Quarter-Finals Game 2 preview: Can Strasbourg complete upset sweep of Bonn?
After being the only team to win a road game in Game 1 of the Quarter-Finals, SIG Strasbourg control their destiny, as a win at home in Game 2 on Tuesday April 11 would send them through to the Final 4.
STRASBOURG (France) - After being the only team to win a road game in Game 1 of the Quarter-Finals last week, SIG Strasbourg control their destiny against Telekom Baskets Bonn, as a win in front of their home fans in Game 2 would send them through to the Final 4.
The game will tip off on Tuesday April 11 at 20:00 CET.
If Strasbourg can complete the sweep, they would return to the Semi-Finals for the second time in BCL history after reaching that round in 2020-21 where they finished fourth. On the other hand, Bonn will attempt to bring the best-of-three series back to Germany for a deciding do-or-die Game 3 that would then take place next week.
Strasbourg's win in Game 1 brought Bonn's 11-game BCL winning streak (the third longest in competition history) to an end, as MVP candidate Marcus Keene scored 13 of Strasbourg's 17 points in the fourth quarter and made clutch shots down the stretch to seal the deal.
🥶 @Marcus3Keene WITH @sigstrasbourg'S LAST THREE BUCKETS TO 𝗪𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘!!! 🥶 #BasketballCL pic.twitter.com/ml6CIyf2O9
— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) April 5, 2023
Strasbourg are leading the league in field goal percentage, shooting 48.3 percent from the field, while Bonn have the highest offensive ratio in the league in 2022-23, scoring 117.3 points per 100 possessions.
Marcus Keene has scored 20 or more points in five of his last seven games in the BCL, including 26 points in Game 1 of this series, his most in a BCL game; Keene also hasn't missed a free-throw in his last five BCL games, making all 17 of his attempts from the foul line.
Bonn are undefeated on the road in the BCL this season, winning all six games by margins of at least 7 points; they won their most recent BCL trip to France, 78-66 at Dijon in November 2019, after losing their previous two games in the country (both vs Nanterre).
Bonn have grabbed 37.1 percent of offensive rebounds this season, the highest percentage in the BCL in 2022-23; Bonn have grabbed 15+ offensive boards in four of their last six games, including in Game 1 against Strasbourg where they had 15. [/unordered]