Norrkoping — Umea: 108:75, Basketligan

Norrköping beat Umeå 108-75 in the Swedish Basketball League on Thursday. The hosts made it three wins on the spin, though the margin told a different story from their recent outings. To be fair, the gap in quality showed through the numbers rather than any sudden shift in momentum.

We had called for the home side to win, gave them 72 per cent confidence, and the result followed the call. By then the pattern was clear enough: Norrköping's shooters were finding their range while Umeå's defence couldn't close down the perimeter.

The three-point line decided the game. Norrköping hit 12 of 28 attempts, Umeå managed 6 from 21. The hosts also edged the boards 40-26 and moved the ball better with 26 assists against 14. Things came to a head when Umeå's shooting percentages dropped below 40 per cent from the field and they had no answer for the quick ball movement.

In the table the two sides sit as far apart as the score suggests. Norrköping hold second place with 22 wins from 30 games, while Umeå languish in tenth with just 6 victories. The hosts lost their last four against Borås but this performance showed they still have the firepower to close out weaker opposition.

The result leaves Norrköping 14 points clear of Umeå with two games remaining. It keeps the home side in the hunt for a top-two finish and extends Umeå's struggles to a point where their season might already be over.