Stat Chat - Round 16, 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 – 2
What looked like an impossible scenario has now had the door opened ever so slightly, and the Adelaide 36ers are closing in on what would still be an improbably Play-In berth. As it stands, Adelaide is just two wins behind Sydney and Cairns in the fifth and sixth spots on the ladder. A huge road double win has the confidence at an all-time high, and if they keep winning and some other results fall their way, it would be a miraculous turnaround under Scott Ninnis. So, you’re telling me there’s a chance?

What’s Not – 13
Adelaide went into Illawarra with a lot of momentum and after fighting through the second half, they came away with the win. What made their task tougher was the fact they gave up 13 offensive rebounds in the second half alone. This Hawks team is one of the best in the league in that space but thankfully for Adelaide, they didn’t capitalize on the extra opportunities.

Mitch McCarron.

What’s Hot – 12
A much-needed bounce-back win for the Bullets in Cairns and it was largely due to their big man cohort dominating both inside and out. Between their three giants, they pulled down 12 offensive rebounds Tyrell Harrison and Aron Baynes added 31 points between them. They knew they had a size advantage over Cairns and they used every part of it.

What’s Not – 31
To win on the road you need to start well and unfortunately for Brisbane they did anything but that in the jungle on Friday night. The Bullets gave up 31 first quarter points to Perth, and allowed them to shoot 63 per cent from the floor and 9-9 at the stripe. They matched Perth in the next two quarters as they fought to get back into the game, but the damage was done.

Tyrell Harrison.

What’s Hot – 3
This should probably be in the other category, but bear with me. Cairns had three players foul out in their win against the Hawks. Tahjere McCall, Taran Armstrong and Bul Kuol were all out of the game in the clutch and that’s the last thing the Taipans need. However, in typical Adam Forde fashion, he has his players ready to step up when called upon and that’s exactly what Lat Mayen did. Likely to have been on the bench in that moment, Mayen stepped up drained the buzzer-beater (that never looked like missing) and clinched a huge win for Cairns.

What’s Not – 61
It’s never going to be a fun game when you give up 61 points in the first half. Brisbane shot 56% in the first 20 minutes and looked in control on Cairns’ home floor. Cairns didn’t help themselves with 10 turnovers, either.

Lat Mayen.

What’s Hot – 24
The Hawks were looking to bounce back from two losses when they welcomed in Adelaide, but fell short once again. If it wasn’t for the 24 points off the bench from HJ Lee, it may have looked a lot worse for Illawarra. Lee shot 5/9 from three and did all his damage in just 26 minutes of action.

What’s Not – 6
On the flip side to Lee’s performance above, it wasn’t a good night for the starting group of Illawarra. Gary Clark, Justin Robinson and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk combined for just six points in the game. They had more fouls between them (5) than field goals made as they shot 2/16 from the floor.

HJ Lee.

What’s Hot – 7
Usually, when a team gets blown out on an opposition’s home floor, you assume they turned the ball over a lot and struggled to defend. Half of that is true here, because United only committed seven turnovers for the entire game in this one. If it wasn’t for the extra opportunities they gave Tasmania, they very well may have had more shots as well.

What’s Not – 20
Without Jo Lual-Acuil Jr, it was going to be a tough task for Melbourne to compete with the size of Tasmania - and that’s precisely what occurred. The JackJumpers out-rebounded United by 20, including having 20 offensive rebounds. Hukporti started brilliantly in the first five minutes, but between Magnay and Lee, the JackJumpers eventually had their way on the glass.

Ariel Hukporti.

What’s Hot – 14
The dangerous point guard combination of Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Will McDowell-White was dishing out assists for fun against the Phoenix on Saturday night.The hyphenated pair combined for 14 assists to 4 turnovers in New Zealand's dominant win over South East Melbourne.

What’s Not – 39
It was a physical game but New Zealand committed 25 fouls which led to 39 free throw attempts for the Phoenix. This isn’t the first time that the Breakers have been caught in this situation, and albeit with some tough calls, they need to adjust on the fly going forward.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright.

What’s Hot – 1
Take your pick with what’s hot for the Wildcats right now, because they are en fuego. Perhaps the most exciting and impressive thing for Perth fans right now is that the Wildcats are just one game behind Melbourne in first place. Remember after Round 5, everyone thought Perth should be looking at NBL25 because this season was over? A truly incredible turnaround. 

What’s Not – 21
It didn’t cost them any wins, but no doubt the Wildcats will be looking to control the glass a lot better than they did this weekend. Across both its games Perth gave up an average of 21 offensive rebounds, and that’s been one area they have dominated since Round 5. When you remember the fact the Kings were missing Jonah Bolden, the 24 offensive rebounds to Sydney are just way too many.

Jordan Usher.

What’s Hot – 93
For a team that has had their struggles at the free throw line this season, the 93 per cent the Phoenix shot against the Breakers on 28 attempts was a welcome change. In fact, seven players for the Phoenix went 100 per cent from the stripe.

What’s Not – 2
The unfortunate injury news for the Phoenix got worse with the news of Alan Williams being done for the season. Regardless of that, it’s always going to be a tough task to win when you manage just two scorers in double figures. It was Creek with 27 and Gak with 13, and the next top scorer against the Breakers had just seven points.

Mitch Creek.

What’s Hot – 13
What a second quarter from bench spark Makuach Maluach against Perth. We haven’t seen a whole lot of him this season but the limited opportunities we have indicate he’s ready to be called upon. Maluach had 13 points in just seven minutes in the second quarter and helped propel Sydney’s offense forward.

What’s Not – 46                                                                        
It started with a near turnover from Jaylen Adams and then an eventual turnover from Shaun Bruce. With 46 seconds to go and the crowd trying to get this team over the line, the last thing Sydney needed was to not get a shot up and unfortunately, that’s what occurred to help hand Perth its first win in Sydney under John Rillie.

Makuach Maluach.

What’s Hot – 10
It was a clinic from the JackJumpers on their home floor on Friday night, and there were plenty of positives to take away from it. Jack McVeigh, Jordon Crawford and Clint Steindl hit 10 threes from 14 attempts betweem them, and it was the timing of them that broke the back of United early in the first half. Just when it looked like Melbourne’s defence was locking in, one of these three hit a timely three and steadied the ship.

What’s Not – 28
There’s a reason Scott Roth was so fired up in the fourth quarter on Friday and that’s because percentage always plays a part in shaping the playoff picture. After holding United to just 14 points in the third, Tasmania looked set for a massive percentage boost until they gave up 28 points in the fourth. It was still a huge win, but we know how close the NBL is and what separates two teams could be as simple as one bucket.

Jack McVeigh.