Yokohama Excellence vs Fukui Blowwinds, Japan B2 League, Today Match Prediction

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Yokohama Excellence Preview

Yokohama head into the contest with a 109-67 victory against Aomiri. After tying the two-game set against Fukuoka, the Excellence will take on Fukui in a two-game set this weekend. They have four wins out of the last five games in the regular season. Yokohama now improved to 30-17. They are still sitting at number three of the Eastern Conference and are the main contenders to crack the playoffs this season. They became the fifth team to reach 30 wins in the ongoing season. 

The Excellence were leading by 60-36 at halftime and stretched the lead to a game-high 46 points. Meanwhile, Yokohama would be confident as they went 3-1 against Fukui in the last four games. Yokohama have gone 16-7 at home this season. They were shooting 49% from the floor and 35% from the three-point line in the last game. They are currently the best offensive side in the league, scoring 87.1 points. They rank fourth in the offensive rebounds (11.5) and first in the steals per game (9.4). 

Tray Boyd notched up a game-high 30 points, six rebounds and six assists. Elyjah Williams went for 13 points and 14 rebounds. Junki Uera dropped 12 points, while Cheick Keita added a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Boyd could be an offensive threat in this fixture. He averaged 28.3 points in the B2 League, including 30 or more points four times in the last six. We are backing the American forward to score 20 or more points in the upcoming fixture. 

Fukui Blowwinds Preview

Fukui head into the contest with a 76-85 loss to Fukushima. They snapped a three-game winning streak with this loss. They already lost the game in the first half with conceding a double-digit lead. The Blowwinds won six of the last ten games in B2 League. They are still sitting at the fourth spot of the Eastern Conference with an impressive 27-20 record. The hosts are 16 games ahead of 5th placed Iwate in the playoffs race. Fukui have gone 14-12 at home court this season. They will be in action for the road assignment as they meet Yokohama next in a two-game set. 

The Blowwinds are 13-8 in the road games. They were shooting 39% from the floor and 27% from the three-point line. The hosts were out-rebounded 38-52. Fukui ranks fourth in the field goal percentage (45.1%) and third in three-point shooting (33.5%). They are fourth in steals per game (8.0) and scoring average (84.6). They are allowing 82.1 points per game which is a concerning part. Fukui requires two wins to tie the series with Yokohama as they are 1-3 down in the regular-season. 

Three players reached double figures for Fukui in the last game. Ryan Kelly led the scoring with 18 points, and nine rebounds. Masashi Hosoya went for 14 points, while Rapolas Ivanauskas added 13 points. Orgil Khishigbaatar also contributed nine points. Ryan Kelly could be a player to watch out for in the upcoming game. The forward crossed the 20-point mark 10 times and averaged 16 points per game. We back Kelly to score 15 or more points in the home game. 

Yokohama Excellence vs Fukui Blowwinds Starting Lineups