against one of the league’s powerhouses without one of their top scorers in MJ. Furthermore, Yaqob showed us something special, and that will have to factor in predicting this game. Though the same will be said about our guys Pete Brown and Mo Masri. Of course, I root for the underdog, and I do think the underdog can win if they play their cards right. Unfortunately for them though, Mombasa has quickly exceeded the expectation, and it seems they always have someone to go to every game; that makes playing defense particularly difficult. I know it’s been a whole lot of Pete, Mo, and Raza lately, but our boy Elias has been pretty quiet the last couple games, expect him to resurface here.
Mombasa by 7.

Delhi (Black) @ Lahore (White):
High-paced matchup from these two. Delhi’s coming off a very unexpected loss, while Lahore continues to prove the haters wrong. I believe this one’s going to come down to, who can outlast who? Both teams are fairly young and energetic; it’s just a matter of which team gasses out quicker and starts to make poor decisions. So far, it seems Lahore can push the pace for 40 minutes, and Delhi is still working out some issues. Shahzaib reminded us last week of what he can do, and the Yousuf brothers continue to play very pesky defense. I’m having a hard time seeing the Delhi personnel remaining firm holding their ground vs Lahore, but if they can figure that out and move the ball around to their key guys on offense, the upset is not far out of reach.
Lahore by 5.

Granada (Black) @ Alexandria (White):
Sometimes while predicting these games I think of ways the underdog can win and convince myself that will be the case. Unfortunately, and sorry to be blunt Granada, I just can’t see it here. Alexandria has more firepower and size than Granada, and I can’t really say it’s close. Hopefully we get to see something really creative out of Granada, and hopefully, they keep this one competitive. I’ll do my best to fire you all up here in that effort. I’m calling ya’ll out, Mr. Capone, let’s see you lead this team and find them all ways to get buckets. Malik, hit some…no, a lot of shots at a high clip please, show us that 44% 3pt you were so proud of last season. Mo Dirty, one game wonder??? Sami and Thaer, I thought ya’ll were dogs, and the paint was your doghouse?! For now though, Wajdi, Jay, and Moose have been too much to handle for some of the best teams, and they may be more than that for Granada.
Alexandria by 18.


8:30 PM Slate

Riyadh (Black) @ Kabul (White):
Sorry, but this is going to be very similar to the last prediction. Kabul has been scorching hot, and of course, that’s led by none other than our MVP frontrunner Farhad. Riyadh gave us a glimmer of hope two weeks ago, and some of that remained in Nader, but quite frankly, Nader is not gonna be enough. Riyadh has been one of the worst defensive teams, and that spells dream for Kabul. Unless Riyadh can find a way to slow down Kabul, and also get that assist number up, they could impress, but that’s proven to be a long shot. To be honest, this could be Farhad’s load management game; he might step in to boost his assist averages, so look to Tom, Mustafa, Chris, and Allen to have high-scoring games.
Kabul by 18.

Cairo (Black) @ Jerusalem (White):
A lot more of the same, and from what I’ve heard, this is probably going to be a forfeit, so I won’t waste my time.
Jerusalem by ∞.

Medina (Black) @ Tripoli (White):
Common theme here in these predictions. I hate to vote against the underdog, but can I really consider Medina in the win column this week? The hope is that Medina reacts the way they should after last week and gives us a good game. Again, unfortunately, Tripoli should be more than aware that their win last week was disappointing, and they might come out with the same type of mentality. Also again, matchup is key for Medina, and Tripoli isn’t the best matchup, but neither is it the worst. I believe they’ll perform better than they did last week, but Tripoli has something to prove, and they’ll try to take advantage wherever they can.
Tripoli by 13.


9:30 PM Slate

Palermo (Black) @ Islamabad (White):
Here’s the matchup: a group of skill players who’ve yet to show the potential of their skill vs a very well-rounded team that has been efficient on both sides of the floor. Furthermore, no one on Palermo is containing the likes of Zain or coming close to it. Especially when there’s Hassan and Kareem driving to the basket, and posing a threat from deep, Palermo’s going to find playing good defense a tall task. As mentioned before though, Palermo does have skill players. If they can each play to their potential, running the floor, and catching Islamabad on its heels, they can catch Islamabad by surprise. I’m definitely hoping for too much though, we’ve been asking these Palermo guys to show us their magic for a while now, but it seems magic is just fiction after all.
Islamabad by 15.

Damascus (Black) @ Jeddah (White):
Game of the week! As an unbiased spectator, it’s obvious that this current Damascus team has been exposed, let’s see if Jeddah catches on. Jeddah seems to be figuring things out, and Damascus is desperately searching for the matchup that will finally get them a W. I’ve seen both these teams play, and I can say most definitively that they both got that dog in them. Honestly, I have no idea who’s going to win this game, and it might come down to a last-second buzzer. I think strategy is going to play a major role as chaos ensues. I do believe Jeddah is a bit bigger, and a bit faster, but Damascus would have the edge in terms of chemistry and strategy. I’m at a loss for words since I don’t know what exactly to expect, so let me put it this way; I feel like this is a double OT thriller if I’ve ever seen one. In a game like that, whichever team finds the easiest way to the basket wins, and as much as I’d like to see Damascus win, I just think Jeddah will find their baskets a bit easier than that of Damascus. Key players here: Burger Sehwail and Mo Amin, they’ve shown us flashes of greatness, and greatness will win you a game such as this one.
Jeddah by 1 in double OT.