After losing their opening game of the season, the Singapore Slingers have gathered momentum with an impressive win against Mono Vampire on the road and a dominant victory against rival Westports Malaysia Dragons at home.
The Slingers will be playing at home again as they welcome the Macau Black Bears who are also coming off a big win on the road against Hong Kong Eastern in their last game.
Singapore’s 101-47 victory over the Dragons is the biggest winning margin in ABL history and it was largely because each and every member of the Slingers played confidently. It all started with Xavier Alexander as he created for his open teammates, finishing with 17 assists alongside 17 points and eight rebounds. His efforts won his the Player of the Week honors.
Aside from Alexander, John Fields is now looking more comfortable in Singapore’s system as he has played much better in their last two games compared to their debut. The big man in the middle finished with 25 points on 11 of 13 shooting from the field while adding 13 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
Justin Young also had a solid all-around performance with 17 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
However, the largest cheers of the night from the fans Singapore were for Russel Low. He failed to score a single point or grab a single rebound in almost non-existent minutes in their first two games but he played well against Westports Malaysia with 12 markers and three rebounds.
Even if the Slingers will be heading into the game brimming with confidence, they cannot overlook the Black Bears as they have looked impressive early in the season.
Led by their reliable combination of Anthony Tucker and Mikh McKinney, their offense is looking deadly with Ryan Watkins taking care of the shaded area and their locals hitting their shots from the outside.
In their last game, McKinney went off for his career high 41 points so defense would be key for the Slingers in this game. Macau does a great job at spreading the floor and stretching the defense so Singapore needs to be quick on their feet defensively.
It’s an important game for the Slingers as beating Macau could be a statement that they will be a force to be reckoned with this season.
