Stingers Look to Get Back Into the Win Column Tonight Against Rattlers

The Edmonton Stingers are back at it against the Saskatchewan Rattlers (5-15) tonight at the Edmonton EXPO Centre with tip-off at 4:00 p.m. MT. 

Coming off Friday's loss to Vancouver, the Stingers will be looking to rebound and improve on their 8-2 record in the last 10 games. 

In that span, nobody has been better at home court for the Stingers than Sean East II. The guard leads the team in points per game and assists with 25.1 and 6.7, and knocks down a second-best on the Stingers' average of 2.4 three-pointers. 

That also goes for Scottie Lindsey and Keon Ambrose-Hylton, who have begun heating up over the past five games. Lindsey is leading the team in three-pointers made per game and is third in scoring in that span. Meanwhile, Amrbose-Hylton leads the team in rebounds and has moved into second for points per game. The Stingers' depth has continued to shine as the team embraces the by-committee approach to offence. However, tonight could be an opportunity for Sean East II to lead the charge on offence against a struggling Rattlers team. 

Saskatchewan comes into the night looking to avoid dropping their second consecutive game after they lost 98-89 to the Winnipeg Sea Bears on Friday. 

The Rattlers will close out their four-game road trip in Edmonton and will be hungry for their second upset on the trip after defeating the Ottawa BlackJacks 97-96 on July 26. 

The key to walking away with the win tonight for Edmonton will be containing the engine of the Saskatchewan offence, Tevian Jones and Jordan Bowden. 

Jones leads the Rattlers with 23.3 points per game over his last five games and is coming off a 20-point and five-rebound performance in Winnipeg. While Bowden in the same stretch is second in team points per game with 21.2 and the team's leading three-point shooter, knocking down an average of 3.8 threes a game. Expect the Stingers' game plan to focus on limiting their production on offence and forcing others on the Rattlers to step up and make shots. 

When looking at Saskatchewan's numbers on offence and defence in the past five games, the Rattlers are sitting last in the CEBL with 83.3 points per game, 98.2 points allowed per game, and 15.6 turnovers per game. Compare that to Edmonton's 93.4 points per game, which is ranked second most in the CEBL and third most three-pointers made per game at home with 10.4, and the advantage is clearly in the Stingers' favour. 

Going back to when these two teams last met, it was Edmonton who won 92-89 on May 22 in Saskatoon. A repeat of that result tonight could be just what the Stingers need to start another win streak as the regular season winds down.

Keys to the game

Limit Saskatchewan's top scorers: Jones and Bowden, scoring chances.

Continue to rely on the by-committee approach on offence for Edmonton.

Can Edmonton tighten up defensively and keep the Rattlers' offence in check?