Game of the Week Preview: Hapoel Holon v Galatasaray Nef

 

HOLON (Israel) - The upcoming Week 4 Game of the Week in the Basketball Champions League will feature two undefeated teams from Group C, Hapoel Holon and Galatasaray Nef. The winner will have opened group play 3-0 the first time through the regular season schedule.

Where: Holon, Israel (Holon Toto Arena)

When: 19:30 local time

In their last game, Holon defeated Filou Oostende 88-83 to move to 2-0, while Galatasaray took care of Legia Warszawa 86-71 to remain unbeaten.

 

 

Holon and Galatasary faced each other in the 2021-22 season, with each team winning their home game; Galatasaray won the first quarter in each of those two previous games, but Holon won the other three quarters in each of those games. Holon have won their last six home games in the BCL after never winning more than four in a row previously; they won three of their last four home games against Turkish sides after losing each of the previous four. Joe Ragland is averaging 8.1 assists per game in the BCL since the start of the 2021-22 season, the most among all players with 3+ games played in that period; he made exactly eight assists in each of his two BCL games against Galatasaray. Galatasaray won their last away game in the BCL (92-78 v Oostende) but are yet to win consecutive away games in the competition; they were ahead at halftime in six of their last seven away games. Dee Bost has a total of 584 points and 216 assists in the BCL and is 16 points away from becoming the fourth player in league history to reach 600+ points and 200+ assists after David Holston (670 points, 307 assists), J'Covan Brown (745 points, 276 assists) and Tony Taylor (699 points, 244 assists). [/unordered]

This matchup will feature two of the best point guards in the BCL, Joe Ragland of Holon and Dee Bost of Galatasaray.

Through the first two games of the regular season, Ragland, 32, is averaging 20.5 points, 13.0 assists (first in the league), 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and a 31.5 efficiency rating (second in the league) per game on 52.2 percent shooting from the field and 47.1 percent from three-point, while Bost, 33, is averaging 19.0 points, 7.0 assists, 1.5 steals and a 21.0 efficiency rating per game on 50 percent shooting from the field and 42.1 percent from three-point.

In Holon's win over Oostende, Ragland recorded 31 points, 13 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals with an efficiency rating of 43 (four short of the BCL all-time record), also dishing an alley-oop to Marvin Jones to extend their lead in the waning seconds of the game.

If these two floor generals can perform anywhere close to their high level of play so far in the upcoming Game of the Week, we're in for a treat, as the two teams play it out to see who will sit in first place in the group.

Head-to-head meetings in the BCL:
Galatasaray 74-71 Holon (March 10, 2022)
Holon 98-89 Galatasaray (March 8, 2022)

Team comparison by the numbers:

Holon	Stat Category	Galatasaray
47.9	2-point FG %	54.8
36.2	3-point FG %	38.8
43	Overall FG %	47
87.2	Free throw %	71.1
30	Defensive rebounds	30
14	Offensive rebounds	8
43	Total rebounds	37
6	Steals	10
23	Assists	20
11	Turnovers	10
3	Blocks	1
17	Points from Turnover	21
25	Points in the Paint	29
19	Points from the Bench	40