R8 Preview: Perth Wildcats vs Brisbane Bullets

Friday, March 5, 2021

Bryce thinks it's nice almost every time he faces the Bullets, but can Nathan Sobey and Co find the answer to their defensive woes and get back on the winner's list?

When: 5pm (AEDT), Friday 5 March

Where: John Cain Arena, Melbourne

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

The last time
Perth 85 (Cotton 25, Kay 23, Steindl 14) d Brisbane 72 (Patterson 25, Hodgson 11, Sobey 11), Round 19, 2019/20, RAC Arena, Perth

A win in Perth in this Round 19 clash would have put the Bullets on the cusp of the playoffs, and they did a lot right, holding the Cats to 37 per cent from the field, to 18 free-throw attempts and 29 per cent offensive rebounding. Scores were level with 200 seconds remaining in the third term, but Clint Steindl, Bryce Cotton and Nick Kay alone outscored Brisbane 32-25 on the run home as the Wildcats eased away to a 13-point win.

The now
After some doubted the Cats early in the season, they have revelled in the Melbourne bubble, winning four on the bounce behind their Big Three to sit atop the NBL Cup table. They're also starting to look good on the Hungry Jack’s NBL ladder, a win over Brisbane on Friday would propel them within two games of first-placed Melbourne. Remarkably though, Perth have only played four of eight opponents so far, so there are some new tests ahead.

After winning three of four, Brisbane’s sleepy start against New Zealand wasted a golden opportunity to breathe down the Wildcats’ necks, and now at 5-6 they need at least one W from their next two against Melbourne and Perth to stay in the hunt for home-court advantage in the playoffs. After leaking 95.5ppg in their past four games, the Bullets need to find some defensive answers on the perimeter against a clicking Cats offence.

The stats

- Perth have averaged 96ppg in their past four games, connecting on 12.8 triples at 40 per cent

- In the past four games, Cotton, John Mooney and Todd Blanchfield have combined to score 62.5ppg on 9.3 three-pointers at 42 per cent

- The Bullets give up more three-pointers (10.8) than any other side in the NBL at the highest percentage (39%)

- In Brisbane’s past four games, the opposition’s top two scorers have combined for 44ppg on 20-of-39 from long range

The key men

Matt Hodgson – Big Hodgy fouled out in 16 minutes against New Zealand and the Bullets paid the price, the Kiwis hitting 23-of-35 two-pointers and going to the foul line 30 times. Like NZ, Perth can test on-ball defences in a number of ways, but Brisbane must chase the Wildcats off the three-point line, and having Hodgy in the paint allows that to happen. At the other end, he needs deep touches to put foul pressure on the red-hot John Mooney.

Mitch Norton – Who had 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 point? Damian Martin, you might say with confidence, but of course the correct answer is Mitch Norton against the Phoenix on Wednesday. While a red-hot Kyle Adnam made Norton and every other Wildcat’s night a tough one, in the style of his predecessor Mitch stood tall with an outstanding final play, and he’ll need to produce plenty of them to limit Nathan Sobey.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"Nathan Sobey SOARS through the air! Oh my GOODNESS!" ??<br><br>Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBL</a> action LIVE via <a href="https://twitter.com/SBSOnDemand?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SBSOnDemand</a> right NOW! ?<br><br>?: <a href="https://t.co/7b86xrfU0W">https://t.co/7b86xrfU0W</a> <a href="https://t.co/T84UQ9coh1">pic.twitter.com/T84UQ9coh1</a></p>— SBS Sport (@SBSSport) <a href="https://twitter.com/SBSSport/status/1360532873183252480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The quotes

Let’s talk about Orlando. The 101-game NBA veteran is looking every one of his 31 years and then some, and his slow start to NBL21 came to a head last week against New Zealand.

Johnson had managed just three double-figure scoring games heading into that clash, but had provided some solid work defensively, on the boards, distributing the basketball and providing hustle plays.

But against the Breakers, his entire statistical contribution was 2 missed field-goal attempts, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 1 foul and 1 turnover, and defensively he was part of a defensive unit that struggled to contain the Webster brothers.

Quizzed post-game, coach Andrej Lemanis subtly protected his struggling import while challenging him at the same time.

“It’s important that we don’t get lost in measuring contributions via points scoring, because that’s where your team disintegrates in a hurry if everybody is just worrying about how many points they put on the board,” Lemanis said.

“So it’s about the defensive end, getting involved in the game defensively, that’s how you help this team and that’s how you get yourself feeling good about life and it opens up your offensive opportunities as well.

“Get into it, execute defensively, be up the floor, take the toughest assignments and shut some people down. His length enables him to be relatively effective in pick-and-roll situations when he’s chasing down and he’s got to help on the defensive boards.”

With Perth on the menu on Friday, that sounds like a recipe for chasing Bryce Cotton around.

It’s no secret that Brisbane are one of the MVP’s favourite appetisers, having tormented them time and time again, including his unforgettable game-winners.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Watch it on loop, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RedArmy?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RedArmy</a>. The Bryce Cotton game-winner!!! <a href="https://t.co/xDJ6uP4q6v">pic.twitter.com/xDJ6uP4q6v</a></p>— Perth Wildcats (@PerthWildcats) <a href="https://twitter.com/PerthWildcats/status/952421736431022080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Lemanis and Co have rarely been able to find any answers for his individual brilliance, something that has haunted them against the NBL’s best players this season, who have scored at will on the Bullets.

While Lemanis’ men showed an incredibly disruptive side to their D in their comeback win over Cairns in Round 3, for much of the season they’ve been reactive, and it again cost them dearly against New Zealand where the Webster brothers got what they wanted for far too long.

“This (NZ) team is ridiculously above everybody else in points scored from handlers in pick and roll situations and that’s the two Webster brothers,” Lemanis said.

“It’s twice as much as everybody else as a percentage of their score, so we knew coming in that they were something to deal with.

“We changed some coverages in the second half and that was much more disruptive and effective and maybe I should have gone to that earlier in the game, rather than let them find their comfort level, but once we started mixing it up in the second half I thought their impact on the game wasn’t as great.”

Brisbane need to get that right from tip-off on Friday – and not just be dependent on their offence to score and buy them time to establish their D – or else the Wildcats band of veterans will find ways to get Cotton, Todd Blanchfield and John Mooney plenty of good looks.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WHAT A PASS from Norto! ?<br>WHAT A FINISH from Mooney! ? <a href="https://t.co/uTJNqwdwei">pic.twitter.com/uTJNqwdwei</a></p>— Perth Wildcats (@PerthWildcats) <a href="https://twitter.com/PerthWildcats/status/1367058122376769543?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“We've got guys who have been around a while now, Norto has been here a while and he’s seen the league, BC’s been here a while (so has) Clint, Toddy’s seen the league, Whitey, and we've got a good mix of youth too, so I think it’s actually a good balance,” captain Jesse Wagstaff said.

While it’s a new-look Cats team, coach Trevor Gleeson loves the way it’s coming together, having won their past three single-figure contests with some clinical execution and starchy defence, even if there is still room for growth.

“I thought it was really good for our character to get that,” Gleeson said after they held off the Phoenix.

“To be in that position and hold on when the run of the game was going against you, we probably haven't got the experience we've had in the past from the change-over of personnel …

“I thought we played two-and-a-half really exceptional quarters and then we took the foot off the gas and got away from our structures and system, and that gave us points to get back in the game.

“That’s part of the growth that we've got to understand when (there is) momentum, the crowd’s in it, we've got to come up with good plays at the other end and that’s a part we’ve still got to grow in.”