NEXT UP: Manchester Giants

Surrey Scorchers are back in home court action on Saturday as they look to return to winning ways against the Manchester Giants. A victory would go a long way towards securing a play off spot for the first time since 2018. 

Despite Thursday's loss to the Caledonia Gladiators, the Scorchers have been in good form lately. In contrast, the Giants come into this game on a run of seven consecutive defeats in all competitions.

It's been a tough season for Manchester, who currently occupy ninth position in the table with a 7-19 record to date. There was no respite for them in the BBL Trophy either, as they lost all three of their group games. They were however drawn into a tough group alongside London, Leicester and Newcastle.

Whilst they've registered some impressive victories this season over the likes of Leicester, Cheshire and Bristol, their defence has been a real problem for them all season.

Manchester sit dead last in most key defensive stats; points per game, defensive rating and opponent's field goal percentage.

On the other end of the court they do their best work in the paint and from the mid-range. They shoot 32.48% from beyond the arc, with most of their success coming from the corners. 

Source: BritHoops.com

30 year old guard Nick Lewis is the team's leading scorer this season. Now in his second season with the Giants, the former Sheffield and London man averages 15.4 points per game and logs plenty of minutes. He's averaged 34.85 minutes per game in his last ten appearances, which includes three games in which he's played the full 40 minutes for his team.

Meanwhile the Scorchers have been on a good run lately, picking up three wins from their last five games. They've shot the three-ball extremely well in this period, averaging just shy of a 40% success rate during this stretch.

Padiet Wang's played a key role in the Scorchers' recent form, the guard has averaged 12.6 points in his last five appearances, including a 25-point showing in Bristol last week against the Flyers. His play earned him a spot in the BBL team of the week.