Preview: Adelaide v Perth (Round 6)

Sunday, November 6, 2022

Adelaide found some selfless mojo in their Wollongong win, but can they stand firm against a proud Perth franchise looking to break a five-game losing streak?

When: 8pm (AEDT), Saturday 5 November, 2022
Where: Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Broadcast: ESPN; Kayo; Foxtel, Sky NZ
Live scores & stats

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">? INJURY UPDATE ?<br>Craig Randall II (bruised sternum) has passed his fitness test & will play tonight against the Perth Wildcats.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreSixers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreSixers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SwoopTheHoop?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SwoopTheHoop</a> <a href="https://t.co/awLj8DdEZb">pic.twitter.com/awLj8DdEZb</a></p>— Adelaide 36ers (@Adelaide36ers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Adelaide36ers/status/1588709526345506816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Who won last time?

Adelaide 92 (Dech 23, Hannahs 23, Johnson 23) d Perth 80 (Law 20, Hodgson 16) – Round 20, NBL22 at RAC Arena, Perth

The 36ers travelled to Perth with their NBL22 season all but done and played spoiler to perfection, keeping Bryce Cotton to just seven points on only four three-point attempts, running hard off 'Cats cough-ups and running up 92 points on the back of Sunday Dech, Dusty Hannahs and Daniel Johnson all scoring 23 to put Perth’s playoff streak on edge.

What happened last game?

Unfortunately for the Red Army, there is a new streak in town, a five-game losing skid for the first time since 2005. They have been close in all their home losses, but the two road Ls in that stretch have been by a combined 48 points. John Rillie’s men must find some fight in Adelaide. The 36ers haven't been great in the City of Churches, thrashed by Tasmania and New Zealand. They showed a new selfless side to their offence in Wollongong on Thursday though, and a repeat of that ball movement should help them expose Perth’s inconsistent D.

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What’s working?

Big boy bonds – As Adelaide made their decisive fourth-quarter run in the Gong, Robert Franks’ three-point attempt went wide, but Daniel Johnson muscled Sam Froling out of the way and tipped it in. The Hawks called time-out and Franks gave DJ a big high five and enthusiastic pat on the butt. That moment typified this frontcourt duo’s bond on the night, combining for 53 points, 13 boards and eight assists, four of which were to each other. If that connection continues, this dynamic inside-outside duo will be hard to contain.

Bryce Cotton – It was a pleasure to watch the three-time MVP hit a string on unguardable shots on Thursday. The problem for Perth fans is Bryce had 23 points at 50 per cent and five assists through their team’s high-quality opening three periods, but just three points on one shot attempt and one dime in the terminal final term. The Wildcats of old used Cotton as a decoy earlier in games, allowing their superstar to shine at the most important time.

What needs stopping?

Overplaying Bryce – While teams getting in a rhythm guarding Bryce possession after possession is one factor in his late game struggles – he is averaging 14.9 points at 57 per cent in first halves and 7.4 points at 29 per cent after interval – a lack of rest is also critical, with Cotton averaging just shy of 18 minutes in second halves, including 18:27 on Thursday. Coach Rillie needs some trusted sets that can get scores without Bryce on the floor.

Fuelling the fire – Adelaide’s passing was spectacular on Thursday, racking up 25 assists on 36 made field goals, with Mitch McCarron, Antonius Cleveland, Johnson and Franks dealing 19. They also coughed up 17 turnovers though, giving the Hawks plenty of help, and are second-worst in the NBL in that category with 16.3. In their three losses, opponents have averaged 26.3 points from turnovers, compared to 15.7 in three Ws.

Who’s matching up?

Antonius Cleveland & Sunday Dech v Bryce Cotton – Bryce is in serious form, averaging 24ppg at 50 per cent from deep and 5.7apg in his past three games. He’s had great battles with former teammate Dech, who helped hold him to seven points last time the teams met. Sunday will team up with Cleveland to wear Perth’s superstar down, denial the key as the Cats will make Daniel Johnson and Kai Sotto defend the other side of the screen.

Robert Franks & Daniel Johnson v TaShawn Thomas & Brady Manek – Both frontcourt combos are the yin and the yang, Franks and Thomas both versatile scorers who can make plays off the catch, bounce or post-feed. Johnson and Manek are the floor-spreaders, high IQ players who can punish defensive mistakes. The difference is DJ is shooting 44 per cent from three, Brady just 27. Can the rookie import get on the o-boards and defend Johnson without fouling? And can Perth find Thomas more to utilise his finishing and passing skills?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tl" dir="ltr">??? man. ??? range.<br><br>? - ESPN + Kayo Sports <a href="https://t.co/uii8wtcGdU">pic.twitter.com/uii8wtcGdU</a></p>— Adelaide 36ers (@Adelaide36ers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Adelaide36ers/status/1588088969476313094?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Who’s saying what?

