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Calgary Surge vs Edmonton Stingers Preview
Week one of the 2024 Canadian Elite Basketball League season begins on Tuesday. Calgary Surge welcomes the Edmonton Stingers to the WinSport Event Centre. The Tip-off is at 7:00 pm ET with both sides desperate to start the CELB season with a win.
The Surge comes into the 2024 CEBL season as last year’s runners-up, after falling short in the final at the hands of the Scarborough Shooting Stars. However, Edmonton will want revenge. The Stingers lost in the playoff quarterfinals to the Surge last year. They were nowhere near their best in that game, causing their season to end early. Can Edmonton get payback, or will the Surge triumph again?
Calgary Surge vs Edmonton Stingers Head-To-Head and Key Stats
These two teams last met in the CEBL Quarterfinals, the last competitive game of the season for Edmonton. Calgary came out on top in that meeting in convincing fashion to extend their playoff run. Anyone betting on basketball last year expected a victory for Calgary. They were one of the favourites in our online sportsbook to take home the championship.
Brody Clarke opened the scoring in that game with a 3-point jumper. Edmonton looked to set the tone before Isiah Osborne netted a deep shot of his own to cancel out Sean Miller-Moore’s 2-point jump shot. The score was level at 7-7 following the first official timeout after three minutes played. However, Edmonton would not regain the lead again in this game.
A series of fouls in the first quarter saw Calgary’s Stefan Smith and Sean Miller-Moore combine for six points from the free-throw line. Terry Henderson and Mason Bourcier each scored three-pointers, with the former notching up five points for himself. The Surge ended the quarter 21-13.
The second quarter saw Calgary’s shooting prowess on full display as they added 27 points with just two coming from free throws. The half finished 48-29 in favour of Calgary. Even with plenty left to play, Edmonton had left themselves a mountain to climb.
The Stingers came out strongly in the third quarter. They had their best scoring run and cut the deficit to just ten. Brody Clarke would come alive in the second half, putting up 14 points across the final two periods. Despite Edmonton’s strong third quarter, Calgary ran out as deserved 84-68 winners. They put up 24 points in the fourth quarter to end Edmonton’s season on a damp squib.
Calgary narrowly edged past the Vancouver Bandits in the semifinals, winning 77-75. The final proved too much for the Surge as they faced the inverse of their encounter with Edmonton. They had a poor first half, showed fight in the third quarter, but ultimately handed the Championship to the Scarborough Shooting Stars.
The shooting prowess of Calgary trio: Sean Miller-Moore, Terry Henderson Jr. and Stefan Smith was there for all to see. Stefan Smith was particularly impressive, with 21 points and 7 assists in the quarterfinal, followed by 15 points and 5 assists in the final. The 6-foot-2 guard was red-hot throughout the playoffs and will be one to watch in the season opener.
The Stingers received a boost in February when Brody Clarke signed an extension to stay in Edmonton for a fifth season. This came after his team-high 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in 2023. He and Edmonton will look to build on that.
Calgary Surge vs Edmonton Stingers Predictions
Correct score prediction: Calgary Surge 75-62 Edmonton Stingers
Making basketball predictions for the season’s opening game can be tough as we don’t know how any team will take to the court. However, we predict the Calgary Surge will win the game comfortably. A points differential in the double figures seems a safe prediction with the Surge playing at home. Smith and Miller-Moore are likely to post double-figure points respectively as they did in the previous meeting between the teams.
Calgary boasts a fair number of players adept at shooting from deep. However, Edmonton has fewer players capable of landing three-pointers. Getting points on the board is vital in the first game, and three-pointers help keep the energy levels up. We can see why the visitors may struggle to keep up on Tuesday.
In games like these, it’s worth waiting until tip-off to analyze how the game is going before you bet. As mentioned, season openers can be cagey affairs. Live betting as you grasp the game’s flow can prove advantageous.
Calgary is currently among the favourites to win the 2024 championship priced at 11/2. Many expect them to go one better than last year. With the Smith and Miller-Moore, they have one of the most formidable backcourts in the CEBL. They came into the league as young, rotation players in 2023 and proved themselves as one of the best scoring pairings in the entire league.
The Surge had a great defense in 2023 and this year should be no different. We expect them to keep the Stingers to a double-figure point differential. The free-flowing scoring capabilities of Calgary’s backcourt should prove too much for Edmonton.
We predict the game to go similarly to their last meeting. In that game, betting on Calgary to lead at halftime and to reach 20 points first was a winner. This Tuesday, betting on the Surge to do it again seems likely.
The scoring duo of Smith and Miller-Moore will look to set the tone early and score strongly in the first half. Miller-Moore’s efficiency at mid-range was impressive in 2023, shooting at 46%. Smith was Calgary’s go-to for deep shooting with a 31.9% efficiency rating from 119 attempts. Betting on Smith to register over 1.5 threes is a good play with the guard likely to have around five or six attempts.
Calgary Surge vs Edmonton Stingers Betting Tips
Edmonton is no pushover and though the Surge are considered favourites at our sportsbook, the Stingers have the firepower to mount a serious challenge. Brody Clarke’s performances last season are enough to cause Calgary some trouble again.
Clarke and Miller-Moore are likely to play a big role in this game. Both players recorded a double-double in this same fixture in August. We can expect much of the same here. Both players recording over 28.5 combined points and rebounds may be tricky. But they put up 29 a piece in that quarterfinal and could do the same again.
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Nick Hornsby was another who put in a dominant performance in this same fixture last year. Paired with Clarke, he will look to contribute heavily to point scoring since Isiah Osborne left for the Greek Basketball League in September. Betting on Hornsby to score 13+ points is worthwhile after he averaged 12.9 over the regular season in 2023.
Calgary Surge Team News
Six-foot-ten guard Billy Preston is in line to make his first start in Calgary since arriving from Los Angeles on May 15. The dynamic player can play positions 1 through 5. He most recently played with the Cape Town Tigers of the Basketball Africa League. He averaged 16.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals, and 28.7 minutes in 5 games played as a starter.
They will welcome Justin Jackson back to Calgary, having played in the NBA G-League for the Grand Rapids Gold during the Spring. Otherwise, there are few surprises expected in Calgary with most of last season’s stars returning to the lineup.
Edmonton Stingers Team News
The Stingers will be without Isiah Osborne, who announced his move to Maroussi BC of the Greek Basketball League in September last year.
Stingers fans received an enormous boost earlier this month when the team announced the signing of Jacob Evans. The six-foot-four guard is a former NBA first-round pick. He spent two years with the Golden State Warriors between 2018-2020. Going 28th overall, the 26-year-old played 59 games in the NBA. He is likely to make his first start as a Stinger on Tuesday.
Davion Warren is another new arrival in Edmonton, coming from the Long Island Nets of the G League. The experienced guard averaged 11.6 points last season with an impressive 52% shooting efficiency from the field. He should debut as Edmonton looks to freshen up their starting lineup for the 2024 season opener.
