Newcastle Eagles maintained their lead at the top of the BBL Championship with a 99-72 win over league newboys Essex Pirates.

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Charles Smith led all scorers with 24 points while Joe Chapman also weighed in with a solid 21-point contribution.

Sheffield Sharks - beaten by Newcastle on Friday - returned to winning ways with a victory over hosts Plymouth Raiders in a low-scoring encounter.

Mike Cook was, as ever, the key Sharks threat in the 67-55 win, contributing a game-high 20 points while Tafari Toney scored 17.

Worthing Thunder also won by a 12-point margin, defeating hosts London Capital 62-50, thanks to Ville Makalainen's 22-point haul.

Cheshire Jets won a BBL Cup encounter at Glasgow Rocks - Shawn Myers and Paul Peterson inspiring them to a 78-73 victory.