Delvin Thomas' dominant play inside the paint which helped the ETTV Antelopes to a pair of wins last weekend landed him this week's Super Basketball League Player of the Week honor.
The power forward from the US became the first player this season to receive the coveted honor in consecutive weeks, with an all-around performance that netted him 18.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2 blocked shots, and a whopping five steals per game over the two-game stretch. His outstanding contribution is the main reason that the Antelopes remain in contention for the fourth-and-final playoff spot, despite a poor 1-5 start when Thomas missed all but one of their opening six games.
"There were quite a few guys who had a great week last week, it's a great honor to be picked two weeks in a row," Thomas said after learning of his consecutive selections to the weekly honor.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SBL
Thomas and his teammates will have their hands full this weekend with three tough matches ahead, beginning with tonight's showdown against Taiwan Beer, followed by tomorrow's clash with the Yulon Dinos and Sunday's finale against the Azio Eagles.
In order for the Antelopes to succeed in the games against Taiwan Beer and the Dinos, Thomas and Wu Dai-hao, also known as the Twin Tower of the Antelopes, must have big games.
Also critical for the Antelopes will be their ability to control the pace of the game. Keeping the scores low will likely improve their chance of a win as Taiwan Beer and the Dinos are both known for their explosive offenses.
Tonight's Games
In addition to the Antelopes' game against Taiwan Beer at the Miaoli County Sports Complex this evening, the Dinos will also take on the Eagles at 6:30pm in a historical contest as the league moves to a venue outside the Greater Taipei area for the first time ever.
Revenge will be on the Dinos minds tonight as they recall the humiliating loss they suffered at the hands of the Eagles on March 16 that snapped a 14-game winning streak for the Dinos against their opponents.
This is a must-win game for the heavily favored Dinos as they look to bounce back from a disheartening loss to the Dacin Tigers last Sunday that knocked them off the top of the standings for the first time in nearly four months.
As for the Eagles, this game will be about pride as they look to drop the Dinos twice in the same season for the first time in four years.
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