The gap widens. Keon Thompson has averaged 17.5 points and a 61.8 TIB efficiency rating in recent weeks, numbers that place Manchester Basketball in a different stratosphere from most defences in the Super League. Greg Williams Jr brings a steadier hand for Liverpool — 12 points and 3 assists per game — but Thompson's arc this season has been harder to contain. Manchester arrive at kickoff as the clear favourite on form. Thompson's scoring has become the engine; Liverpool's task is to find a way to limit him without sacrificing their own rhythm on offence, where Williams Jr has been their creative heartbeat. The duel between these two shapes everything else. Liverpool need Williams Jr to operate without constant pressure, to find cutters and dictate tempo. Manchester, meanwhile, will want Thompson to continue the way he has — aggressive, efficient, and difficult to scheme against. Tip-off in three hours.