London, Friday 20 February — The London Lions delivered an emphatic 95–78 victory over the Leicester Riders at the Copper Box Arena, showcasing offensive depth and control to secure another Super League Basketball win in front of an energetic home crowd.

Chaundee Brown Jr. led the Lions with 18 points, highlighting a balanced team performance that saw five players finish in double figures. Amin Adamu added 13 points, Karolis Lukošiūnas contributed 12, Joel Scott provided 11, and Shavar Reynolds Jr. finished with 10. Aaryn Rai anchored the interior effort with eight points and 10 rebounds, helping London control key stretches on both ends.

The win also marked the first head coaching victory for interim head coach Vytautas Pliauga as a London Lion, who stepped into the role with Head Coach Tautvydas Sabonis unavailable due to personal reasons.

“Congratulations to our team and our fans, they were amazing,” Pliauga said postgame. “The atmosphere was really good, really enjoyed today.”

From the opening tip, both teams traded baskets in a fast-paced, high-energy start. London’s offensive rhythm was evident early, with seven different players scoring in the first quarter. 

Ethan Price ignited the crowd with a powerful slam midway through the period, and Joel Scott’s late and-one finish helped the Lions close the quarter with a 24–16 advantage.

London began to separate themselves in the second quarter through physical interior play and improved defensive execution. 

Scott’s strength inside and Rai’s activity on the glass helped extend the lead, while strong ball movement created open looks on the perimeter. Despite Leicester responding through Travis Evee and their perimeter scoring, timely shot-making from Brown and back-to-back step-back threes from Tarik Phillip stretched the Lions’ lead to 54–38 at halftime.

“I feel like we played, not a full 40-minute game,” Brown said. “We had stretches where we weren’t organised and had a lot of turnovers, they had a lot of offensive rebounds, but besides that, we won. We bought into the game plan — coaches told us to be physical, go out there and throw the first punch, play freely, share the ball, and play together.”

The Lions carried that momentum into the third quarter, delivering their most dominant stretch of the night. Lukošiūnas opened the half with a three-pointer, and Rai followed with an explosive dunk as London’s ball movement continued to expose mismatches. Consecutive perimeter scores pushed the lead beyond 20 points, forcing Leicester into timeout as London seized full control. The Lions closed the quarter ahead 77–55.

Leicester showed resilience in the fourth, specifically from RaeQuan Battle and Nathaniel Martin, briefly cutting into the deficit behind perimeter shooting and transition opportunities. 

However, London responded with composure. Reynolds and Brown delivered key finishes, while Scott’s interior passing led to a momentum-shifting slam from Price. London maintained control throughout the closing minutes to secure the 95–78 victory.

The Lions’ offensive balance and depth proved decisive, with strong contributions throughout the rotation and consistent execution across key stretches of the game.

London currently still sit first in the SLB Championship standings at 14–3, maintaining strong position as they continue to chase a rare domestic quadruple.

London now turns their attention to Sunday’s road matchup against Manchester as they continue their push in Super League Basketball competition.