R12 Preview: SE Melbourne Phoenix v NZ Breakers

When: 3.00pm (AEST), Sunday 4 April 

Where: John Cain Arena, Melbourne 

Broadcast: SBS Viceland; Sky Sports NZ; SBS On Demand; Twitch

The last time

South East Melbourne 103 (Creek 21, Adnam 21, Moore 17) d NZ Breakers 89 (Delany 24, Abercrombie 23, T Webster 16) – NBL Cup Week 4, John Cain Arena, Melbourne

This game was to close out the NBL Cup for both teams and South East Melbourne continued its hot form to end up finishing the tournament within a season in second place and take out a share of the prizemoney on offer.

The Phoenix controlled the contest, their first against the Breakers this season, virtually from the outset with the most pleasing aspect without doubt the number of contributors they had.

Mitch Creek was superb again and so efficient for 21 points, four rebounds and four assists on 8/12 shooting with 3/3 from deep while Ben Moore hit his first eight field goals on his way to 17 points, five rebounds and three steals.

Kyle Adnam continued to thrive as a starter in Sykes' injury absence with another 21 points and seven assists while knocking down 3/4 from long range. Rookie centre Yanni Wetzell finished with 15 points as well.

Cam Gliddon had another 10 points, four rebounds and four assists with Izayah Le'afa impressive again with eight points, three boards and three assists, and Reuben Te Rangi eight points, three rebounds and three steals.

With it being a third game in five days for the Breakers and while they ran only a virtual six-man rotation, they were fighting fatigue but never stopped battling. Finn Delany backed up a career night with another 24 points and six rebounds while Tom Abercrombie had another 23 points while drilling 3/6 from three-point range.

Tai Webster was good when on the floor with 16 points and five assists on 3/5 shooting from deep although he did turn it over eight times. But foul trouble limited him to 27 minutes. Colton Iverson fought hard for 10 points and eight rebounds with Rasmus Bach chiming in with three triples for nine points.

The now

Both teams come into Sunday's clash coming off impressive wins and this could be a chance to make a real statement for the team that comes out victorious.

South East Melbourne were coming off a tough 20-point loss last week to Melbourne United, but the Phoenix bounced back impressively only Thursday night in Wollongong. The Phoenix hammered the Illawarra Hawks 95-63 on the back of a remarkably dominant second half where they outscored the Hawks 56 points to 25.

That result means the Phoenix have now won five of their past six matches in #NBL21 to sit on an 11-8 record coming into the Easter Sunday clash at home against the Breakers. They will again be without Keifer Sykes, Dane Pineau and Kendal Stephens, but they are building nicely with Ryan Broekhoff breaking out to deliver 26 points on shooting 7/11 from three-point range in that win over the Hawks on Thursday.

By the time the Breakers hit the floor on Easter Sunday it will have been eight days since they last played and that was an impressive win in overtime against the Brisbane Bullets. It was a win on pure heart for the Breakers with Corey Webster, Rob Loe and new signings Levi Randolph and William McDowell-White all missing.

So that was encouraging for the Breakers to snap a four-game losing streak and now for Sunday's clash with the Phoenix, they will have Corey Webster back after he has missed the past six games with a knee complaint. McDowell-White will also be in the line-up to make his debut for the Breakers and it's a chance for them to string wins together and to start building on their 5-11 record this season.

The stats

- Colton Iverson tied the New Zealand Breakers record of 20 rebounds in a game in their win over the Brisbane Bullets last Saturday. That equalled Ben Pepper's 2006 performance when it was still a 48-minute game. Iverson has collected 129 rebounds so far this season and only attempted 85 field goals – the biggest difference for any player. Brisbane's Tyrell Harrison is next having collected 35 more boards than shots he's taken.

- The fight from the Breakers has been impressive against the odds in recent times but scoring has been a struggle with them averaging just 75.6 points over their last three games and 83.8 in the 13 matches prior to that

- In contrast, the Phoenix are ranked second in the league in scoring at 90.6 points a game with the Breakers last at 82.3

The key men

Kyle Adnam – He has proven himself a more than handy role player to come in and provide some scoring punch for several NBL seasons now, but he has grabbed his chance as a starting point guard with the responsibility of running a team better than perhaps anybody imagined. He was doing well backing up Keifer Sykes early in the season at the Phoenix and was in career-best scoring form, but now with Sykes remaining sidelined, he's been asked to run the team and what an incredible job he has done. He is continuing to shoot and score remarkably well, but his playmaking ability is outstanding as well and now he'll be tested to try to keep Tai Webster on check on Easter Sunday if the Phoenix are to keep their winning form going.

