Four late three-pointers despite being ice cold all night were enough for the Perth Wildcats to see off the charge of the Adelaide 36ers at RAC Arena for the 82-75 victory.
Despite missing all 14 of their three-point attempts in the first half, Perth were in control of the contest until the winless and under pressure Sixers came out firing in the second half.
They did briefly grab the lead on a couple of occasions led by centre Isaac Humphries (18 points, four rebounds, three assists, three blocks), but it was huge three-point bombs that iced the game for the ‘Cats.
Despite having gone 2-of-23 up to that point, Bryce Cotton and Corey Webster knocked down one each before expected high NBA draft pick Alex Sarr hit two of them to secure the seven-point home win.
Cotton led Perth’s charge again with 19 points and five assists with Sarr adding 16 points, six rebounds and two blocks, and Jordan Usher 16 points and five boards.
Despite fouling out in just 21 and-a-half minutes, Keanu Pinder added 10 points and seven rebounds with Webster scoring 11 crucial points.
Wildcats coach John Rillie was especially with the responsibility his players took after Sunday’s loss to the South East Melbourne Phoenix.
“This was a great week for our team,” Rillie said. “I had several guys let me know through taking their own accountability for their own performance.
“So when you have guys who take accountability for what they do, I think you have a chance to have a special team.”
Jason Cadee started for Adelaide and delivered 13 points and four assists with Jacob Wiley contributing 13 points, six rebounds and four assists, and Trey Kell III 10 points, five boards and four assists. Adelaide coach CJ Bruton took the positives heading into Sunday’s road trip to the defending champion Sydney Kings.
“It’s disappointing again not to come away with a win but if I’m being honest, I thought this game was a little better,” Bruton said.
“We do some things at the right time and we have some brain freezes other times, but I thought our effort and attention to go get it done in the second half was so much better than where it’s been.”
Even without being able to hit from downtown, Perth appeared in cruise control much of the first half going on a 10-0 run in the first quarter on the way to the 28-17 lead after one.
It remained a 13-point game at the half despite the Wildcats missing all 14 of their three-point attempts but the 10 Adelaide turnovers and 16 free-throws to Perth made up for that.
Eventually Cotton hit the first triple for Perth early in the second half but Adelaide had come out motivated staring down the 0-3 start.
A Cadee three-point play gave the Sixers the lead briefly and it was a tight battle the rest of the way, but ultimately it was three-point shots from Perth that sealed the deal. Cotton and Webster hit one each, and then Sarr hit two of them to give the ‘Cats the win.
Doyle propels JackJumpers past Kings
The poise of Milton Doyle and a surge either side of halftime have boosted the Tasmania JackJumpers to a 80-72 victory over NBL defending champions the Sydney Kings, thrilling home fans.
While Next Star Alex Toohey was superb for the Kings with 14 first-half points and returning 2021-22 MVP Jaylen Adams had 14 points in the third quarter, the JackJumpers had more consistent weapons, with Doyle leading the Friday night charge.
Doyle scored 11 of 14 consecutive points for Tasmania either side of half-time at a soldout MyState Bank Arena and the JackJumpers never trailed again despite the threat posed by Adams.
Tasmania went on to win in trademark fashion, having claimed 20 offensive rebounds to take nine extra shots and four more free-throws, while Doyle finished with 21 points and three assists.
New point guard Jordon Crawford had 15 points and four assists for the JackJumpers, with Jack McVeigh contributing 13 points and six rebounds.
JackJumpers coach Scott Roth was delighted with the response from his team after last week’s first-up loss to the Wildcats in Perth.
“It was more what we expect from ourselves in general,” Roth said. “You have to defend if you want to advance into the playoffs and have the chance to do that, and we came back and showed our colours a little better here.
“To start off obviously at home in this situation and to defend the island was our No.1 goal and to start the season with a home victory is really nice.”
There were encouraging signs for the Kings, especially the second-half form of Adams. He finished with 21 points, four assists and three steals.
Jaylin Galloway continued to grow with 11 points while Jonah Bolden contributed 10 points and eight rebounds in his second game for the Kings following their opening win over Illawarra Hawks.
Bolden hadn’t played professionally since a short stint in the NBA at the Phoenix Suns in February, 2020, but is feeling more comfortable every day.
“Coming back to this level, the game moves a little bit faster than you think and I’m dealing with it a lot better now,” he said. “It’s just that mental part of coming back and getting used to playing in a new system that takes some time.”
Sydney led 19-18 after the first quarter, then it was Toohey who got them going in the second. The 19-year-old hit two threes as he scored eight quick points to help the Kings to a five-point edge.
However, Doyle took over from there for Tasmania.
He scored the last eight points of the half and with the JackJumpers hitting six threes for the second quarter, the home team led 48-40 at the break.
Triples from Crawford and Doyle after Sydney turnovers to start the second half and suddenly the JackJumpers were up by 14, but Adams scored 14 points in the rest of the third quarter to keep the visitors within seven.
Threes from Sean Macdonald and Clint Steindl to start the fourth put Tasmania back up by 13 and they saw out the win strongly.
