Muslim Basketball

This Amman squad just finds ways to win. Many questioned why they were being ranked this high but week after week they continue to prove my point. Now undefeated going into a last week matchup against Kashgar it’s safe to say Amman has locked the number 1 seed headed into the playoffs. Jawad Tamimi is playing at an elite level on both sides of the floor and if this team can keep up their intense defensive strategy going I wouldn’t be surprised seeing them in the finals.

Lahore does it again winning a key offensive showdown against Alexandria. Next week they take on a Granada squad that will test them in a similar way with their offense. Someone is going to have to come up with key stops because this one looks like it’ll go down to the wire. With playoff standing implications on the line, expect both teams to show up. Should be an interesting one to watch.

Handled Palermo easily in this one and had another nice offensive outing. A much needed bounce back game for them and now the real challenges begin. They take on another 4-1 squad in Cordoba next week and one of these teams will have to drop to 4-2 which will shake up playoff standings. Should be fun to watch.

This one got out of hand early and Granada cruised for another win. The Omars Muhanad and Billal combined for 65 points, a performance they will need to reenact next week they take on the offensive powerhouse in Lahore. Like Cordoba and Dhaka, only one of these teams will advance to 5-1 while the other falls to 4-2 which will mean something in playoff standing implications. This should be a fun offensive game to watch.

Beirut was right there to hand Amman their first loss of the season but again Amman’s defense made the necessary stop on the final play of the game and handed Beirut the loss. Credit Beirut for their own defense against Amman this game as well, they just couldn’t execute that final  play and come out with a win. Next week they take on a weaker Suba squad in the season finale. I expect them to win this one and finish the season 4-2 headed into the playoffs.

Much better performance this week and came out with a blowout win against a young Riyadh squad. Pretty equal scoring all around and handled Riyadh easily. Next week they get a nice test headed into the playoffs against Dhaka. Should be a fun game to watch with playoff standings on the line.

Istanbul with a statement win this week! They took down Mombasa with Ammar finishing with 26 & 14 and Adam adding on 14 & 14. Much needed win and now they take on a Mecca squad that is looking to get back on the winning side of things after getting their own win this week. Another interesting game to keep an eye on.

Very disappointed in this team as of late. Now 2-3 after being such an intimidating team to start the season. Part of me believes this is a Lebron James thing where they’re not really concerned with the regular season and are just getting themselves ready for the playoffs. I don’t know anymore. They have a chance to finish at .500 with a win over Sana’a and position themselves well in playoff seedings so they don’t have too tough a matchup come week 1 of the playoffs.

Mecca finally breaks their losing streak and gets a win after bullying past Kashgar. A much needed confidence booster for this squad and now they have to prepare to take on a hot Istanbul team in their season finale. Definitely should be a game to keep an eye on as playoff seeding implications are a huge factor this week.

This one was going to be a shootout and they came prepared. Unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough to beat the red hot Lahore team and their offense. Hassan, Mohammad, and Mahdi combined for 51 but they needed more to take on a Lahore squad that scores 60 on a weekly basis. Next week they take on a young, confused Riyadh squad. Really difficult to tell how this one will turn out as both teams have a problem with consistency, but a win would be great for confidence heading into the playoffs.

Won this week through a forfeit from Suba. If they can find a way to beat Mombasa next week and finish 3-3 they can position themselves well to get a fair first round matchup in the playoffs. But Mombasa is also looking to finish 3-3, we’ll see what happens Saturday.

Tough Loss to Dhaka this week. Nice bunch of guys but haven’t really been able to find ways to win this season. Next week they take on a Sarajevo squad that hasn’t won a game all season long. The winner of this game will avoid having to play one of the top 2 seeds and might have a better chance of staying alive after the first round.

Forfeited this week. Next week they take on Beirut. Not loving their chances but if they can somehow come up with a win to end the season that can go a long way in helping them out entering the playoffs.

Just when you thought they were ready to turn their season around they let you down again. Absolutely blown out by Cordoba and the effort just wasn’t there. Next week they take on a good offensive team in Alexandria and unless they come out with a win they will also be meeting one of the higher seeds in the playoffs which isn’t a good sign.

Went down early to start the game and were never able to dig themselves out. Saad finished with a nice 23 points but they are yet fill in anything on the left side of the column. Next week they have a chance to finally get a win against a struggling Palermo squad. They should be able to get it done if their offense can just put up similar numbers next week.

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