Just two points separate the top three teams in the BBL as Newcastle Eagles, Worcester Wolves and Leicester Riders all picked up wins to keep their title ambitions on track.
Newcastle overcame a slow start as they beat Glasgow Rocks for the third time in the space of a month with an impressive 96-67 victory on Friday.
The visiting Rocks got off to a dream start leading 20-8 in the early going, but from the second quarter onwards the Eagles turned the game around.
Charles Smith had 21 points as the champions outscored Glasgow 56-32 in the second half.
Worcester Wolves clinched their seventh game in a row on Friday, defeating Sheffield Sharks, 78-75.
Rob Thurman led the Wolves with 17 points before fouling out late in the game, while Mike Cook paced Sheffield with 15.
“I just think it was an incredibly physical game on Friday,” said Wolves’ coach Paul James.
“Sheffield isn’t the highest scoring team in the league but they are very physical defensively.
“At the end of the day it’s two more points on the board and I’m glad to come away with another win.”
Back-to-back victories for the Leicester Riders moved Rob Paternostro’s side to within two points of the leaders.
Tyler Bernardini led the Riders with 19 points and Rashad Hassan enjoyed another solid outing with 18 points as they enjoyed a comfortable 85-46 win over the Durham Wildcats on Saturday.
Leicester recorded an 80-69 victory at Manchester Giants on Sunday, behind 18 points from Anthony Rowe, but only after a fourth quarter scare.
The Riders led 70-51 heading into the final quarter, but the Giants responded with a 16-2 run to cut the deficit to five points with a little over three minutes remaining, before the Riders were able to make late baskets to seal the win.
Result of the weekend goes to the Sheffield Sharks, who bounced back from their Worcester defeat to record a 91-85 victory at Cheshire Phoenix, despite an impressive 36-point, 12-rebound haul from Cheshire’s Taylor King.
Mike Cook led the Sharks with 21 points as the Yorkshire side took the lead for good late in the third quarter.
Just behind Sheffield in the standings is Glasgow, who bounced back from their defeat in Newcastle to record an 81-75 defeat of Durham Wildcats on Sunday.
In a close game, it was Kieron Achara’s three-pointer with a little over two minutes that sparked a 10-2 run which the home side could not come back from. Achara led the Rocks with a double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Durham’s Fran Urli led all scorers with 19 points.
London Lions recorded a morale-boosting 89-65 win at Plymouth on Sunday, Makal Stibbins leading the Lions with 27 points, while Zaire Taylor came close to a triple double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.
Leeds Force and Surrey United missed out on a chance to close the gap on the teams above, with both teams falling to 65-53 defeats at home on Friday.
Taylor King led Cheshire with 13 points and 11 rebounds as the Phoenix defeated Leeds, while Alif Bland had 18 points as Bristol Flyers won at Surrey United for their first win of 2015.
