Stingers Look to Clinch Playoff Berth in Final Showdown against Surge
July 9, 2024 - Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL)
Edmonton Stingers News Release
The final Battle of Alberta instalment of the season could go a long way to determining Calgary and Edmonton's playoff fates.
The Stingers host the Surge on Tuesday at 7 p.m. MT / 9 p.m. ET at Edmonton Expo Centre. Broadcast coverage is available on TSN and Next Level Sports & Entertainment, while you can stream the game live on CEBL+, TSN+ and Courtside 1891.
As the Stingers battle for the top seed in the Western Conference, they can officially punch their ticket to the CEBL playoffs with a win over the fourth-place Surge who are vying to fend off Saskatchewan for the final post-season berth.
Oddly, the Stingers won both games against the Surge in Calgary by scores of 97-79 and 91-84, but the Surge bounced back with a road win of their own last month, topping the Stingers 91-80.
The Stingers, at 11-4, currently hold a half-game lead over the Vancouver Bandits for first place in the West and an automatic spot at Championship Weekend.
Winners of four of their last five games, Edmonton's offence has hummed with at least 99 points in all but one of those contests.
Yet there isn't one single player who drives the Stingers' bus. Instead, head coach Jordan Baker leans on a balanced attack in which no player sees the floor for more than 29 minutes per game or averages more than 15 points per game.
The team-first strategy pays off with a league-high 48 per cent field-goal percentage. Combining the egalitarian offence with a stingy defence that allows the third-fewest points in the league has proven a winning formula for Edmonton thus far.
But in the Surge, the Stingers will meet another offensive juggernaut.
Calgary leads the league by making 41.3 per cent of its three-point attempts and sits just one-tenth of a percentage point behind the Stingers in overall field-goal mark.
Calgary is buoyed by Sean Miller-Moore, the Toronto native who pours in 16.5 points per game, and Corey Davis Jr., who sits third overall with 6.1 assists per game.
Yet, thanks in part to a middling defence, the Surge own a record below .500 at 6-7 and hold a 1.5-game lead over the Saskatchewan Rattlers for fourth place in the West.
Calgary has also lost each of its last two games, surrendering 217 total points, after a four-game winning streak.
Key matchup
In his first game of the season last month, Surge point guard Stefan Smith was limited to just three points, two assists and two rebounds against the Stingers.
But Smith, who started 21 games as Calgary reached the CEBL Finals last season, has come on strong in three games since, averaging 22.6 points and playing at least 20 minutes in each contest.
The Ajax, Ont., native could line up across Toronto's Michael Nuga, the Edmonton guard who sits fourth on the Stingers in scoring. However, Nuga did not play in the Stingers' last game on Sunday.
Even though Calgary pulled out the victory while Smith was mostly shut down opposite Nuga in his season debut, a boost from its lead guard Tuesday could prove the difference in evening the season series.
Milestone watch
Calgary's Smith is two steals away from 50 for his career, including playoffs
Edmonton's Nuga is 26 points away from 500 for his career, including playoffs
Edmonton's Brody Clarke is five assists away from 100 for his career, regular season only
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