Preview: Round 17 vs Bullets and Adelaide

The sprint to the finish starts right now for the Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings.

There are eight games remaining in the regular season for the purple and gold over four rounds in a three-week span.

Do the math. That’s a lot of games in a short space of time.

In fact, the Kings face double headers in each of the four rounds left in NBL21 – a daunting prospect, especially with five of those games on the road.

It’s exacerbated by the fact this squad is beaten-up thanks to a run of injuries the likes of which hasn’t been seen very often in the history of this franchise.

They are a team that’s held together virtually with duct tape and the hope that no one else falls over the rest of the way as they try and make what would be, under the circumstances, an incredibly brave run to secure a playoff spot.

Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings Head Coach Adam Forde has done a remarkable job this season to get this team to their current 14-14 record. He’s seen one guy after the other go down, another key player head to the NBA, and yet he’s kept his group focused and still highly competitive through all that adversity.

Yes, the Kings are riding a two-game losing streak. And yes, the club was disappointed last Sunday in giving up a 16-point lead to fall in overtime at home to the Adelaide 36ers. But there’s no quit in this resilient unit, as they have shown time and again. They will be up for the fight in these last three weeks.

It starts in Round 18 with the first of their double headers, with a road trip to Nissan Arena in Brisbane on Thursday to take on the Brisbane Bullets before returning home on Sunday for another game against the 36ers at Qudos Bank Arena.

The Bullets are in an interesting position. Currently sitting sixth on the NBL ladder with a 12-14 record, Brisbane is well in contention for a playoff spot, but has a head coach in Andrej Lemanis who will depart the franchise at the end of the season to take up a job in Japan.

A situation like that can go one of two ways. Either it galvanises the roster to give their coach a rousing send-off with a playoff appearance or even a chance at winning a championship, or the coach becomes a lame duck with the team lacking motivation to see out the season.

As far as the Bullets are concerned, it is probably the former, given the fact that Lemanis is known as a ‘player’s coach’ and is generally considered to be someone guys want to play for given his coaching style and demeanour.

So, the Kings can expect a Brisbane unit with plenty to play for on Thursday, led by guard Nathan Sobey, who is having a terrific season and is a candidate for Most Valuable Player. He is a guy that has typically given Sydney a lot of problems through the years and the purple and gold will have their work cut out trying to curtail his influence on the ballgame.

The Bullets have a lot of weapons outside the explosive Sobey. Lamar Patterson may have struggled with his fitness but is an all-court threat when healthy and engaged; Matthew Hodgson and Tyrell Harrison are big, athletic bodies who will crash the boards and provide rim protection; Jason Cadee and Anthony Drmic can light it up from the perimeter and new import BJ Johnson is a guy who can score in bunches and should be better for his debut run last week against Cairns.

Following that game on Thursday night, redemption will be the theme for Sydney’s second game in Round 18 as they face an Adelaide team on Sunday that overcame a 16-point deficit to send their Round 17 battle against the Kings on Mothers’ Day at Qudos Bank Arena into overtime and then overpowered the purple and gold with four three-point bombs in the extra session to get a huge win.

Perimeter shooting aside – Adelaide went 16/35 from long distance – what really hurt the Kings was a rebounding contest that the 36ers dominated. They won the rebound count 57-40, including a whopping 20 offensive boards that were converted into 33 second chance points. Those are unacceptable stats as far as Sydney is concerned and in training this week you better believe rebounding will be a major focus.

The Kings also need to figure out a way to slow down Adelaide wunderkind Josh Giddey, who had his third triple-double of the season last Sunday and controlled the game brilliantly; while Daniel Johnson got off the chain in the overtime period; there were too many short closeouts to the likes of outside shooters like Brandon Paul and Isaac Humphries proved difficult to contain at both ends of the floor.

In both games this weekend for the Kings, there’s no surprise that a lot of responsibility will fall on the shoulders of imports Casper Ware and Jarell Martin, particularly given the team’s lack of depth at the moment. But if the Kings are going to get through these next three weeks, it’s going to require everyone on the roster to step up and contribute.

That means Jordan Hunter needs to be a force in the middle; Craig Moller must produce good scoring and rebounding numbers; Shaun Bruce and Tom Vodanovich have to be consistent in shooting the ball and Daniel Kickert will be counted on for his experience, smarts and leadership.

No one is under any illusion that the next three weeks are going to be anything but very tough for the undermanned Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings. But this group still has the ability to rise to the challenge, no matter how fatigued they may be right now.

The run to the playoffs begins. Let’s get it done.

Rise With Us Sydney.