One of the most memorable things to come out of Perth’s loss to Tasmania was Scott Roth’s passionate comments about the young coaches around the league.

The veteran American’s comments brought to light the fact that Dean Vickerman is the only coach who was in the league four seasons ago, while he and Simon Mitchell are the only men to be coaching the same team as in NBL21.

Where not so long ago the NBL sidelines were the preserve of long-standing coaches, the dynamic has changed and emerging coaches like John Rillie and CJ Bruton are in the spotlight.

They're bright lights for Rillie, given Wildcats fans are yet to realise their great dynasty – started by Rob Beveridge, Damian Martin and Shawn Redhage in 2010, continued by Martin, Matt Knight, Casey Prather and Trevor Gleeson, and capped by Martin, Gleeson, Bryce Cotton and Nick Kay in NBL20 – is over.

What goes up, must come down. While the Geelong Football Club are doing their best to disprove that rule, it holds for pretty much everyone else.

Of the key men who drove multiple years of success, only Cotton and Jesse Wagstaff remain, and right now the 'Cats are trying to build a new era under a brand new coach.

“The team is disappointed in the way that we play, but this is when you really find out what a team is made of,” Rillie said after his team’s fifth-straight loss.

“When you rattle off all those statistics about the losses, if you truly believe you’re good, you’ll be good at some stage. If you get sidetracked, then it starts to fragment.

“Anyone who was at practice yesterday, we had a great practice. You’re putting drops in a bucket and that’s going to pay dividends at some stage.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">TaShawn Thomas turning defence to offence ?<br><br>? Watch live on ESPN via Kayo & Foxtel <a href="https://t.co/ULdQe82ZQd">pic.twitter.com/ULdQe82ZQd</a></p>— Perth Wildcats (@PerthWildcats) <a href="https://twitter.com/PerthWildcats/status/1588137960150814720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Adam Gibson made the astute point that Perth need to find players to fill the roles played by the likes of Martin, Knight, Kay, Greg Hire and Co, but one of the club’s greatest-ever role players believes it’s about everyone doing the little things better.

“It’s consistency. We’re high, we’re high, we’re low, we’re low,” Wagstaff said.

“It’s frustrating that it’s not the same thing, if it was always one thing it’d be easy to fix, but it’s consistently inconsistent.

“It will be a scout breakdown one time, it will be an o-rebound the next one, it will be a lack of communication the next one.

“I think we’ve got enough to get it done, but we’re not getting it done right now.”

Adelaide have a similar challenge, but without the recent success.

With six new pieces, things were always going to take time, especially with CJ going down the very Bruton-like road of loading up with sizzling American imports.

With one of those pieces missing on Thursday in Wollongong, the Sixers balance seemed better, the ball humming as they racked up more assists than in their previous two games combined.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Give ?? Go ?? Show.<br><br>? - ESPN + Kayo Sports <a href="https://t.co/UvM6RgrpGy">pic.twitter.com/UvM6RgrpGy</a></p>— Adelaide 36ers (@Adelaide36ers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Adelaide36ers/status/1588092088775999488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“To start the game they were in drops (defence), which helped to get me going and when they went to the zone, it left shooters open. It was just a product of what they kind of gave us,” Daniel Johnson said.

“I think as a group we moved the ball better and passing a lot better than in previous games.”

Illawarra are the only team that gives up more assists than Perth, so Adelaide will be eyeing off another team-first display against the Wildcats’ hard shows and lack of coverage of the short roller from the middle on-ball.

If the ball gets into Johnson’s hands more it won’t be a bad thing, draining 28 points on 14 shot attempts while dealing four dimes against the Hawks, after averaging 9.8ppg on 8.6 shots prior to that.

Craig Randall is a game-time decision to return from injury on Saturday, but the 36ers need to keep feeding Johnson and Robert Franks whether their leading scorer plays or not, and finding that balance is the key challenge for second-year boss Bruton.

“I was telling these guys to take advantage of what is in front of you at certain times as we are moving the ball. (Johnson and Franks) were a target presence, both of them can stretch the floor and shoot it and our guards can turn the corner,” Bruton said.

“From the pre-season, those guys have been super-efficient, it’s been a scramble for us how we have been moving the ball, a bit of panic here and there.

“When we moved it through hands and got to certain actions, we have looked really good, we need to continue to evolve that and just being patient.”