Category: NBL

After a touch up on the glass in the "Jungle", the former King must reclaim his throne for the Sixers tonight - photo by The West

When: 4:30pm (ACDT), Sunday, 10th December

Where: Titanium Security Arena, Adelaide

Broadcast: NBL TV, Fox Sports, Sky Sports

 

Last time they met:

Round 18 (2016/17): Adelaide 36ers 87 (Johnson 19, Randle 16, Hodgson 14) defeated by New Zealand Breakers 88 (Penney 21, Dillard 20, Loe 15) at Titanium Security Arena

 

CROSS OVER DRIBBLE FLASHBACK:

ROUND 7, 2007/08: ADELAIDE 36ERS VS NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS    

We flashback to one of the matches where the season for the 36ers was a changing of the guard as they finished the time of being at the top of the ladder and the Breakers after some lean years were beginning to emerge as the basketball powerhouse of the 2010s in the NBL. The match featured players on opposite sides of their original clubs in Oscar Forman now a Breaker and little did we know then he’d be on his way to be a 400 plus gamer. The other Mike Chappell who we know at full fitness would have been a powerhouse in a case of the 36ers having missed many imports just in their prime.

The kiwi sharp shooter Phill Jones made life difficult early for the 36ers but there was some others that were making it harder for the Breakers. In an entertaining opening quarter, the 36ers led by three 26-23. Adelaide continued to utilise the original pick and pop man in import Adam Ballinger who constantly found space despite close monitoring by the “Bear” Tony Ronaldson. Ronaldson too was finding his nasty habit of doing anything on the scoring front in black, teal, blue and white since 1995. The 36ers led 49-39 and had a healthy margin heading into the third.

Again Jones and after missing many shot early from beyond the perimeter, Tall Black international Kirk Penney begun to find his range. Add the inconsistent but highly skilled Wayne Turner and Adelaide were being charged down but through the usual suspects of Brett Maher, Ballinger and their tenacious guard Brad Davidson the men in dark blue and red held the margin at ten, 69-59. The last quarter was dominated by Ballinger again and the Sixers as they ran away with it by 17 points.

Adelaide 36ers 87 (Ballinger 26, Maher 19, Davidson 14) defeated New Zealand Breakers 70 (Jones 14, Ronaldson 12, Turner 9) at the Distinctive Homes Dome

 

Key Match-Ups:

Shannon Shorter vs. Edgar Sosa

Shorter had his first taste of the “Jungle” on Friday night and now he would know what intensity he needs to play at week in, week out for the Sixers to go with the premier guards in the competition. Part two of the dual doesn’t come much tougher than the next opponent who is still vastly underrated.

Sosa is one of the new imports on the scene and while there are plenty of “MVP” established ones, he is quickly coming into people’s conversation. Sosa has taken the Breakers from bottom contender to out right favourite for the championship and the Dominican guard can take another step forward by getting the Sixers scalp on their home court. Here’s hoping Shorter can contain his influence in the game.

 

Josh Childress vs. Mika Vukona

With Creek likely sidelined with injury it is time for the former King to retake his throne and dominate the game tonight. Everyone knows what Childress is capable of and that will have Breakers coach Paul Henare worried about his match-ups for the swing-man.

After getting a pant-sing from Lucas “Sky” Walker and the Wildcats on the rebounds Friday night, coach Joey Wright will be reinforcing the absolute necessity of keeping the physical players off the glass including the kiwi veteran Vukona.

You really feel like if these two match each others aggression then this will be a contest worth watching down in the low post.

 

RAMONE MOORE VS. SHEA ILI

As a basketball lover you have to really enjoy the work Moore has done for the Sixers this season as the bench spark. He’s played the perfect role for the Sixers giving them what they need at any point of the match. Watch out for his pull-up jumper if his feet get set either on transition or finding the ball off cuts through the key-way. He also has an important defensive assignment.

Ili is no doubt the raging favourite for most improved player highlighted by his ability to play such productive minutes late in games. His last few minutes in Perth a few weeks ago were class and the Sixers will need to watch out for the momentum he creates while the two import guards sit.

 

The Last Play

Sadly the Sixers failed the first real test of the season falling to the Wildcats but they weren’t far off compared to other sides. The Sixers should be stung by the fact that the last time the Breakers came they got a one point win and Wright was ejected from the game in controversial circumstances. Another test despite being at home looms for Adelaide with the “travelling” Breakers flying on the road.

Henare knows what he needs to do to win this one but both teams having only met once are very different to the unsettled groups that met last month so Wright has aces up his sleeve as well. For me there is one player that makes the difference in this game of pretty even match-ups, Childress. If he dominates the small forward and power forward position against the Breakers, then Adelaide can protect their home floor with a crucial victory.

A tight one it will be but Adelaide simply have to win if they want to stay with the top two teams heading towards Christmas.