 

WHO

Sydney Kings vs. Brisbane Bullets

Sydney Kings vs. Adelaide 36ers

WHEN

Thursday 13 May, 7:30pm AEST tipoff

Sunday 16 May, 5:00pm AEST tipoff

LOCATION

Thursday: Nissan Arena (vs. Bullets)

Sunday: Qudos Bank Arena (vs. 36ers)

TICKETS

Sunday vs. 36ers available HERE

TV/RADIO

Thursday: ESPN; SBS On Demand; NBL.TV; Cluch Radio, SWR99.9FM Radio

Sunday: SBS Viceland; SBS On Demand; NBL.TV; Cluch Radio, SWR99.9FM Radio

THE PLAYERS

Kings

Casper Ware (import); Shaun Bruce; Craig Moller; Jarell Martin (import); Jordan Hunter

Tom Vodanovich; Daniel Kickert; Dexter Kernich-Drew; Jarrad Weeks; Jaylin Galloway (development player); Archie Woodhill (development player); Lochlan Hutchison (development player)

Bullets

Tamuri Wigness; Nathan Sobey; Anthony Drmic; Lamar Patterson (import); Matthew Hodgson

Jason Cadee; Harry Froling; BJ Johnson (import); Tanner Krebs; Tyrell Harrison

36ers

Josh Giddey (Next Star); Sunday Dech; Brandon Paul (import); Daniel Johnson; Isaac Humphries

Tony Crocker (import); Jack McVeigh; Keanu Pinder; Brendon Teys; Daniel Dillon; Alex Mudronja; Owen Hulland (development player)

THE COACHES

Kings

Adam Forde (NBL rookie head coach, NBL career record 14-14)

Bullets

Andrej Lemanis (5^th season with Bullets, record with Bullets 60-80, NBL career record 210-188, three NBL championships)

36ers

Conner Henry (1^st season with 36ers, record with 36ers 13-16, NBL career record 30-30)

2020/2021 REGULAR SEASON SERIES

Vs. Bullets

Kings lead 2-1

Bullets def. Kings 90-87 @ Nissan Arena, Round 3

Kings def. Bullets 119-108 @ John Cain Arena, Melbourne, Round 9 (NBL Cup)

Kings def. Bullets 90-71 @ Qudos Bank Arena, Round 12

Vs. 36ers

Tied 2-2

36ers def. Kings 85-80 @ Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Round 3

Kings def. 36ers 94-75 @ Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Round 4

Kings def. 36ers 94-77 @ John Cain Arena, Melbourne, Round 6 (NBL Cup)

36ers def. Kings 97-88 (OT) @ Qudos Bank Arena, Round 17

NBL LADDER

Kings 14-14, third

Bullets 12-14, sixth

36ers 13-16, seventh

KEY STATS

Kings

Points: Casper Ware, 19.3ppg

Rebounds: Jarell Martin, 6.7rpg

Assists: Casper Ware, 4.4apg

Bullets

Points: Nathan Sobey, 22.4ppg

Rebounds: Matthew Hodgson, 6.8rpg

Assists: Nathan Sobey, 4.4apg

36ers

Points: Daniel Johnson, 20.6ppg

Rebounds: Josh Giddey, 7.3rpg

Assists: Josh Giddey, 7.8apg

KEY MATCHUP

Vs. Bullets

Casper Ware vs. Nathan Sobey

On one side, you’ve got arguably the best two-way guard in the competition in Casper Ware, a guy who gets into you defensively and is super-aggressive in looking to score the ball; on the other, an athletic dynamo in Nathan Sobey who is in constant attack mode and is at his best when he plays with a chip on his shoulder. Ware doesn’t care how big or strong or athletic you are; when he’s got you in his sights at either end, he’s going to do his utmost to make life as difficult as he can for you. Sobey for his part is a relentless competitor who is devastating in transition, so the Kings will need to limit his fast break opportunities as much as they can. This is a great matchup between two of the best guards in the competition.

Vs. 36ers

Jarell Martin vs. Daniel Johnson

At halftime of last Sunday’s game at Qudos Bank Arena, Jarell Martin had 18 points and Daniel Johnson was just 2 of 10 for seven points. The Kings led 47-34. By the end, Johnson had 20 points – 13 of those coming in the overtime period – and Martin had 25 points after scoring just seven in the second half and overtime combined on 2 of 10 from the field. The 36ers won 97-88. So, it’s fair to pronounce that the result of their individual duel had something to do with the outcome of the game. Sydney will look for Martin to remain aggressive offensively and look to use his quickness to attack the defensively-challenged Johnson off the dribble; Adelaide will rely on DJ to stretch the floor, help with his team’s spacing and use his size to be a factor on the glass. Expect these two again to have a serious say in what happens in this ballgame.

THE QUESTIONS

Will the Kings steal one on the road?

Can Sydney turn things around at home on Sunday against the 36ers?

HISTORY

Vs. Bullets

All-time Head-to-Head

81 games played; Kings lead 46-35

In Brisbane

41 games played; Bullets lead 24-17

At Nissan Arena

3 games played; Bullets lead 2-1

Vs. 36ers

All-time Head-to-Head

97 games played; 36ers lead 55-42

In Sydney

47 games played; Kings lead 25-22

At Qudos Bank Arena

12 games played; 36ers lead 8-4

DID YOU KNOW?

The Kings have lost their last two games at Nissan Arena, but they have had a lot of success over the past four seasons against the Bullets, winning 11 of their past 13 games versus Brisbane. In those 11 victories, the average margin of victory for Sydney was 11 points per game and seven of those 11 wins came by double figures, including a 119-108 decision in Round 9 of NBL21 that saw the Kings score the most points in a regulation 40-minute game in franchise history.