Rattlers’ Allen makes return to Winnipeg in final regular season matchup vs. Sea Bears

Teddy Allen and the Saskatchewan Rattlers visit the Winnipeg Sea Bears for the start of a three- game road trip and their final regular season matchup of the year, on Saturday night.

Live coverage from Canada Life Centre begins at 8:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. CDT / 6:30 p.m. CST and fans can catch all the action on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN+, and on the CEBL mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. The game will also be broadcast live on Game+ in Canada and NLSE in the U.S.

The reigning league MVP will be playing in front of a Winnipeg crowd for the first time since being released by the Sea Bears and later signing with Saskatchewan. And although Allen remains one of the CEBL’s top scorers, averaging 25.9 points per game, his individual production hasn’t propelled Saskatchewan into a conference powerhouse.

With Allen at the helm, Saskatchewan has lost four out of five games, is on a two-game skid and sits at the bottom of the West. In their most-recent 91-87 loss to the Edmonton Stingers, the Rattlers interior defence ended up being costing them above all else. The Stingers shot 52 per cent from inside the arc while scoring 60 points in the paint on 31 assists.

Despite the loss, there were positives for Saskatchewan to take into Saturday’s matchup. For one, Cody John has raised his level of play since the departure of Jalen Harris. The Mississauga, Ont.

native has stepped into a lead role and is averaging 18.1 points per game through the team’s last seven contests – well above his 11.5 points per game average this season.

There’s also the fact that their lone win during the Allen era came against the Sea Bears just over a week ago. The 96-84 home victory not only kept Saskatchewan in the hunt for a playoff spot, but it also snapped a seven-game losing streak. Unsurprisingly, Allen led the way as he finished with 21 points, five rebounds and six assists.

Meanwhile, Winnipeg is looking to clinch a playoff berth with a win over Saskatchewan. But not just any win, they’ll need to do it by at least 19 points in order to claim the tiebreaker over the Rattlers and officially clinch a spot in the postseason.

The Sea Bears might have their sights set on claiming a playoff spot with a blowout win, but a win of any sort will be just as welcome. They have lost four games in a row, sit just 1.5 games ahead of the Rattlers in the standings and have erased the momentum that was built from their four-game win streak prior to that.

Winnipeg is coming off back-to-back losses to the Vancouver Bandits, and like Saskatchewan, defensive struggles have been the catalyst for their skid. The Sea Bears have given up more than 100 points in three of their last five contests, and in their home-and-home set against the Bandits they conceded 102.5 points per game on a 53 per cent clip.

After giving up more than 100 points in two consecutive contests, the Sea Bears now give up an average of 96.2 points per game, the most in the CEBL.

The Sea Bears saving grace, like the Rattlers, is the fact their star guard remains one of the top performers in the league. Justin Wright-Foreman continues to lead the CEBL in scoring, averaging 26.5 points per game while also averaging the third-most assists (6.5).

As productive as last year’s MVP runner-up has been, he’s also been giving a lot of that back on the other end as Wright-Foreman averages 4.3 turnovers a game, the most in the CEBL.

2024 season series

The Rattlers hold the edge this year, winning two of three contests between the West rivals, but take those results with a grain of salt. Saskatchewan’s first victory came in its season opener when Harris and Elijah Harkless were on the squad, scoring 23 and 22 points each – while the Sea Bears still had Allen and were without Wright-Foreman.

Come the second matchup, a 103-101 win for the Sea Bears, Allen hadn’t yet signed with the Rattlers following his release from Winnipeg.

Meanwhile, the game was Wright-Foreman’s season debut and entrance into the yearly series – a contest in which he dropped 30 points. In fact, through two games against his former squad this season, last year’s scoring champ and MVP runner-up is averaging 30.5 points per game.

Expect Allen and Wright-Foreman to have plenty to say in the final regular season matchup between the two squads, both having plenty to gain with a win.

About the CEBL

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 10 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN, TSN+, RDS, Game+, Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.