The last circuit of the 2023/24 Major Basketball League regular season is upon us this weekend at MABA Stadium, Kuala Lumpur and although two of the four playoff spots have been secured, there’s still plenty at stake!
Here’s 3 key stories for the final circuit which will be considered as KL Aseel’s home circuit.
1. The Race to 500 Points – A Place In History Beckons
As the league continues its journey as Malaysia’s premier club competition, the record book keepers are hard at work, compiling data from both seasons to keep track of the player’s historical statistics.
This season already saw one milestone achieved with Johor Southern Tiger’s Heng Yee Tong logging 100 career MBL assists.
The next milestone up for grabs is the first player to score 500 career points and it’s very likely we’ll see this achievement unlocked this weekend by either NS Matrix Deer’s ‘Mei Mei’ Ting Chun Hong (468) or Johor Southern Tiger’s Thai American sharpshooter, Moses Morgan (489), who played for Adroit Singapore last season.
With NS Matrix Deers playing before Johor Southern Tigers, ‘Mei Mei’ knows that on his best day, 32 points is well within his reach.
For Moses Morgan, currently averaging 17.2 PPG, the achievement should be a formality for him should Mei Mei fall short of the target against KL Aseel.
2. No.1 Bragging Rights
Many are already predicting a repeat of the 2022 Finals as Johor Southern Tigers and NS Matrix Deers head into the final circuit kilometers ahead of the other teams in the standings.
Coming in with identical records of 11-3, Johor Southern Tigers currently hold head to head advantage against NS Matrix Deers, having won two of the past three encounters.
Set for an epic regular season closing game on Sunday, regardless of both team’s previous game results in Circuit 7, the result of the final game will determine who finishes the season top of the regular standings as NS Matrix Deers hold a superior head to head points advantage (+25) against Johor Southern Tigers (+7).
Which championship contender will come away with the bragging rights of the No.1 seed position going into the playoffs?
If the past three games are a reflection of what’s to come, Malaysian basketball fans won’t want to miss this one for sure.
3. Who completes the Playoffs cast? Too close to call!
KL Aseel crashed themselves back into playoffs contention with three wins last weekend, including wins over fellow playoffs qualification contenders, Penang Sunrise Youngsters and UCSI Rising Star.
All three teams now have four wins and will face each other in what is set to be an intense Circuit 7.
We’ve done the maths and it will be impossible for all three teams to finish with an identical record.
Let’s take a closer look at each team’s qualification chances.
UCSI Rising Star (4-10)
Circuit 7 Games
5/1/24 vs UCSI Rising Star (1-2)
(Past Results- 81-64, 72-76, 69-76) (Current H2H Points +6)
6/1/24 vs Johor Southern Tigers
7/1/24 vs KL Aseel (2-1)
(Past Results- 83-77, 80-76, 92-94) (Current H2H Points +8)
A win over UCSI Rising Star will guarantee Penang Sunrise Youngster’s playoff qualification with head to head advantage due to superior points difference and UCSI Rising Star being only able to finish the season with five wins at best.
Should they lose to UCSI Rising Star, their head to head advantage will be lost and the team must focus on winning at least one of their remaining games to advance.
KL Aseel (4-9)
Circuit 7 Games
5/1/24 vs NS Matrix Deers
6/1/24 vs UCSI Rising Star (2-1)
(Past Results- 85-75, 58-81, 87-65) (Current H2H Points +9)
7/1/24 vs Penang Sunrise Youngsters (1-2)
(Past Results- 77-83, 76-80, 94-92 ) (Current H2H Points -8)
Should UCSI Rising Star lose to Penang Sunrise Youngsters and KL Aseel defeat NS Matrix Deers, they only need to avoid losing to UCSI Rising Star by more than 10 points to qualify.
If UCSI Rising Star defeats Penang Sunrise Youngsters, it will set up a critical Saturday showdown between them and UCSI Rising Star where a win will guarantee their playoff slot due to their superior head to head advantage.
In the event KL Aseel loses their first two games (and by less than 10 against UCSI Rising Star), their season finale against Penang Sunrise Youngsters will be a must win game to ensure they remain in contention for the championship.
