Bambitious Nara vs Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka, Japan B2 League, Today Match Prediction

Teams Preview

Bambitious Nara Preview

Bambitious Nara continued their poor season in the league. They head into the contest with a convincing loss to Aomiri. They extended their losing skid to seven matches. Nara allowed more than 85 points per game during the skid. They have been out from the playoffs. With the previous defeat to Aomiri, Nara now fell to 14-37 in the Western Conference. They have dropped 17 out of 19 games following a season-best four-game winning streak. They will meet Aomiri again in the regular season on Sunday. 

Nara had a slight surge in the fourth quarter but early damage couldn’t recover. They are 5-20 on the road this season. The visitors have allowed 82.2 points per game in the regular season and averaged 72.5 points. Nara are forcing 13.0 turnovers per game on average. They rank sixth in field goals (44%) and fourth in three-point shooting (33.2%). Nara may slip to the bottom if Shizuoka takes advantage in their respective games. 

Only two players reached double figures for Nara in the last game. Viacheslav Petrov led the scoring with 18 points and 7 rebounds. Jaemyn Brakefield added 13 points and 13 rebounds. If we pick out an offensive threat, we would pick Brakefield. He averaged 23.4 points in the ongoing season. We back him to score 15 or more points in the upcoming fixture.

Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka Preview

Fukuoka enter the matchup with a 80-82 loss to Kumamoto. Kagoshima’s poor run gave them a chance to take fourth spot but they didn’t grab it. They are currently on a six-game losing streak. With a 2-8 record in the last ten games, Fukuoka are on the verge of elimination. They will be in action against the playoff rivals, Kagoshima. If they win, they can close their gap for the potential fourth spot. Fukuoka are currently placed fifth in the Western Conference with a 21-29 record.

Fukuoka had a 63-52 lead after three quarters but the fourth quarter debacle made them suffer. They shot 46% from the floor and 46% from the three-point line. The visitors outscored the opposition 36-33 in the rebounding battle. They averaged 75.8 points in the league and allowed 79.2 points per game against the opposition. They rank second in three-point shooting (34.6%) and third in turnovers (11.1). Fukuoka have gone 12-15 on the road this season. 

Takanobu Nishikawa led the offense in the previous game with 18 points, while Terrance Woodbury dropped 16 points and 8 rebounds. Keisuka Aita added 15 points. Pablo Aguilar also contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds. Woodbury could be an offensive threat against Kagoshima. The veteran forward averaged 17.9 points in the regular season and went into single digits once in the last 13. We are backing him to score over 15 points in this fixture.

Bambitious Nara vs Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka Starting Lineups