Sykes helps spark Phoenix to critical win

The New Zealand Breakers had the most dominant player on the court but South East Melbourne Phoenix made the big plays when it counted most to claim a desperately needed win on Wednesday night.

Breakers star Finn Delany had a game-high 32 points and Rob Loe added 19 but the Phoenix had seven players score nine points or more then had import guard Keifer Sykes come up big in the final minutes to claim a 90-82 win.

The win keeps the Phoenix ahead of the pack in the race for the top-four and comes after a frustrating 1-5 record in their previous six games.

Sykes was back to the type of form he displayed in the early part of the NBL season that had him being discussed in MVP calculations. He has battled injury since that saw him miss 12 of the previous 18 matches.

But his dynamic play as point guard was on show again at John Cain Arena even if he was still limited to just 21 minutes of court time. But Sykes had 11 of his 21 points in the final term and his energy and nose for the big moment showed how much the Phoenix have missed him.

Fellow point guard Kyle Adham had 14 points and five assists, Yanni Wetzell added 12 points and Mitch Creek had 10 points in his 250th NBL game.

Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell said his side had to battle but Sykes showed in the final minutes how valuable he was to his club after injury had kept him out since early March.

"I really feel like the head of the snake has been missing for a little while," Mitchell said.

"For us to make a run, for us to finish with some momentum and for us, if we make the playoffs, to finish with a splash we need Keifer playing at a high level."

Sykes said he was relieved to see his shooting return and help his side get such an important win.

"It’s been a grind, I love the game so missing it has been very difficult. We have great guys and they have helped keep me up," Sykes said. 

"We had done a great job up until that last six games or so and we have some warriors with Cam Gliddon playing through a hip injury and Ryan Broekhoff playing with his eye injury. So for me, I just wanted to do everything I can for the fans, this club and the staff. 

"We are more than deserving of what we have coming for us because of all the struggles we have had to go through. I’ve been through tougher things in my life and I knew this time would come when I would go out there and make plays. Going through all this is only making us stronger."

The Phoenix were in-charge early in the match but the Breakers closed out the first term in a hurry with Will McDowell-White knocking down a three on the buzzer to tie scores at 19-19.

The Breakers paid dearly for a flurry of turnovers early in the second as the Phoenix pressed up and forced them into uncomfortable plays but Finn Delany was in unstoppable touch posting 17 points for the first half and keeping his side close.

A three from Cam Gliddon, who missed the Throwdown with Melbourne United on Saturday, had the Phoenix heading into half-time feeling good but Tai Webster landed a lay-up on the buzzer to cut the lead to 47-42.

Delany continued to stack up the points but the Phoenix kept finding ways to boost their lead with the home side heading into the final term up 64-56.

A Rob Loe three and a steal and lay-up from Delany had the Breakers down 76-75 with three minutes to play but the Phoenix kept battling and an offensive rebound and kick-out pass from Reuben Te Rangi set-up Keifer Sykes for three which pushed the lead to 85-79 with 1:28 to play.

Loe hit another three but Creek came up with a clutch jump-hook to make it 87-82 with 50 seconds to play, Delany missed and Sykes made a lay-up to take his side to safety.

Breakers coach Dan Shamir praised his players for their resilience after their pre-game preparation was ruined when the team was forced into isolation upon their return to Melbourne from Perth due to an administrative error.

Shamir wouldn’t use it as an excuse and said his side showed toughness to still get so close to beating the Phoenix.

"A lot of teams I know of would not look like that. We are taking a lot of beatings but one thing is for sure, people are not turning against each other or quitting or not doing the work 100 per cent," Shamir said.

"We don’t need anyone to feel sorry for us. Even in games like that, our job is to find a way to win and with a little bit more focus in a lot of points in the game we could have won this game.

"100 per cent hats off to the character everyone is showing and for doing the job right under tough circumstances."

The Phoenix now host the Cairns Taipans on Friday night while head to Wollongong to face the Illawarra Hawks on Saturday as their homecoming inches ever so closer.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 18

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX 91 (Sykes 21, Adnam 14, Wetzell 12)

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 82 (Delany 32, Loe 19, McDowell-White 14) 

BOX SCORE