Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem vs Hereda San Pablo Burgos
The final eight teams are competing in Athens to decide the winner of the Basketball Champions League (BCL). It starts with Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem taking on Hereda San Pablo Burgos.
You can follow all the action and every shot, rebound and free throw on this link: https://www.fibalivestats.com/u/FEUR/1743827/p.html.
The Teams
Hapoel defeated Peristeri Winmasters from Greece in the last-16 while Hereda San Pablo Burgos got the upper hand over Italian team Dinamo Sassari to make the quarter-finals.
These two sides faced each other twice in the regular season and home advantage proved significant as each team won on their home courts.
Hapoel have added numbers to their squad since they last played in the Champions League in March, however the Israeli team’s captain J’Covan Brown is out injured for two months and he’ll miss the tournament.
Hapoel’s offensive unit have scored 120 points per 100 possessions which is the best offensive rating ever recorded in the Champions League. Also, their field goal percentage of 58.5% is a league-best.
A key player for Hapoel Jerusalem is TaShawn Thomas who had a field goal shot percentage of 72.1%, a league-high. Thomas was also in the top 20 for points per game, averaging 15.6. He is known as the ‘Tank Engine.’
🚨 The #Final8 starts today! 🚨
🇮🇱 @JerusalemBasket ⚡ @SanPabloBurgos 🇪🇸➡ https://t.co/WwFPFPNXwy#BasketballCL pic.twitter.com/JknCAtIRzS
— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) September 30, 2020
Burgos have progressed from the qualifiers to the final eight of the BCL. They have also strengthened their squad ahead of the season, but their key player is still likely to be Vitor Benite, who has averaged 14.8 points in the BCL this season.
Statistically, San Pablo Burgos have the second best offense in the BCL, averaging 118 points per 100 possessions. They also are the highest scorers from the bench at 41.9 points per game and also take and make more three-pointers than any team in the BCL.
