Stat Chat - Round 14, NBL24 (What's hot and 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 set up, 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 once again be our resident stats man on NBL.com.au to provide a rundown of all the key numbers heading into a new round of games.  

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

What’s hot – 31
It was mentioned last week how the third quarters for Adelaide were an issue, having scored just 21 points total in their previous two games. The 36ers came out of half-time against the ladder-leaders Melbourne on fire and scored 31 points in the third to help put them in the driver’s seat for a massive win. Led by 11 from DJ Vasiljevic, Adelaide shot almost 60 per cent from the floor in that 10-minute span.

What’s not – 5
Adelaide was the better team for the majority of this game, but they nearly gave it away in the fourth quarter. While United were pushing, the 36ers committed five turnovers in the period and gave up 30 points. 

What’s hot – 30
The Bullets have won two on the trot and are fighting to stay in the Play-In hunt. It was a massive win in Sydney and their style of play has seen an obvious turn in recent weeks. Brisbane have put a big emphasis on putting heat on the rim and were rewarded in this one with 30 made free-throws from 36 attempts. 

What’s not – 13
The Bullets are too big to be losing rebound battles to the opposition. Between Harrison, Baynes and Zikarsky, there is more than enough size to control that aspect of the game. Brisbane allowed 13 offensive rebounds to Sydney which led them to being outscored by nine in second chance points.

What’s hot – 13
It was a breakout game for Taran Armstrong that many of us have been waiting for, but it was the fourth quarter where he looked really comfortable. Armstrong had 13 of his 18 points in the final 10 minutes and made an array of moves that gave us a glimpse of just how good he could be in the future. 

What’s not – 4
It was a rough night for Cairns’ superstar guard Pat Miller against Tasmania. Not only did he look to dislocate a finger, but he managed as many turnovers as points, with just four. Miller has been a major reason we have seen Cairns get some big wins and it’s no surprise to see them struggle when he has a poor game. 

What’s hot – 6
If I were to tell you that the Hawks put up 116 points with Tyler Harvey scoring just seven, you wouldn’t believe me. Well, that’s exactly what happened in their massive win over South East Melbourne. That was largely because Illawarra had six players score in double figures and shot a scintillating 62 per cent from the floor. 

What’s not – 5
There wasn’t a whole lot to be upset about for Hawks fans in this game. Their numbers across the board were enormous compared to the Phoenix, but if anything had to be highlighted here, it would be their five early turnovers. Any time a team is depleted, it’s important not to let them get any confidence early, and thankfully for Illawarra, it didn’t lead to that. 

What’s hot – 36
It was the Tanner Krebs weekend for Melbourne United, as they split the round. The birthday-boy scored 36 points across the two games and nearly single-handedly sparked the team to what looked like an unlikely win in Adelaide. Krebs hit seven threes across the weekend and further proves the point that this is the deepest team in the league. 

What’s not – 54
They’re widely regarded as the best defensive backcourt in the league, so it’s no surprise that when opposition guards go off against United, that it stands out. Vasiljevic and Kell scored 56 points for Adelaide in Melbourne’s loss and when you think back to what Patrick Miller and Tahjere McCall did last week, it’s something that Dean Vickerman will certainly be addressing.  

What’s hot – 25
That was the Zylan Cheatham we all remember from the beginning of the season. The superstar import put up 25 points in his 34 minutes of action and reminded everyone across the league just how good he is. There was always going to be rust that he had to dust off as he was coming back from injury, but these are very promising signs for New Zealand. 

What’s not – 39
There was a lot of talk out of this game about the number of Breakers fouls and in the end it was a major reason that they couldn’t get the job done. While some calls were tough, New Zealand needed to adjust on the fly in this game. Giving a team 39 free-throw attempts is ultimately going to cost you. Bryce Cotton is hard to guard at the best of times, yes, but sending him to the line 17 times, where he hit 16, isn’t ideal. 

What’s hot – 13
For the last couple of seasons, one of the major talking points about Perth was its lack of defence and rebounding. That looks a thing of the past since Round 5 and it was showcased once again in their big away win against New Zealand. The Wildcats won the rebound count by 13, which included doubling the offensive rebound numbers than that of the Breakers. 

What’s not – 40
There’s a difference between highlighting Bryce Cotton’s big minutes and saying he looks tired. One of the most impressive factors to his greatness has always been his motor. He can run longer and harder than anyone else in the league and often thrives late in games when his opponent is tired. Cotton played another 40 minutes against New Zealand, and while he didn’t look tired, you do have to wonder if it is worth trying to find a little bit of rest for him before the Finals.

What’s hot – 11
We haven’t seen a lot of Kody Stattmann since he joined the Phoenix, but as they say, absence creates opportunity and that’s what happened here. Missing a bunch of key players, Stattmann got the chance to play almost 20 minutes and contributed 11 points in his time. It was a difficult weekend for South East Melbourne, so the little positives like this are very meaningful. 

What’s not – 4
There is just something about the Phoenix and bad luck. It’s almost as if this time every season they are dealt a major blow with an injury or multiple. Going into this game, South East Melbourne was missing four starters from the beginning of the season. Any time that happens to any team, it is going to be a tough proposition. 

What’s hot – 29
Whilst the Kings struggle to find form, Jordan Hunter continues to get better and better. Hunter scored 29 points in their two games and also had 19 rebounds. He as proven to Sydney and the rest of the league that he is a more than capable starting center and continues to find ways to contribute while the team struggles. 

What’s not – 9
The double loss weekend to Sydney was more of the same in terms of the defensive troubles. In both games, the Kings gave up 100 or more points to their opposition. That brings the season total for this statistic to 9. In fact, when Sydney holds a team under 90, they are 7-2, and they are 3-8 when a team scores more than 90.

What’s hot – 26
It’s not often that I would put a number that represents attempted field goals in this space, but here we are. Milton Doyle was 14-26 against Cairns and there was a noticeable difference in his aggression. Yes, this team has Jordon Crawford and Jack McVeigh who can score the ball, but this Tasmania team goes as Doyle does. 

What’s not – 2
Will Magnay picked up a very cheap foul early in the first quarter when he checked in and then was called for his second shortly after. As we have seen previously with Scott Roth, he sits players for the rest of the half when that happens. Whether it’s Magnay or Milton Doyle, if you get two fouls in the opening quarter, you may as well prepare for the third. It’s worth highlighting here because Magnay is too important to this team to be out of the game for that long.