Friday 29 November 2013 – Worcester Wolves vs Manchester Giants

Worcester Wolves will be wary of Manchester Giants’ sharp shooters when the teams meet at the University of Worcester Arena this Friday (tip off 7.30pm).

Wolves slipped to an overtime defeat at Esh Group Eagles Newcastle last weekend while Giants suffered a similar fate at the hands of league leaders One Health Sharks Sheffield.

Five wins will separate the teams at tip off but Wolves coach Paul James insists there is no danger of his team (8-3) taking the Giants (3-7) lightly: “Manchester are a team that can cause you major problems if you don’t approach them with the respect they deserve. They have some good shooters who on their day can be very dangerous.”

One of the BBL’s most dangerous players so far this season has been Wolves’ Will Creekmore. However, his impact has not gone unnoticed and teams are beginning to focus much of their defensive efforts on him – an endorsement of his talent according to James: “Will’s a tough player and the fact that teams are paying him so much attention is a sign of how good he is and the respect he is given. We might need to tweak a few things to get him the ball where he is most effective, but nothing drastic.”

Wolves guard Caylin Raftopoulos added his thoughts on this Friday’s opponents: “We’ve had a great start to the season that has given us a ton of confidence and belief to take into every game we play. We are aware that David Aliu has been playing well for them recently as well as Stefan Gill and James Jones on the perimeter. In order for us to come out with the win it will be key that we control the tempo of the game and don’t allow them to establish a rhythm.”

Meanwhile Giants coach Jeff Jones said: “Worcester are very talented and they are very good in the half-court. They will be there or thereabouts at the end of the year.”