Muslim Basketball

It didn't take long for Mattias to remind everyone what he brings, posting 21 points and 13 rebounds in his return against Delhi. The bigger story, however, was Sami Butt, who erupted for a career-high 28 points while shooting 50% from three. After back-to-back tough losses, this was exactly the confidence boost Gaza needed heading into a massive Week 6 showdown with Islamabad.

Back-to-back weeks without Mattias have raised questions about how long Gaza can continue to stay afloat without its superstar. While the team showed plenty of fight against Mombasa and went into halftime tied 19-19, the second half once again proved to be its downfall. Much like their game against Kabul, Gaza gave up too many easy transition baskets against a fast and disciplined Mombasa squad. Sami, Gaza's second scoring option, struggled to find his rhythm, and Usman—who has delivered several standout performances this season—also had an off night. With Mattias sidelined, Gaza needs both players producing at a high level if they want to remain competitive in the weeks ahead.

Missing Mattias always stings, but Gaza still showed strong control in the first half before losing momentum after the break. With just five players available, fatigue and depth clearly became factors down the stretch. In games like this, it really comes down to balance and composure when things tighten up late. Still, no real concern for Gaza—the talent level is there, and this group remains one of the deeper teams in the league. 

Looking at the box score, this was anything but an easy win for Gaza as they took on a Beirut squad with only five players available. Beirut battled all game long and actually held the lead deep into the final stretch before Gaza finally found a way to close it out. The comeback was fueled by Mattias’ elite playmaking and Usman catching absolute fire from deep. Mattias finished with another classic all-around performance: 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. But Usman was arguably the best player on the floor, knocking down seven threes and completely swinging the momentum of the game. Credit to Beirut for making life difficult, but Gaza always seemed to find the right man open at the right time — whether it was Mattias creating, Sami attacking, or Usman letting it fly from beyond the arc. 

Mattias Arrindell is an absolute problem. 25 points and 15 rebounds to open the season for the back-to-back MVP frontrunner, and he somehow looks even more dangerous this year. Gaza also feels much more balanced overall with Sami Butt back to ease the offensive load and Mohamed Kamel holding things down inside. Huge statement win over Jerusalem to start the year. If this team keeps building chemistry, they’re going to be scary.