Ettihad, Najma set for battle as basketball play-offs tip off

TDT | Manama                                                

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com     

The four-team play-offs for two berths in the Golden Square semi-finals of the 2022/2023 Zain Bahrain Basketball League gets underway tonight at Zain Basketball Arena in Um Al Hassam.

There are two best-of-three series in this stage of the tournament.

They are Al Ettihad going up against Al Najma and defending champions Manama facing off with Bahrain Club.

Tonight will be game one of the Ettihad-Najma match-up.

The contest is scheduled for a 9.30pm tip-off.

Ettihad and Najma have been paired off after finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, on the standings at the end of the regular season.

Ettihad had a 14-6 win-loss record while Najma finished with a 13-7 mark.

Manama, on the other hand, were ranked third with a 15-5 record, while Bahrain Club were sixth on 10-10.

All four teams are looking to join Muharraq and Al Ahli in the Golden Square.

They booked automatic berths in the final four after finishing as the top two teams in the season, each with 16-4 win-loss records.

The winner of the Ettihad-Najma series will meet top-seeded Muharraq, while the victor between Manama and Bahrain Club will face off with Ahli.

Game two of the Ettihad-Najma clash will be held on Wednesday next week, and then game three, if needed, on April 19.

The Manama-Bahrain Club series will top off on Friday next week, with game two scheduled for April 18.

A third game, if needed, has been slated for April 25.