The London Lions stopped the Leicester Riders from clinching top spot in the BBL Championship by grinding out a hard-fought win at home.

The 86-81 triumph marked the Lions' last home game of the regular season at The Copper Box.

Riders' head coach Robert Paternostro highlighted pre-game the dangers that the Lions pose from deep, and three separate Lions players hit three consecutive threes to give them a healthy lead from the start.

This was very much a chess match between Paternostro and opposing coach Vince Macaulay, with personnel changes being reactive to each other.

The two teams have arguably the deepest and most talented benches in the league - two bench players for the Riders that caused the Lions problems were Alasdair Fraser in the first half and Conner Washington in the second.

The latter was instrumental in a 17-0 run the Riders went on in the fourth quarter, that almost saw them complete a late comeback.

But Dirk Williams went on a 6-0 run of his own to secure the win for the hosts.

All of the Lions players had to perform to their best for victory against a tough Leicester side and they did not disappoint.

Williams was the player of the game, ending with a game high 29 points and, more impressively, shooting 66 per cent from deep.

Jules Dang Akodo also came alive in the game when it mattered most, scoring his six points from behind the arc as well as forcing the Riders to turn the ball over with aggressive defence.

The result means that the Lions have ensured that the race for top spot has gone to the final weekend, although Leicester can still secure the championship if they win both of their remaining games.

The Lions now have a few days off until their next game away at Glasgow on Sunday, hoping that another win could still pile the pressure on the Riders at the top of the table.