JLA fires back after ‘letting the team down’

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr delivered when it mattered most on Saturday night, producing a match-winning performance for the Perth Wildcats in their Play-In victory, while also backing coach John Rillie amid what he described as unfair criticism.

The big man responded emphatically in the 95–77 win over Melbourne United at RAC Arena, helping Perth overturn a nine-point half-time deficit as the Wildcats dominated the second half, 51–24.

It was a significant turnaround for Lual-Acuil Jr, who had been frustrated with his own performance just days earlier. Foul trouble limited him to only 17 minutes in Wednesday’s game, where he finished with 11 points and six rebounds on 4/6 shooting.

Determined to make amends against his former team, he set the tone early on Saturday, scoring 13 of Perth’s 44 first-half points.

From there, he took control.

Lual-Acuil Jr finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds on 11/17 shooting, while his defensive presence proved just as influential. Alongside four blocked shots, he consistently altered or deterred Melbourne’s attempts in the paint.

“I kinda feel like I backed myself into a corner mentally a little bit coming into this game and I know I need to be out there for the team to be able to be successful,” Lual-Acuil Jr said.

“To speak as candidly as possible, I think I let the team down last game, so I put a lot of pressure on myself to come here tonight and perform.

“I never get too high and never get too low with things, and my approach always stays the same and the outcome's the outcome, but I like myself when I'm backed into a corner.”

A strange narrative emerged following the Wildcats’ loss to South East Melbourne on Wednesday night, with John Rillie criticised for travelling with the Australian Boomers for World Cup Asian Qualifiers in Guam and the Philippines.

Rillie wasn’t eager to dwell on the half-time adjustments that helped spark Perth’s match-winning turnaround on Saturday night, but he made it clear he would never pass up the opportunity to represent Australia.

"You go and ask the experts that thought me being in the Philippines representing my country was a bad idea, and see what they say about that and I'll roll with their answers, because they're the experts in these moments," Rillie said.

"No at all (offended by the criticism), you get to represent your country and I have confidence in our group, and our staff, about what we can achieve so it actually gives me pride in being able to leave and feel confident that we can keep moving in the right direction, and I'll leave those comments for the experts."

Lual-Acuil Jr went even further, strongly backing his coach while calling for Rillie to receive greater respect for the work he has done in Perth.

"We have full faith in JR and I feel like he doesn’t get the credit he deserves when you look at his win percentage of what he's done here to now. I think it's easy for people to talk from the outside but he's one of the best coaches in the league," Lual-Acuil Jr said.

"I think he needs to start being treated as such and being respected as one of the best coaches in the league as well, and me and JR have a great relationship, but just seeing how he manages everybody individually, you can go down the roster and he has a good relationship with everybody.

"He genuinely cares about his players and his approach when our backs are against the wall and if you want to call it a foxhole, if there's one person I'd pick to be in there with me, it's JR."

The Wildcats now turn their attention to a Playoff Series against the Sydney Kings, the only team they were unable to beat during the regular season.

Sydney finished the campaign in top spot on an 11-game winning streak and have not played since February 20.

Lual-Acuil Jr knows few are giving Perth much chance heading into the series.

"They've already been crowned champions and we haven’t beaten them, so we have no chance," Lual-Acuil Jr joked.

"I will say that our group is very excited about playing Sydney and we'll see how the series goes."