36ers by 4 points

Creek started the week dunking and playing some of the most physical basketball seen for Australia since Andrew Vlahov and finished the week doing the same against the Brisbane Bullets. Photo by The Wimmera Mail-Times

The Sixers donned in white with many old away jerseys spotted in the crowd from over thirty years of history  started the contest with a bang particularly through under-pressure home performer Daniel Johnson. DJ scored the first 5 points of the game making smart decisions on offence but the Bullets through Perrin Buford who alley-oop slammed off the inbound levelled the scores early before Matt Hodgson threw the sledgehammer down at the other end with some authority. The game ebbed and flowed early while Daniel Kickert and Anthony Drmic resumed hostilities in small bumps but Josh Childress clearly better locked into Adelaide’s plays started his influence early with 5 points in early minutes. Stephen Holt hit a triple, Majok Deng produced a long mid-range bank shot and then a crucial offence rebound to got to the stripe. The Bullets leading by one after an entertaining opening quarter, 24-25.

Creek got the lead back early in the second before Hodgson denied Mitch Young but former Sixer Adam Gibson back from injury then nailed his second triple of the match. Some quality defence from Creek and Hodgson led to a fast break two hander dunk for Nathan Sobey with the in his prime Charles Thomas lift the feet under the backboard finish. The Bullets through Travis Trice pushed the margin out to 8 points before a couple of euro steps resulted in points for Shannon Shorter and Sobey cutting it back to 4 points. Drmic nailed a triple, Buford finished strong twice and the Bullets pushed it back out again. Creek went skating on the ice finishing with the non-preferred but the Bullets led the match 45-49 at the break.

Kickert kicked off the third before Creek blocked Buford then nailed a triple at the other end. Sobey then gave the Sixers the lead before coming from the clouds to reject Young at the other end. Reuben Te Rangi halted the run before Gibson “took the chair” out from under Creek and then scored the two at the other end. Drmic then dropped another bomb and Childress split the Bullets in half for a deuce. Te Rangi continued to enjoy a purple patch quarter before Kickert then took a couple of Sixers into the block but a flop technical on Holt had the Sixers within 3 points at the end of the third, 61-64.

Childress started the last aggressively before Kickert hit “his” layup from deep twice. Sobey then shook Tom Jervis for a jaw dropping lay-up before Gibson dropped a long two and Buford hit a spin-around two to have the Bullets out to a game high nine points with 5:00 left. Drmic then came up good from deep again to get the Sixers back within 6 points before the Sixers switched to a 1-3-1 zone defence. It paid off as Creek finished with the two handed slam off the Childress steal. A 9-0 run to the Sixers forced timeout from the Bullets. Trice then dropped the dagger to push it out to 3 points again before Creek hit a runner to cut it to one. Childress then cut through the lane weaving his way through as the wily NBA veteran he is to the charity stripe. He dropped two to get them in front by one but Jervis found a mismatch and with 31 seconds left in the game the Bullets led by one point. Enter Creek who off a magnificently drawn up play sliced through the lane to give the lead to the Sixers. The Sixers forced Gibson into a runner, then the offensive put back was denied by Childress off the rim which jarred out to Te Rangi who rimmed the game winner, the Sixers home in dramatic style by one point, 84-83.

Creek led the way for both teams with 23 points at 78 percent and 4 rebounds and including his energy lifted the team across the line while Childress played his best game for the Sixers this season with 16 points at 66 percent and 5 rebounds.

The Bullets had multiple contributors with Trice and Kickert both registering 18 points and 3 assists while Buford nearly became another opposition small forward to get a double double at the Fortress with 15 points and 9 rebounds.

The Bullets next up have a tough stretch beginning with a New Zealand Breakers team desperate to restart their winning streak tomorrow afternoon at their home of the Armoury while the Sixers will take on the toughest assignment in the NBL, the Perth Wildcats at the Jungle next Friday night. If the Sixers can put all the pieces together and DJ can pretend the Jungle is his home arena again, perhaps the Sixers can start to make it tough for the other teams in the league and start to take a stranglehold on third position on the ladder.

One things for sure, last night we saw what a combination of Creek and Childress could do for the Sixers script this season and looking forward, it looks exciting and a real page turner.

If you are heading to the "House of White" tonight, these players are worth the price of admission. Photo by Zimbio

 

When: 7:00pm (ACDT), Saturday, 1st December

Where: Titanium Security Arena, Adelaide

Broadcast: NBL TV, Fox Sports, Sky Sports, ABC (Delayed 10:50pm)

 

Last time they met:

Round 16 (2016/17): Adelaide 36ers 101 (Randle 22, Creek 15, Sobey, Ferguson, Johnson 13) defeated Brisbane Bullets 68 (Kickert 20) at Titanium Security Arena

 

CROSS OVER DRIBBLE FLASHBACK:

ROUND 9, 2002/03: BRISBANE BULLETS VS ADELAIDE 36ERS    

We flashback to another moment in coach Joey Wright’s career as he coaches the Bullets for the first time at home also showing his knack for choosing explosive imports that can make a side a contender. Wright had new power forward suit up for the game with an injury to one of the best “names” in the game Bobby Brannen (although I think Rick Rickert is up there too) in Kevin Freeman. It would possibly be a tough battle for Freeman against some experience in the 36ers front court of Martin Cattalini and Paul Rees, but he strung it together right from tip-off.

