The usual post-Halloween nightmare of Casper Ware scored 11 of his 14 points in the final 10 minutes when it mattered most - Photo by Getty Images
THE WRAP Q BY Q
The Sixers stunned the Kings with a 6-0 run to open the game with Eric Griffin putting on a glass display early before DJ turned Bogut inside out for a turnaround J. Jack McVeigh responded to his substitution in with a triple right in front of his team-mates bench before a mini-comeback led by Andrew Bogut started to shorten the margin. An unsportsmanlike foul on Obi Kyei tangling with Bogut was fairly adjudicated before Jerome Randle took the Sixers back out again with some buckets rewarding the Sixers defensive end of the floor as they led 24-12 at quarter time.
A 6-26 run from the Kings stunned the Sixers in the second led by import Jae’Sean Tate and Bogut with a Shaun Bruce triple having the Sixers tumble from their early seat on the throne. The Sixers then jumped onto a 7-0 run before the Kings levelled things up through the hot shooting Brazilian tearing strips of the Sixers in next stars Didi Louzada. The Sixers just behind the Kings after conceding 33 points for the quarter 43-45 at the half.
Anthony Drmic lifted the energy early in the third but Bogut’s influence including rejecting Kyei was telling in the match. A nervous moment came for Bogut with then what looked like Bogut’s second unsportsmanlike foul but the video review system found Tate had stolen it off him seconds before which saved Bogut from his second unsportsmanlike foul. Randle went to work to keep the edge on the Kings with the Sixers still trailing at the final change 60-69.
DJ came to life finally as he dropped 8 points in consecutive possesions but even the crowd was raised from their seats as a crazy crossover from Louzada to Tate for the alley-oop jam was warmly appreciated despite the Sixers need for a comeback. Ramone Moore was rolling mid-rangers like shelling peas and DJ was becoming the man that was starting to give the Kings sagging defence headaches. Tate got one on the offensive boards then found a mostly quiet Casper Ware battling a sore ankle open for a massive triple to tie the scores with 45.8 seconds to go. Pick and roll with DJ was the play with Randle slashing through but Tate denied him with the rim protection before Ware gave up an offensive foul at the other end. The last play was drawn up with Randle firing up a contested triple, then DJ had the reverse contested layup with Drmic getting the third board of the play and nearly getting the tip in as the game went to extra bang for your buck 86-86 into overtime.
Bogut dropped the hammer to open the period before a long stretch of almost scores with Randle pushing the Sixers out 91-90. Louzada brilliance, Ware with a trademark “I’m sinking Adelaide in Adelaide again” iso bucket and Brad Newley from the free throw line iced the game before Moore got a late long triple. The Sixers were left to rue their chances they had oh so close with the Kings remaining undefeated 98-96.
COACH SPEAK
Sixers Coach Joey Wright rued the chances his team had to topple the undefeated Kings but was overall proud of the effort, “They were too good in overtime and the difference was that they made their shots and we missed shots that we would normally make. There’s a reason why they are undefeated and the top team in the competition,” Wright said. “We had our chances to win in regulation time and Drmic and Johnson had a chance to win it for us but we couldn’t do it in the end. I told the boys to keep their head up, we played as hard as we could and hopefully we can turn things against Melbourne.”
Kings Coach Will Weaver was warmly receptive of his team’s effort defensively when they were challenged in the fourth and overtime period, “This what I love about our team so much they show great composure,” Weaver said. “Defensively we were really good in overtime and Casper Ware might not have had the best shooting night but he did some great things for us tonight.”
DO THE STATS LIE?
Daniel Johnson normally the thorn in the side of Bogut was contained for majority of the game held to just 4 points at three quarter time. In the final quarter he exploded for 13 points in a huge momentum shift for the Sixers. The rhythm the Sixers normally find from the free throw line was disrupted as they were limited to 19 attempts and shot only 68.4 percent from the charity stripe. The Sixers were also limited to 11 fast break points and although they had the “Sixers spread” going its one of the rare games they have lost despite having six scorers in double figures but only had 7 more points from the bench on-top of those scorers.
The Kings stuck to their gameplan keeping the Sixers off the glass with a whopping 71 rebounds to 61. They also despite a match percentage of 25.6 from the perimeter hit just under 45 percent from there in the fourth quarter and overtime when it mattered with Ware and Louzada finding money from the land of plenty. Lucas Walker had an interesting night racking up more fouls than minutes with four, at least he got a bucket to go with it.
WHATS NEXT FOR THE SIXERS
The Sixers missed a golden opportunity to dethrone the Kings but it is fair to say the team has got the right chemistry and personnel this years after watching them for five rounds. The improvements came where they exactly needed to from Anthony Drmic consistently averaging 9.2 ppg and 6.7 rpg, Ramone Moore being a more offensive threat his average up by 6 points per game to 13.8 ppg and the step-up of Jack McVeigh to 9.2 ppg and extended minutes. So we have a team that is competing but the real test with a run of United in Melbourne next week, Wildcats at home then Phoenix again in Melbourne will see if the Sixers are competing in the top four or fighting for a spot in the four.
I am liking the Sixers after five rounds and if we can turn the Ken Cole-sseum or “The Nest” into a passionate environment that we can defend as fans, they are every chance to be amongst the best in the NBL come the latter part of the season…
ADELAIDE 36ERS 96 (RANDLE 23, MOORE 18, D JOHNSON 17, DRMIC 11, FROLING, GRIFFIN 10) LOST TO SYDNEY KINGS 98 (BOGUT 18, LOUZADA 17, TATE 16, NEWLEY 15, WARE 14) IN OVERTIME
*This article is a duplicate of an article written for publishing for And The Foul.net and may appear before or after publishing
CROSS OVER DRIBBLE 