Colton Iverson – The back court of the Breakers all of a sudden looks incredibly deep with the additions of William McDowell-White and Corey Webster coming in to support Tai Webster and Jarrad Weeks while Tom Abercrombie, Finn Delany and Rasmus Bach continue to do well across the three and four spots with help to soon come from Levi Randolph. But in that big man role, really Colton Iverson is being asked to carry a big workload and he is showing he is more than capable of delivering. He had a slow start to his NBL career, but he's now building nicely and is showing he can be a strong and pivotal presence down low for the Breakers. His big body and ability to influence shots defensively, rebound strongly, set impressive screens and also finish at the rim is proving pivotal. If he can stand tall and stay on the floor come Sunday, then New Zealand will have a shot.

The quotes

Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell couldn’t have been happier to see Ryan Broekhoff breakout the way he did in Thursday's 32-point hammering of the Illawarra Hawks where he put up 26 points while hitting 7/11 from three-point territory.

"He's played 22 minutes in that game which is an increase and his season-high. I think we got him 20 in the last game and the one before he was in foul trouble. It's really just about bringing him along slowly after 12 months out of the game," Mitchell said.

"It's a heck of a long time and it's like coming off a knee reco, and you just have to slow build into it and get your confidence. In regards to him, we are seeing the progress at practice and you see the little improvements and there was even a little bit of hang time on one move he took to the ring during the week. He messed up the shot, but that's the next progression is that little bit of hang time and then he can finish around the ring too. 

"We're just seeing those small improvements and growth, and as we see that we're feeling a little more confident to let him loose. He was putting his hand up at times to come out, but when you are shooting the ball like that you just have to tell him no and to stay out there."

There was a lot to like about South East Melbourne's big win over Illawarra three days ago, but it's the team chemistry that is most impressing Mitchell about his group right now.

"I'm really proud of the 27 assists that the guys had. They are looking for each other and they want to create for each other and I love how our bench wanted to celebrate the success of the guys out on the floor," Mitchell said.

"That's a special feeling and I think we have a really special group. We've had a few things go against us this year in regards to our health but I think it has really built a solidarity in the group that we can push through and that we can get this done regardless of some of the obstacles thrown your way. 

"And everyone is facing those this year, we know that. The quick scheduling of this game was an obstacle, but you don't sit there and complain. You just have to go out and to get the job done, so we work around the clock trying to get a scout in place and to get our players prepared. That's our job and whatever comes our way we just keep forging ahead."

It's hard not to admire what the New Zealand Breakers are continuing to do this NBL season. They have remained away from home now since early December and despite the loss of import Lamar Patterson, Rob Loe returning home and injuries to Corey Webster they just refused to lie down.

They continue to battle hard and make themselves competitive, and coach Dan Shamir is proud of the heart the Breakers continue to show as they now look to be in a stronger position personnel-wise moving forward.

"In the big picture we are trying to get it rolling. We have had a lot of setbacks and challenges, and I don’t think we are satisfied with one win, but at the same time when you are experiencing everything that we have been through, then it does make you feel somewhat satisfied just to fit and stay together, and to find a way to win," Shamir said.

"But we aren’t all in the business just for that and although we've had the tough circumstances, we want to win games and we want people to talk about us as a good basketball team and not just one that doesn’t want to quit.

"We have Corey Webster back now so we have him together back with Tai again so we have that plan back in place, but in the big picture we had to go away from our initial plan for this season just because of the Lamar Patterson story. 

"We have brought in two new guys, Will McDowell-White and Levi Randolph, so we are going to be a different team to what we anticipated so it's a bit of a new journey. We are going to be a different team but I still like our chances right now because we have players because we've been through the tough moments. Hopefully we can stick together and keep it going. I just want to try to win the next game, focus on the next couple of games and take it from there."

Since William McDowell-White played in the NBL with the Sydney Kings as a development player, he has gained experience playing in Germany and more recently in the G League. He has returned a far more experienced and well-rounded guard for the Breakers, and he is exciting to be returning to the NBL with the chance to make a real difference with New Zealand.

"Well, it kind of came really quick, obviously because I’d never really heard from New Zealand while I was in the bubble. I was in LA for about two or three days and that’s kind of where it came about. With Dan, he was just telling me and my agent how they had a lot of injuries, especially with Corey who is a huge part of, not just New Zealand but the NBL in general," McDowell-White said.

"So the thing that attracted us the most was, Dan just harped on how he needed another creator. I’ve watched a couple of games now and what they’re doing with Tai [Webster], it’s just a face guard. Don’t let him touch the ball, so it’ll certainly be good to come in and take a bit of load off his hands and I guess, just make it easier for him.

"But also, it will also be good just having a role. Last time I was in the NBL I was obviously only 18, a young kid, so it’ll be good showing people how much my game has improved and how much more mature it’s become since being that little kid coming in."