NNJ Summer 2026 Week 4 Predictions

Play together, keep adjusting and the wins will come. Week 4 Predictions are here.

Cairo vs Dhaka

Dhaka’s low scoring so far this season can be deceiving, as Ian and Ty only played the first game together. Having Nabil for the rest of the season and Splash in good form gives them good supporting options as well. The talent on paper needs to work together, which will only happen with more reps as a full roster and focusing their energy away from calls they can’t control.

Cairo is coming off two straight losses but both came against Amman and Jerusalem, two of the better teams in the league. Trey and Jay will look to get back on track and push it in transition against a defense that doesn’t usually get set. If Dhaka is going to have a strong defensive showing to build off of, this is their opportunity without post scoring to give them issues.

Rooting for this talented Dhaka team to turn it around but Cairo won’t miss the chance to bounce back.

Cairo by 8

Amman vs Tripoli

In terms of low post scoring, Amman faces its biggest challenge yet. Sal has size but against Mana’s quickness and long strides, they need to do work early in the play to keep him from getting deep position. Amman has worked in some zone multiple times this season but last week, it felt like they were giving up dribble penetration too easily.

Tripoli had success forcing turnovers last week by clogging the paint but Amman is a much more perimeter oriented team, which will be a different challenge for the defense. With Mana playing help, they can afford to close out Adeeb and Mahdy more aggressively. Also, with Mana and AK, they should look to attack the offensive glass to stop Amman from leaking out.

Tripoli has a lot of cards to play but the way Amman is playing fast and together could make this just another bump in the road.

Amman by 7

Granada vs Damascus

If everyone comes for Damascus, the trio of Singer, Qasem and Corey will give Granada the challenge of presenting 3 good matchups. It will be interesting to see if Zain matches up with one of them, which could open space for Singer to attack behind him. If he plays help, I think Qasem could find himself with a mismatch.

Zain has been the centerpiece for this offense when things get tough and Damascus doesn't have a clean answer to match up with him. While the scoring of Anas Najib and shooting from Elhindi have been good around him, Granada can turn it over in tight spaces when defenses start to shrink the floor. Damascus should try and do the same, possibly with a zone that takes away the high and low post.

Damascus has steadily built a good foundation and if Granada continue to field a limited version of their squad, there could be an opening for a signature win.

Damascus by 2

Lahore vs Gaza

With the opposition forfeiting last week, we don’t have a huge sample of what the offense will look like beyond Omar and Fursan. Samih Abbassi has had a strong start to the season and may look to provide a punch off cuts and catch and shoot threes. The focus for Lahore will be staying attached to Omar through screens and protecting the paint.

Lahore has a challenge ahead as their offense, which has been inconsistent, faces their biggest defensive challenge yet. Fursan and Omar will apply a lot of pressure on the perimeter while Brandon looks to anchor down in the paint. Adham and Zubair will need to be effective on the perimeter to stretch the defense and get them out of their comfort zone.

Both teams have risen and fallen with their 3pt shooting but Lahore has had a stronger floor scoring in the paint.

Lahore by 3

Istanbul vs Islamabad

Istanbul really needs a statement game defensively. When Khaled and Muhammad are at their best defensively, it has been in space. That could make this week challenging as Shahzaib and Amir are very crafty when they initiate contact. It could come back to bite them but I think I’d try zone to allow the guards to be aggressive and hope Deep and Adam don’t beat you from 3.

On the other hand, they’ll look to press what seems to be a big advantage in the paint. Nick is coming off a 35 ball and we know Muhanad will make it hurt in the low post. This should give them an offensive floor this week but they have to be careful not to get stagnant when trying to feed it down low.

While the offense should have success, I don’t think Istanbul will actually play zone and I think Islamabad has the edge in an offensive game.

Islamabad by 4

GAME OF THE WEEK: Jerusalem vs Mombasa

In their only loss this season, Jerusalem was slow to the ball to start the game which put them in a hole early. The core of this team was also part of a team last season that struggled defensively all year. If they do that this week, rookie Dean Aminyar will be running up and down scoring the easiest baskets he’s ever seen. Jerusalem may need to sacrifice offensive boards to get back early.

Michael Knight is rolling and there’s no reason for Jerusalem to go away from him. Mombasa’s focus has to be to have someone in his face at all times, with help ready if he decides to drive. Otherwise, he will pull up if he has any space in the midrange as seen by his 38 points with only 1 three. Mombasa’s zone is aggressive on the perimeter, but they have to deny Mike in the high post.

Mombasa is playing together and at a high level right now. They have the IQ to adjust to Mike and slow him down enough to edge it out.

Mombasa by 3

Kabul vs Beirut

This new look Kabul team has the challenge of trying to gel as a team in a shortened time. The positive side is they have lots of good defenders, such as Raied, Hassan Farhat and Marwan and tons of size on top of that in Khalied, Hosam and Sej. Shafic singlehandedly carried Beirut’s 3pt shooting as part of his 57 piece, but if Kabul packs the paint, Beirut may struggle.

Part of the core of this Kabul team played together a few seasons ago with a similarly built roster and struggled to score, mostly due to spacing. There will be pressure on Muhammad Mustafa and Saad to give this team balance, but if they do, it could open things up for a strong paint team. Beirut will similarly look to crowd the paint and test Kabul from outside.

If the predictions are accurate, this will not be an entertaining game to watch. The edge goes to the team with an established offensive system.

Beirut by 3