Streaky Rattlers take .500 record into Tuesday clash
The Saskatchewan Rattlers' winning streak quickly turned into a losing streak, and they head into two home games this week hoping for a reversal.
The Rattlers — who had won four straight Canadian Elite Basketball League games heading into last week's road trip, only to lose all three — will host the Hamilton Honey Badgers Tuesday at Sasktel Centre, and the Ottawa Blackjacks on Thursday (both 7:30 p.m.).
Here's five things to know as they welcome their eastern counterparts.
STREAKY SQUAD
The Rattlers are 6-1 at home — tied with Hamilton for best in the league — and 1-6 on the road. That trend held up over the last couple of weeks.
Saskatchewan's four-game win streak happened exclusively at home: 97-85 over Edmonton, 9886 over Montreal, 90-71 over Newfoundland and 92-90 over Niagara.
They then went on the road and lost 83-60 to Newfoundland, 10150 to Ottawa and 93-91 to Newfoundland in a rematch.
JOCKEYING FOR POSITION
Saskatchewan and Edmonton are tied for fifth in the 10-team CEBL with identical 7-7 records.
Tuesday's opponent, Hamilton, tops the league with an 11-3 record.
The Honey Badgers are playing in their third province during a threegame road swing; they previously won in Montreal and Edmonton.
Ottawa, who Saskatchewan hosts Thursday, is 5-8.
MAKING A PUSH
The CEBL, which began play in 2019, is in its fourth season. It crowned a champion each of the previous three campaigns, despite the arrival of COVID-19. The Rattlers won the inaugural title in 2019, and Edmonton has captured the last two.
TEAM LEADERS
Saskatchewan's top scorers are Scottie Lindsey and Tony Carr, who have 19.6 and 19.3 points per game respectively. Devonte Bandoo is the only other Saskatchewan player scoring in double figures; he's averaging 16.2. The Rattlers' top rebounder is Jordy Tshimanga, who is averaging eight per contest, and Carr leads both the team and the league with 5.9 assists per game.
UP NEXT
The Rattlers have six games remaining in their regular season. They'll follow their Tuesday/ Thursday games against Hamilton and Ottawa with a July 21 home clash against the Guelph Nighthawks.