Taipans beat Phoenix after Cook suffers eye injury
The Cairns Taipans are on the board this NBL season after an 87-80 defeat of South East Melbourne Phoenix, who were rocked by an eye injury to import Tyler Cook.
Swedish-born Next Star Bobi Klintman (15 points, 11 rebounds) shone for Cairns as they seized control about the time Cook left the court in Thursday night’s home game.
The Taipans took a one-point lead just before Cook’s injury in the second quarter and never surrendered their advantage, despite the Phoenix putting up a fight early in the fourth.
Taipans import Patrick Miller (23 points, eight assists) was also important in a win that was only confirmed when Lat Mayen hit two threes in the final four minutes to blow out the lead.
“We were playing great defence, following the game plan, doing what coach wanted us to do and we got the ‘W’ (win). It was good,” Klintman said.
Cairns big man Sam Waardenburg accidentally poked Cook in the eye as the American went up for a shot in the minutes before half-time.
The 26-year-old fell down immediately in intense pain and left the court with the assistance of Phoenix staff. Cook bled from his eye and reacted badly to eye-drops, so he played no further part in the game.
After the match, coach Mike Kelly was unsure as to the severity of his injury. “I know it hurt him enough to not be able to continue,” he said.
Phoenix captain Mitch Creek appeared to question why no foul was paid, despite the contact from Waardenburg.
“I think one of the mosquitoes from Cairns flew in his eye and he’s getting checked out now,” Creek said. “It doesn’t matter what we think, it doesn’t matter what did or didn’t happen. A man’s … in hospital getting checked out for no reason, really.
“It’s unfortunate, we don’t want to see our players hurt.”
Himself an injury replacement for import Alan Williams (knee), Cook went down after Will Cummings copped a knock in the first quarter and left the court bleeding from his mouth.
Cummings was able to return later in the match, but with Williams, Cook and Craig Moller (virus) missing, the Phoenix were vulnerable to a Klintman-inspired surge.
The Phoenix had started the second quarter on a 10-1 run, but lost Cook during a 9-0 streak the other way.
Klintman, Cairns’ 208cm NBA draft prospect, nailed a corner three in the second quarter and ripped the ball from Rhys Vague’s hands before tearing away to dunk.
“This is why we were desperate to get him here. He ticks so many boxes for us,” said Taipans coach Adam Forde. “It’s just cool that he’s here and we can be part of his journey so when he becomes big-time, we can say we were there for the start.”
Three-pointers to Gary Browne either side of three-quarter time helped pull South East Melbourne to within four points in the final quarter.
Creek (20 points, eight rebounds) was also big for the visitors, but the gap proved too mighty to close. Reuben Te Rangi fouling out in the final quarter certainly did not help either.
The Taipans’ win comes after they fell to the New Zealand Breakers in their first game of the season, while the Phoenix are now 1-2 ahead of Saturday’s clash with Illawarra.
Sobey shines as Bullets beat Breakers
Nathan Sobey has starred for the Brisbane Bullets in a nailbiting 89-85 defeat of reigning runners-up the New Zealand Breakers, a victory that confirms positive signs for the long-time NBL strugglers.
The Bullets have not made the play-offs since 2019 and finished ninth last season, but are now 2-0 to start Justin Schueller’s tenure as coach after a physical encounter in Auckland.
Sobey pitched in a game-high 24 points on Thursday night, including a memorable dunk that gave the Bullets a four-point lead on the half-time hooter.
The Boomers representative stood up late with six fourth-quarter points, and by the end of the game he was closing in on a double-double with eight rebounds, as well as six assists.
American Chris Smith stepped back for a deep two-pointer in the final 13 seconds that gave the Bullets a four-point lead and sealed the win. “To be 2-0 to start the season feels great for now,” Sobey said.
“We’ll definitely take the wins and keep building from it, but with the group we have we’re not going to be satisfied.
“We’re hungry, we’ve got a group of guys that just want to get better, hang their hats on the defensive end and get out and play the right way and play for each other. That’s the biggest difference (compared to last year).”
Neither side held a double-digit lead at any point, though the Bullets felt the better team for long stretches. That was especially true in the first half, when the Breakers were sluggish on the offensive end and foul-prone.
Diminutive American guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright (20 points, five assists) backed up an impressive NBL debut by keeping the Breakers in the contest early.
His one-two punch with fellow guard Will McDowell-White looks as though it will be crucial for the Breakers this season. The pair combined for almost half of the Breakers’ points on Thursday (39), but Mitch Norton did a great job quelling Jackson-Cartwright’s influence after half-time.
In the end, the Breakers were left to rue gifting the Bullets 20 points from the free-throw line.
“This is indicative of us playing soft on both sides of the court,” said Breakers coach Mody Maor. “We never played with the appropriate intensity. We’re better than this. We didn’t deserve this win.”
The Breakers are 1-1 to start the season and now travel to America for two pre-season games against NBA teams Portland and Utah next week.
Finn Delany missed the loss to Brisbane with a groin issue and is unlikely to feature on the American trip, which Maor said could be a blessing or a curse for the Breakers.
© AAP
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