Stat Chat: Round 13 (What's Hot & What's Not)

Statistics ... whether you love them or hate them, stats play a huge part in sport.

Whether it's when recruiting a player, how teams prepare, how a starting five is setup, or just about any facet of the game, numbers are crunched and relied upon as fact. 

This year, 2018 NBL Champion and expert commentator Pete Hooley will be our resident stats man on NBL.com.au, providing a rundown of all the key numbers from the weekend's games. 

Keep an eye out after every round for the latest edition of 'Stat Chat'. 

What’s hot – 11
It’s been a long time between drinks for Anthony Drmic. And by drinks I mean double-doubles, and by a long time I mean a little over three years. In Adelaide’s home win over Brisbane to start the round, Drmic put up 11 points and 11 rebounds in 28 minutes of action to record only his third double-double for his career. 

What’s not – 18
What else? The 36ers lost the almost unlosable game in Cairns on Saturday night after being up 18 points with 6:39 to go in the fourth quarter. This comeback was the equal biggest fourth quarter result in NBL history, and if you hadn’t seen it with your own eyes, you probably would struggle to believe it. 

Anthony Drmic. 

What’s hot – 18 & 13
After seeing just five minutes of action against Adelaide to begin the round, Gorjok Gak was presented with a huge opportunity to deliver in a starting role against United, and that’s exactly what he did. Gak put up 18 points and 13 rebounds, including an absurd 10 offensive, and looked every bit a star of the future that the Bullets need. If I’m the head office of Brisbane, I am trying to lock away Gak on a multiyear deal asap. 

What’s not – 33
In a game they lost by just three points, Brisbane sent the 36ers to the free-throw line 33 times. While some of those were questionable calls, giving your opponent that many free chances at points is always going to come back to hurt you. After holding Adelaide to just eight points in the third, Brisbane gave up 25 in the last, including 17 free-throw attempts by the 36ers in the finals 10 minutes. 

Gorjok Gak. 

What’s hot – 2
That’s all that matters right now for Cairns, wins, and they got two big ones in round 13 to put them one step closer to locking in a finals appearance. Not only that, but they are knocking on the door of a top two spot and potentially avoiding the play-in tournament. Considering they were without their MVP contender in Keanu Pinder, these were massive wins for the Taipans. 

What’s not – 13
They were made to work for it by Illawarra, but Cairns go the job done eventually. The Hawks had 13 offensive rebounds in this game, including eight alone to Sam Froling. This proved that the Taipans just aren’t the same without Pinder, and if he is to miss any significant time, they need to come together and team rebound. 

Tahjere McCall. 

What’s hot – 44 & 26
The point and rebound totals of Sam Froling in the Hawks' two games. In the last few weeks, it seems he's really begun to understand how important he is to this team when he's in an aggressive mindset. His signature fake handoff, turn the corner and dunk got a nice workout over the weekend as well. Froling has been a shining light in a tough season for Illawarra. 

What’s not – 13
The number 13 has no statistical relevance to the Hawks this round, but rather it’s unique because of it’s seen as one of the unluckiest numbers in the world. That’s what the Hawks have dealt with a lot this season, bad luck. From Justin Robinson’s injury in the opening game of the season, to the Kings game winning shot, to Frazier and Harvey both being sick in the same game and to Siva potentially being ruled out for the rest of the year. The Hawks need to stop walking under ladders. 

Sam Froling.

What’s hot – 3
That’s all it took to break the game open by Chris Goulding in the third quarter against Brisbane. Three threes in quick succession, including a signature deep one that broke the hearts of the Bullets. This is no surprise, he has done this across his entire career, and continues to be one of those very few players who can break a game open in the space of a minute. 

What’s not – 28
In a physical game, it was United that struggled to adapt to the whistle, having 28 fouls on the night which led to 31 free-throws by Brisbane. Amazingly, not one player from Melbourne fouled out on the night, but they did have five who finished with four personals. 

Chris Goulding. 

What's hot - 18
Next Star Rayan Rupert hasn't played since November 6, but if his early season performances were anything to go by, he could be key to New Zealand's championship hopes. Despite missing the best part of two months with a wrist injury, he's back just at the right time for the Breakers, suiting up on Wednesday night against Perth. Rupert is an excitement machine at both ends of the court, and ESPN's Jonathan Givony still has him landing at pick 18 in the NBA Draft, despite his injury setback. For Mody Maor to be able to add that type of talent to his roster late in the season is a huge win. 

What's not - Two in 28
The second-placed Breakers have played just two games in 28 days. It's far from the ideal preparation going into a game against a team which has won five of its last six games, the Perth Wildcats. But could it be the break Maor's men needed? After sitting pretty at 11 wins and three losses, New Zealand has dropped its last three games. It will be fascinating to see how things play out. 

Mody Maor and Rayan Rupert. 

What’s hot – 52.2
It was a super-efficient night for Perth, who dropped 107 points on the Hawks' home floor. Their three leading scorers in Cotton, Manek and Webster, combined for 72 points on 52.2 per cent from the floor. With the addition of Corey’s brother, Tai, the offensive potency of this Wildcat group just took a big leap forward. If they shoot anywhere near this clip in a game again, they’re going to be hard to beat. 

What’s not – 15
Rebounding has been a major issue all season long for the Wildcats. Giving up 15 offensive rebounds to the Hawks, who themselves are undersized, won’t fill John Rillie with a lot of confidence down the stretch of the season. 

Brady Manek. 

What’s hot – 21
Alan Williams has quietly put together a dominant season for the Phoenix, averaging over 16 points per game and nine rebounds. His 21-point, 11-rebound performance against Tasmania was probably the only highlight on a tough night for the team. At full strength, this team has enough to contend for a title, but how long will they take to get there? 

What’s not – 3
It’s déjà vu for Simon Mitchell as the injury bug has once again attacked his team. With key players Gary Browne and Ryan Broekhoff already sidelined, losing Trey Kell early in the game against Tasmania didn’t help their cause. The Phoenix struggled to cover the key losses, as was highlighted by Mitch Creek and Alan Williams scoring the first 25 points together. They'll need a fully fit lineup to be able to contend for the championship. 

Alan Williams. 

What’s hot – 77
When it mattered most, the Kings ramped up their defensive efforts, and in the process held Tasmania to just 77 points. In recent NBL history, 80 has been a magic number in terms of holding opposing teams too, and you’ll find yourself with more wins than losses. The Kings have one of the best defensive rosters around, and when they lock in like that, they look every bit the championship favourite many think they are.  

What’s hot x2 - 12,467
I’m throwing out an audible and giving the rare double hot number to the Sydney Kings. In their first home game after Christmas, 12,467 fans packed Qudos Bank Arena to see their impressive win over last year’s grand finalists. That deserves every bit of recognition it can get, because the Kings are balling and clearly the fans are loving it. 

Justin Simon.

What’s hot – 18
Tasmania gave him a chance when his old club Illawarra, didn’t want to re sign him, and Isaac White has put together some big contributions this season. There would be none bigger than his 18 points in 20 minutes against the Phoenix on Sunday, as the sharpshooter did what he does best and caught fire, which ignited the Nest and the Ant Army. 

What’s hot – 13
In their tough loss to the Kings, Clint Steindl led the team in scoring with just 13 points on the night. In fact the team only had two players total in double figures, with Sean Macdonald. Tasmania shot 40 per cent from the floor and managed just 77 points on the night. 

Isaac White.