Damian Ryan the three bomb specialist was on fire early as was Freeman but a combination of a “Lazarus” out of bed Brett Maher and Jacob Holmes had the 36ers up by 3 at the first change. The enigmatic Matt Illman caught fire from the perimeter with three triples in the second before veteran NBL player Simon Kerle found his range with the Sixers leading 56-48 at half time.

The third was lead by another championship import guard in Charles Thomas while Ben Castle was racking up more fouls than a chicken coop. The 36ers holding a three point lead going into the final stanza, Freeman with 22 in the game.

Thomas continued to prove a headache for the Bullets while Randy Rutherford was struggling from the field finally nailed a triple for one from twelve from beyond the arc. The Sixers led in the last few minutes not before the “Cat” and the “Truck” Troy Pilon had a tango then Pilon banked an unlikely triple to cut it to two. Maher sealed it in the last minute with some smart plays to give the Sixers a solid road win.

Despite the Sixers win, Freeman was outstanding with 30 points and 17 rebounds on debut at home for the Bullets signalling his arrival in the NBL as a force.

Adelaide 36ers 96 (Maher 21, C Thomas, Cattalini 17, Illman 11) defeated Brisbane Bullets 91 (Freeman 30, Ryan 16, Helliwell 11) at the Brisbane Convention Centre 

 

Key Match-Ups:

Shannon Shorter vs. Travis Trice

Shorter since a downer against the Hawks has looked the goods and shown he has slotted into the chemistry of Wright’s side. I expect once again that he’ll try and take Trice into the post but will find it slightly more difficult with the Bullets switching their guards on defence constantly between Holt and Trice.

Trice if you remember hit the game winning shot in Adelaide last season and continues to show size doesn’t matter. He’s a different type of scorer that can get to positions quickly off the ball and also finish with contact rolling through the lane. He’s a tough cover for the Sixers so I expect the guards will monitor where he is on the court at all times.

 

Mitch Creek vs. Perrin Buford

Creek has been flying in the last few months and it showed as he scored valuable minutes against Japan with the Boomers and proved to be one of Andre Lemanis’s most important players in their two game fixture of the FIBA qualifiers. With the confidence of a looming position on the roster when the NBA players come to play, Creek can remind Lemanis once again his value at both ends and be Australia’s next enforcer.

Buford has been the perfect replacement for Torrey Craig and perhaps the same destination the latter headed is where the “lead-man” is working towards. Buford is tearing up our league all be it in a quiet manner and while he doesn’t have the star profile of Prather and Tokoto, 16.9 points, 7 rebounds and a block a game tell the story.

If you are heading to the “House of White” tonight, these players are worth the price of admission.

 

Daniel Johnson vs Daniel Kickert

Once again for the basketball purists, we’ll see two of the best exponents of the pick and pop method.

DJ in home games is having some heat placed on him and needs to become more of a factor for the Sixers particularly with this match-up. I’d really love to see DJ create in transition but in the half court take the pick and pop option simply without overusing the basketball. Good positions and adjustments on this should see him score more than 15 in the game.

Kickert has already had a practice run for this match with 22 against Japan including a mountain of triple makes so it’s fair to say his eye is already in before tonight. The Sixers will need to watch him as he’s constantly been a threat averaging a solid 13.8 pts per game vs Adelaide since returning to the NBL from Saint Mary’s. If Andersen isn’t around for Boomers selection, Kickert is emerging as fair substitute.

In games between the two they nearly average 100 percent together from the three point line (50 and 46 respectively).

 

The Last Play

The first FIBA window is done and these two teams are very much already punching for the top four positions in their first hit out for the season.

This series looms as an important one in sorting out the mid-table of the NBL season and the Sixers will be keen to claim game one of this season series. Lemanis has changed the style of the side to an aggressive attacking style led by the three imports but the rebounding seems to lack the power of previous seasons. The Sixers board-men Hodgson, Creek, Childress and Johnson look in form and that’ll spell trouble for the Bullets.

It’ll take a special effort from the Bullets pine in former Sixers Anthony Petrie and Adam Gibson (who should suit up according to sources) to support the starting quintet but the Sixers depth will be too much and they should get a valuable win in the context of the season, and that’ll be a shot in the confidence arm.

36ers by 14 points