BEIRUT (Lebanon) - BC Astana will attempt to be in step with Al Riyadi on top of the standings as West Asia League action continues in the 2025-26 FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) this week.
The Kazakhstan Basketball Championship outfit are keen on joining the defending champions (4-1) at the no. 1 spot should they take care of business against Sagesse SC this Wednesday night at the Ghazir Club Stadium.
Hot has been the crew of Coach Ramuns Crvika as they're in the midst of a four-game winning streak, with their most recent victory an 88-73 rout of Shahrdari Gorgan last January 30 at the Saryarka Velodrome.
"Every game is very important for us because we need to stay high [in the standings] for the playoffs," offered Crvika moments after the said win. "Because, we can have the homecourt advantage."
But fans and pundits alike are curious to see if Astana (4-1) would be able to stretch that run to five, as they will be playing in just their second road game this season - all their wins thus far were at home.
Plus, they will be taking on a Green Castle team that's on a surge. After a 0-3 start which has never happened to them in WASL before, the Lebanese Basketball Championship side has now won back-to-back games.
That includes a convincing 105-91 win over no less than their rivals in Riyadi, with Paris Bass leading the way as Sagesse beat the WASL-West Asia 'four-peat' seekers for the first time since April of 2024.
Confidence is through the roof for this team of Coach Joe Ghattas and they are definitely looking to bank on that in a bid to get back at the squad from Central Asia, who previously beat them by way of a 71-62 decision.
"We're just buying into each other," said Bass, who's also the Sub-Zone League's leading scorer with 26.0 points. "Everybody's figuring out their roles, playing defense, and we're just playing as a team. We're playing together."
But more than exacting revenge, what Sagesse are really hoping for in the 20:45 duel is to get their win run going, which if they do would get them to .500 for the first time - and boost their Semi-Finals aspirations, too.
Meanwhile, the Iran Basketball League champions (3-2) are out to bounce back from last week's loss to Astana when they face Al Wahda SC for the first time ever after their supposed clash last November 20 got called off.
The bout is on Thursday in Ghazir as well at 17:45 local time, with Gorgan expecting a battle with a desperate Syrian side as they've been aching to break through - they're currently dead last in the standings at 0-5.
The 2025-26 WASL-West Asia League Group Phase is entering its home stretch and teams are now jockeying for position for the Semi-Finals, set to commence in March. For the complete schedule, click here.
FIBA