USK Praha — Opava: 88:97, NBL

Opava beat USK Prague 97-88 in the Czech NBL on Friday night. The visitors took all three points at home court, moving to 11 wins and 11 losses. Prague remain in 11th place with five wins and 17 defeats. And here's the thing — the scoreline tells only half the story.

We had tipped the hosts to win, 56 per cent confidence. The match went the other way. Opava shot better from the field, 36 successful attempts against Prague's 31. They also contributed 28 assists compared with 19. By then it was clear this wasn't going to be a tight affair.

The statistics tell a different tale than the result might suggest. Prague pulled down 34 rebounds to Opava's 31, including 10 offensive boards. They also blocked four shots while Opava managed none. But Opava won the turnover battle, 13 turnovers to five. Those lost possessions cost Prague dearly.

Both sides shot well from distance. Prague hit 12 three-pointers from 39 attempts, Opava 11 from 27. The visitors also made all 14 of their free throws while Prague added 14 of 17. To be fair, Opava's defence generated nine steals compared with Prague's one.

The result keeps Opava in sixth place, level on points with Prague's nearest challengers. Prague's winless run continues, though they did show flashes of life in the rebounding column. The visitors have now won two of their last five league matches. Not a day for celebrating, but a reminder of what this league can produce.