Two Asian basketball games with very different shapes. In Hiroshima against Sendai, a deeper, steadier home side meets a better-shooting visitor on short rest. In Changwon, a pressing Seoul Knights team meets an open, leaky LG Sakers defence, and the two scoring profiles pull in different directions.
Hiroshima come in with 13 wins from 14 official games and a scoring margin of about eleven per game, against about eight for Sendai. They win through the paint, rebounding and defence rather than outside shooting, so their margin does not hang on three-point luck. Sendai are the better shooters on paper and press harder, and that press is the one place they can create extra possessions. Hiroshima lost one home game to exactly that kind of turnover night, but in four of their last ten they had only eight to ten giveaways.
The rest gap matters too: Hiroshima have had five days off at home, while Sendai travelled after a road win two days ago. No lineup or injury report exists for either side, so I rely on the season structure. That's why I'm siding with Hiroshima to win.
In the LG Sakers against Seoul Knights game, LG's own games average about 176 total points, while the Knights' games average about 165. The line sits closer to the Knights' number than to LG's. LG score and concede freely, and they have been giving up lots of free throws. Their last meeting finished 86-85 with a total of 171.
The Knights force turnovers and can slow things down, but their offence still scores in the mid-80s. LG's import situation is unclear after an ankle issue earlier in the month, and if the interior is thin, the Knights attack it. That's why I'm leaning to a higher-scoring game here.
