Sixers Click for Best NBL23 Showing in Perth

The Adelaide 36ers offered a glimpse into what their talented squad can produce with an impressive showing out west on the way to an 96-82 road win over the Perth Wildcats to open #NBL23 Round 8 on Thursday.

The Sixers came into the season with many believing they had the most talent in the league to work with. It didn’t quite click with Craig Randall, but what they delivered on Friday night at RAC Arena saw them get the most out of what they've got.

The 36ers got the most out of their frontcourt advantages with Daniel Johnson and Robert Franks in the first half as they combined for 24 points on 10/15 shooting with the visitors going into half-time up by 13 on the back of putting up 54 points on 59 per cent shooting.

Bryce Cotton had just two points to the half and sparked a brief flurry for the 'Cats to start the second half, but it wouldn’t last. 

Adelaide was doing virtually as they pleased at the offensive end and they delivered what was likely their best defensive performance of the season. 

That helped their lead continue to grow and by the final buzzer they won by 14 to improve to 5-5 while the Wildcats are now 5-6 having lost 10 of the last 15 in The Jungle, and four of the last five.

It was a dominant showing from the Sixers at both ends as they ended up going 55 per cent from the field to Perth's 40 while pulling down 44 rebounds to 34, and scoring an emphatic 60 points in the paint to 28.

Franks top-scored for Adelaide with 21 points and eight rebounds while Johnson added to already having scored the most points in the building for an opposition player with 17 with seven boards on 6/9.

Antonius Cleveland was at his energetic best with 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals with Anthony Drmic contributing 14 points and six assists, Nick Marshall eight points, and captain Mitch McCarron six points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Sixers coach CJ Bruton continues to like the improves his team is making.

"I thought the focus, the attention to detail was very good tonight," Bruton said.

"Clearly you win by playing defence and I thought we did a very good job on the defensive end of the floor. 

"We made them take some tough shots and they did miss some open shots when they probably didn’t expect to get so open for. They had nine o-boards in the first half and they finished with 11. I was a little upset with how many they got early, but we did a good job after that. 

"Overall our turnover count has gone down these last three games which has gone a long way to helping us win ball games against Melbourne and here tonight."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Is it Sunday already? Dech getting it done ? <a href="https://t.co/ShYJxLbmAl">pic.twitter.com/ShYJxLbmAl</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1595746607898669059?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It was another rough night at home for the Wildcats with Cotton top-scoring with 17 points, with 15 in the second half with five assists.

Corey Webster added 14 points with four three-pointers while Brady Manek had 11 points, Mitch Norton 10 points, and TaShawn Thomas eight points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Wildcats coach John Rillie tasted defeat for the first time against the team he won a championship with, and pointed to physicality as the biggest missing aspect highlighted with the points in the paint and rebounding differential.

"We certainly didn’t have the presence or physicality that we've had the last couple of games," Rillie said.

"And then when we realised that we weren’t playing up to our ability, they'd already got good momentum and asserted themselves in the game. Without watching it, I would say our physicality wasn’t at the level that it has been the last couple of games."

The Sixers set the tone from the outset with a three ball from Anthony Drmic. He then combined with Daniel Johnson to give the visitors a 9-4 lead before Corey Webster hit the floor to give the Wildcats a spark.

Adelaide was feeling good, though, and virtually doing as they pleased on the offensive end by making sure everything went through Robert Franks and Johnson.

Franks got going with seven points as part of a 9-0 run that saw the lead blow out to 22-11 before the 36ers went into quarter-time leading 26-17 on the back of 13 points on 6/8 shooting from Franks and Johnson.

The second quarter opened up with spectacular finishes at either end from Antonius Cleveland and Brady Manek, but Adelaide continued to do things too easily at the offensive end. A couple of back-to-back finishes from Franks saw the lead out to 12.

Just as Perth started to build some momentum on the back of a triple from Manek and three-point play by Mitch Norton, the Sixers responded started with a three of their own from Franks.

Kai Sotto then threw down a dunk to go with a couple of impressive blocks up the other end, and then Adelaide were up 54-41 at half-time on the back of buckets to Cleveland and Mitch McCarron.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">No way around Kai ?<br><br>Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> live on ESPN via Kayo Sports and Foxtel ? <a href="https://t.co/A1DwHdCyTC">pic.twitter.com/A1DwHdCyTC</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1595732314448723973?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

At the break, Adelaide was shooting at 59 per cent to Perth's 38 with Franks and Johnson combining for 24 points on 10/15 shooting. Up the other end, Bryce Cotton had just two points on 1/6 for the 'Cats.

Despite Adelaide opening up the second half in ominous fashion with an and-one to Franks, Cotton was never going to stay quiet for long and he got going for Perth. 

It started with two free-throws and then following threes from Todd Blanchfield and Jesse Wagstaff, Cotton made a three-point play and hit his own three ball to bring the 'Cats back within four.

However, the Sixers responded beginning with two tough fadeaway mid-range jumpers from Cleveland.

Nick Marshall then dropped a three and when Sunday Dech stole it off TaShawn Thomas in the backcourt and nailed one from beyond the arc, the Adelaide lead was back to 13.

It was 15 by three quarter-time thanks to a neat right-handed finish from Kai Sotto and then 18 just over a minute into the fourth quarter after back-to-back finishes from Franks and Marshall.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The behind-the-back pass, the ?????? at the rim, the Sixers are cooking ?<br><br>Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> live on ESPN via Kayo Sports and Foxtel ? <a href="https://t.co/lMovlQ68CL">pic.twitter.com/lMovlQ68CL</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1595737997932044288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

There would be no Perth fightback with Adelaide finishing strongly to cruise to the 14-point win, their biggest ever at RAC Arena.

It's the only game in Round 8 for both teams with the Wildcats next in action next Thursday night on the road to the Brisbane Bullets. The Sixers host the Cairns Taipans next Friday night.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 8

PERTH WILDCATS 82 (Cotton 17, Webster 14, Manek 11)

ADELAIDE 36ERS 96 (Franks 21, Johnson 17, Cleveland 16)

BOX SCORE