Vancouver Bandits look to stay hot in Saturday night showdown with Saskatchewan Rattlers

Dillon White • June 17, 2023

The Vancouver Bandits (3-4) (-125) will look to stay hot against a west coast rival on Saturday night at Langley Events Centre with a matchup against the Saskatchewan Rattlers (2-4) (-110) at 7 p.m. PT. 


The game will be available for streaming on TSN+, CEBL+ powered by BetVictor and on the CEBL Mobile app available on iOS and Android devices.


The Bandits enter the game as BetVictor’s updated favourites to win a title in August. Vancouver has an automatic spot in the Conference Final because they host CEBL Championship Weekend at Langley Events Centre, but the Bandits have won back-to-back games with an 87-78 victory over Niagara and 82-77 over Calgary. 


Vancouver’s roster has undergone an array of changes since opening night, but the consistent presence of big men Giorgi Bezhanishvili and Nick Ward has been a steadying force on both ends for the squad. The Bandits’ frontcourt duo – in tandem with veteran Malcolm Duviver – has helped the team to an outstanding start on the glass. Vancouver’s 50 rebounds per game lead the league through seven games.


Bezhanisvili leads the league in rebounds per game at 11.9 and is one of three players to average a double-double with 18.4 points per game. Ward is close to a double-double with 7.7 rebounds per game and is one of the most efficient scorers in the CEBL with 17 points per game on a league-best 59.5 per cent from the field. 


The rest of Vancouver’s roster is starting to shape up with the arrival of veterans Shane Gibson and Shaquille Keith to complement other early-season acquisitions including MJ Walker and Jahenns Manigat. Gibson, a veteran American sharpshooter, saw just over six minutes in his season debut against Calgary but averaged a team-high 18.9 points with the Bandits last season. Meanwhile, Walker is producing over 17 points per game and Manigat is dishing seven assists per game in three appearances each with the squad.


On the other side, the Rattlers will look to stop a three-game losing streak with a bounce-back game on the road. After losses to Edmonton, Calgary, and Winnipeg, Saskatchewan could get back the league’s leading scorer to help them in Saturday’s contest. Justin Wright-Foreman missed the last two games for the Rattlers after a workout with the New York Knicks but made the trip to B.C. with the team for the matchup with Vancouver. 


Wright-Foreman has been lights out for the Rattlers so far this season, averaging 28.5 points per game on 56 per cent shooting from the field and 51 per cent from three. However, in the past two games the supporting cast has needed to step up in his absence. 


Malik Benlevi and Michael Nuga emerged as the go-to options without Wright-Foreman. Benlevi had his fadeaway falling against the Edmonton Stingers and enters the game averaging 12.3 points per game on 42 per cent shooting. Nuga is the second-leading scorer behind Wright-Foreman at 14.2 points per game, while Drake Jeffries and new acquisition Anthony Mathis are averaging double figures as well. 


Saskatchewan is a free-firing team from long range, shooting almost seven more threes per game than any other team in the CEBL at just over 36. The Rattlers are shooting at 31 per cent from deep and 42 per cent from the field.


Entering Saturday’s matchup with the Bandits, Saskatchewan sits fifth in the Western Conference at 2-4 but could close the gap with fourth place Vancouver with a win. 


Both teams will face the Winnipeg Sea Bears after Saturday’s result, with Vancouver visiting Canada Life Centre on Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT and Saskatchewan heading there on Friday at 7 p.m. CT. 


All games are available for streaming on TSN+, CEBL+ powered by BetVictor and on the CEBL Mobile app available on iOS and Android devices.


A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 per cent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.

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