Lowery questions Phoenix's Finals spot

The South East Melbourne Phoenix are struggling to find consistency and NBL analyst Damon Lowery isn't sure if they will make the Finals.

On the latest episode of NBL Now, Lowery believes the fifth-on-the-ladder Phoenix need to get on a winning streak before calling out the doubters, like they did after the Christmas win over Tasmania. South East Melbourne followed that win with a defeat to Brisbane on Saturday night.

“The Phoenix get all feisty when they get a good win, and start chirping a little bit, then turn around and take an L. So string some together before you start yapping,” Lowery said.

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Lowery thinks we will see the Phoenix's true colours in the coming weeks, as the fight for Play-In spots heats up.

“Right now, the Phoenix are sliding down out of that six, and I don’t have them making it when it comes to real time," he said.

“Adversity comes for everybody, all adversity.

“When it shows up on your doorstep South East Melbourne Phoenix, now we find out your true character.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">? Hear from Mike Kelly and Owen Foxwell after the loss to the Bullets in Brisbane on Saturday night. <a href="https://t.co/nbeCcXj2CY">pic.twitter.com/nbeCcXj2CY</a></p>&mdash; South East Melbourne Phoenix (@SEMelbPhoenix) <a href="https://twitter.com/SEMelbPhoenix/status/1741065989411025142?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

New import Abdel Nader has been impactful, but Lowery has seen some consistency issues that have caused him to be up-and-down in games.

Leader Mitch Creek missed three games due to a knee complaint, but couldn’t help his team get over the hump in their 95-83 loss to the Bullets, scoring 11 points in his 35 minutes.

“They’re compromised. [Abdel] Nader - he hasn’t played in a couple years, shows some glimpses but you fall out of games, is that to be expected? I think you should never fall out of a game,” Lowery said.

“Mitch Creek comes back after missing three games and you get 11 (points), is it an excuse to get 11 points because you missed three games? Some people might say it is, I say no, it’s not enough."

Lowery acknowledged MVP candidate Alan Williams’ fight to battle through a knee injury suffered against the Bullets, “then you’ve got Sauce [Williams], who’s injury hopefully isn’t too bad, but to his credit he battled through, and he’s a warrior”.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NBL24 is getting closer ? <br><br>Are you happy with where your team sits on the ladder after 13 Rounds? ?<br><br>Download the NBL App for live scores and stats ? <a href="https://t.co/iBJpY9G9VB">pic.twitter.com/iBJpY9G9VB</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1741743761062007053?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

A quick turnaround needs to happen for the Phoenix, facing a red-hot Illawarra Hawks on Friday night at 7:30pm AEDT. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN via Kayo.