The assistant coach of Al-Ahli's basketball team, Sa'id Atiq, confirmed that the technical staff has been working over the past days to correct defensive errors and the lack of offensive focus in crucial minutes, which led to the loss against Sharjah last Thursday with a score of (106-110) in the local league. This match was described as an 'important rehearsal' in preparation for the team's fixture today against their host, Kazima of Kuwait, in the third round of the West Asian Super League group stage for the Gulf region. Atiq stated that the technical staff focused on improving defensive closing mechanisms to handle Kazima's players, who are known for their fast-break penetration and quick ball rotation, taking advantage of their relatively high success rate in three-pointers. Both Al-Ahli and Kazima are looking to strengthen their positions in the standings and break the tie that places them both in third place with three points. Atiq added that the team has worked on correcting negative aspects, such as the loss of offensive focus in the crucial minutes against Sharjah, and emphasized the need not to rush the end of possessions against Kazima, focusing on playing from the depth against a team with a relative advantage in terms of home-court advantage and crowd support. He continued that their match against Kazima will be the fifth between them in the West Asian Super League, with the previous four encounters in the last two editions being characterized by competitiveness and close levels, as they exchanged wins in two matches and losses in two. Atiq also mentioned the team's absences, stating they head into the match against Kazima with a possibility that playmaker Sa'id Mubarak will not participate due to a slight injury in their last match against Sharjah, and if the medical staff gives the green light, he will be fielded. It is worth noting that both Al-Ahli and Kazima are playing their third-round match with one win and one loss each, after both defeated Al-Muharraq of Bahrain; 'Al-Fursan' won in the last round this month with a score of (89-87), preceded by Kazima's victory over Al-Muharraq in the opening round last month with a score of (95-81). Conversely, both teams suffered a defeat to the leader, Al-Ittihad of Jeddah, with Al-Ahli stumbling in the opening round against the Saudi team with a score of (88-94), and Kazima repeating the same in the last round with a loss to Al-Ittihad (81-92).
