Festive basketball is finally here as the Giants welcome Leicester Riders to the National Basketball Performance Centre on Saturday before making the long trip to Glasgow to face off against Caledonia Gladiators on Boxing Day.

Saturday’s fixture will be the Giants’ final home game of 2023, and it’s lining up to be a thrilling encounter with both teams claiming wins in their respective home fixtures earlier in the season.

Three days later, Brian Semonian’s team will journey north to Scotland to do battle with the high-flying Caledonia Gladiators, who have beaten the Giants twice in the 2023/24 season, but their most recent encounter ended in a close-fought 86-80 win just under three weeks ago.

Below, we’ve compiled all the information you need to know ahead of the upcoming fixtures.

Current form

Since their defeat away to Leicester Riders at the end of November, the Giants’ form has improved significantly.

Last Thursday’s 103-80 emphatic victory over Bristol Flyers was arguably their best performance of the season, posting over a century of points for the first time this campaign.

That was then backed up by a fantastic performance away against London Lions just three days later, running the league leaders into overtime before narrowly losing 99-91 in the final seconds of the clash.

The Riders, on the other hand, have only won one game since their victory over the Giants, but this came last week against the otherwise imperious Gladiators, running out a 96-90 scoreline at the Morningside Arena.

In the previous clash between the two sides at the National Basketball Performance Centre,  the Giants turned on the style as they recorded a 94-80 triumph over the Riders, and they will be hoping to replicate that scoreline once more this Saturday.

There’s not much time to rest for the Giants however, as they lock horns with the Caledonia Gladiators on Boxing Day.

Before their defeat to the Riders last Friday, the Gladiators posted four consecutive victories, and they quickly bounced back from their most recent loss with an 80-72 win over Surrey Scorchers on Sunday.

It will be the Giants’ second trip to the Playsport Arena in three weeks after they made the league’s second-placed side fight for their 86-80 victory.

How to watch the game live

Saturday’s British Basketball League fixture at the National Basketball Performance Centre has a tip-off time of 5pm and will be broadcast live on YouTube.

The direct link to the game is here, or watch below:

Tuesday’s British Basketball League fixture at the Playsport Arena has a tip-off time of 3pm and will be broadcast live on YouTube.

Ticket information: Leicester Riders (H)

Joining us on Saturday evening? Match tickets, available to buy online or on the door, are priced as follows:

• Adults: £18 (rising to £22 on the door)
• Concessions: £15 (rising to £19)
• Child: £12 (rising to £15)
• Family ticket (2 adults, 2 children): £45 (rising to £50)
• Disabled: £15 (rising to £20)
• Carer: One free carer permitted with each disabled ticket purchased

‍PLEASE NOTE: There will be a slight increase in price for tickets bought on the door, as shown above.

There will also be prizes on offer for fans who wear their best Christmas jumpers, outfits or fancy dress to the game.

Our new hospitality packages are available for this game, with the lounge opening at 3pm. You can upgrade your game ticket to include access to our hospitality lounge and lunch for just £25.

Ticket information: Caledonia Gladiators (A)

If you are travelling to East Kilbride on Tuesday, match tickets are available to buy online, priced as follows:

• Adults: £23
• Children: £12
• Concessions: £18
• Family of 4: £57