Stat Chat - Round 9, 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 – 1
In a game where you only score 59 and get blown out early, the +/- column is going to look disastrous. That 35-point margin in favour of Tasmania makes it even more impressive to see Nick Marshall and Trentyn Flowers finish a combined +1 in 15 minutes of action, when the rest of the team was in the negative - and most of them some very big numbers. Both Flowers and Marshall fought hard with a game already out of reach and showed a fighting spirit that could warrant some more playing time.

What’s not – 8
It was a weekend to forget for Adelaide, no doubt, but that first half - and in particular the second quarter - against Tasmania wasn’t pretty. The 36ers scored just eight points in the entire quarter, going into the locker-room at halftime with just 23 points on the board. They shot 3-17 from the field and to make it all worse, had five turnovers as well.

Nick Marshall.

What’s hot – 2
Usually they don’t ask you how you won, they just care if you won. Which is true for Brisbane right now considering where they are on the ladder. Brisbane snuck away with two wins across the round but there are some major concerns being highlighted with their fourth quarter meltdowns lately.

What’s not – 9
Speaking of the fourth quarter issues, Brisbane averaged just 14.5 points in the fourth during both games last weekend. But perhaps even more alarming is the fact they turned it over an average of nine times in each of those final terms. They’ve managed to get away with it so far, but it’s definitely something they need to solve before they run into the top tier teams in the league.

Chris Smith.

What’s hot – 22
It would be easy to highlight Patrick Miller’s enourmous game against United, but it would be a disservice to overlook Josh Roberts' breakout performance. Up until Sunday, Roberts had scored a total of nine points on the season… that’s not a typo. Adam Forde mixed up his starters and inserted Roberts into the lineup against Melbourne, and he finished the game with 22 points, five rebounds and three blocks. He was a big reason for Cairns’ success.

What’s not – 27.7
Before Forde made the lineup change against United, he rolled out the same starters against Brisbane and they faulted once again. The five McCall, Miller, Armstrong, Waardenburg and Kuol has consistenly struggled to shoot from outside and that was highlighted with their 27.7% from three as a unit. That number is more flattering than it has been too due to the fact McCall hit 4/6 himself, which meant the other four starters went just 1/12.

Josh Roberts.

What’s hot – 9
Sunday's clash was second game under interim head coach Justin Tatum, and the Hawks looked re-energized and inspired against Brisbane. They fell short, but there was a clear intent to share the ball and responsibilities. That was highlighted by nine players scoring more than five points in the heartbreaking one-point loss to the Bullets.

What’s not – 20
It’s been a consistent watch all throughout NBL24, but the substitution patterns for the Hawks have been interesting. In the first half Illawarra utilised two subs, which ended up meaning zero players had scored in double figures or found a rhythm. To double down on this, it seemed to be really evident in the clutch time of the game with a lineup that looked a little lost at times.

Mason Peatling.

What’s hot – 18
It wasn’t the defensive display we are used to seeing from United, but it was still a dominant display on the glass despite all the negativesthat came in their loss to Cairns. Melbourne had 18 offensive rebounds in the game and did well enough to convert those opportunities at a high rate. Scoring 103 would usually win you most games in the NBL, so the offensive side of the ball was flowing well for the ladder leaders.

What’s not – 62.5
It wasn’t so much the fact that United gave up 115 points on their home floor, it was the way that it occurred. Cairns shot a ridiculous 62.5% from the floor and really picked apart the best defensive team in the league. Whether it was Pat Miller from mid-range or Bobi Klintman from three, the Taipans got whatever they wanted offensively and never looked like slowing down.

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr.

What’s hot – 66
The Breakers needed to respond after the mid-season break, and they did that on Thursday night by beating Adelaide by 13 points. New Zealand has struggled to score at times this season, but there was no trouble here for three players in particular. Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Anthony Lamb and Izayah Le’Afa combined for 66 of New Zealand’s 96 points on the night, and even though there may have been some nervous moments late, the Breakers were in control of this one throughout.

What’s not – 5
When the Breakers needed to stay hot, they just couldn’t against the Phoenix. New Zealand only scored 14 points in the last quarter and managed to hit just five field goals total in the final 10 minutes. They ended up losing the game by 11, which could indicate some fatigue kicking in after playing against Adelaide just two days prior.

Izayah Le'Afa.

What’s hot – 30.2
Make no mistake, MVP Bryce is back. As the wins continue to pile up, so do Bryce Cotton’s numbers. Cotton is averaging 30.2 points per game at 44 per cent from the field across this six game winning streak. He’s been carrying this Perth team in moments they need it the most, particularly in the second half when he takes over. Cotton has averaged 18 second-half points in the last six games and it’s not surprising he’s back in the MVP conversation.

What’s not – 19
They did it the hard way, but the Wildcats managed to pull out a huge win against their rival Sydney. Any time you let a team hit 19 threes in a game, it usually means you’re in for a tough night. That wasn’t the case for Perth, who still found a way to get enough stops when it mattered most and come away with a massive win.

Bryce Cotton.

What’s hot – 6
Six players in double figures for the Phoenix is a very positive sign for a team that has relied heavily on a couple of players so far in the season. If South East Melbourne can continue to get contributions from role players, it will only help strengthen this unit as we near the business end of the season.

What’s not – 33
Big shoutout the Craig Moller who wears #33 for the Phoenix. No one deserves the horrid luck he’s endured over the last two years with knee injuries, and he's now set miss the remainder of this season with a ruptured patella. Moller has been a revelation for the Phoenix this season without having a big impact on the scoreboard. That defensive effort and ability to attack the boards will be sorely missed going forward.

Craig Moller.

What’s hot – 28
What a performance from Jonah Bolden against Perth. It’s sometimes easy to forget that Bolden was a rotation player in the NBA not that long ago. Bolden’s 28 points in 23 minutes was exceptional Friday night, including his 7/8 from downtown. He’s been getting better and better with every game in NBL24 and if he continues on this trajectory he’s every chance to feature in a Boomers camp for the Paris Olympics.

What’s not – 64
That's two games in a row now that Sydney’s defence has really been exposed in the second half. The Kings gave up a whopping 64 points in the final 20 minutes to Perth and it basically put the game out of reach. Perth shot 51% from the floor in that time and only hit 4 threes. Any time a team puts up 64 points in a half with just four made threes… something isn’t right defensively.

Jonah Bolden.

What’s hot – 22
Don’t look now but Tasmania is coming. The JackJumpers have been dominant on both ends of the floor since Will Magnay has returned, and that was highlighted with their 22-point half time lead against Adelaide. Yes, the 36ers were slow and looked out of sorts, but that didn’t matter to Tasmania who obliterated them from the opening tip.

What’s not – 4
There weren’t too many negatives to take away from Tasmania’s win, but if I had to highlight something it would be the fourth quarter where they seemed to take their foot off the gas. Granted, it’s very hard to play in a blowout for the entire game, but Tasmania threw it away four times late in this game and looked to just coast to the final siren.

Will Magnay.