Round 11 Preview: Kings vs Wildcats

Written by Matt McQuade for Kings Media 

 

There’s just one game on the slate in Round 11 for the Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings, and it’s a blockbuster.

This Sunday afternoon, Bryce Cotton and the rampant Perth Wildcats come to Qudos Bank Arena for the first time since defeating the Kings in Game Three of the 2020 NBL Grand Final Series.

And this season, the defending champions have been on a tear and lead the competition with an 11-4 record.

That’s been built partly on the back of their current five game winning streak.

Perth last tasted defeat on March 5 when the Brisbane Bullets dealt them their sole loss of the NBL Cup. But since then, the Wildcats have won all but one of their five games by double figures, with an average winning margin of 12.8 points per game.

The Wildcats are getting it done at both ends of the floor. But in truth, there’s been one man primarily responsible for that team’s rise to the head of the NBL ladder.

Unsurprisingly, his name is Bryce Cotton.

The reigning NBL Most Valuable Player and standout candidate for this season’s MVP leads the league in scoring at 26.1 points per game and sits in the top ten in an astounding 12 categories, including assists, steals, free throw percentage, minutes and assist to turnover ratio.

In his last game on Monday night at RAC Arena, Cotton torched the Adelaide 36ers for 36 points and six assists in Perth’s comfortable 92-82 victory, and there is no question that he is the engine that makes this Wildcat unit so formidable.

But he has also been getting plenty of help.

Start with import power forward John Mooney (17.3ppg, 11.7rpg, 2.6apg, 1.0bpg, 1.0spg, 55.8% FG, 60.9% 3PT FG, 77.3% FT, 31.7mpg) who leads the NBL in rebounding and has been a double-double machine almost every night. Then look at versatile small forward Todd Blanchfield (14.7ppg, 3.5rpg, 1.5apg, 46.4% FG, 36.7% 3PT FG, 76.9% FT, 27.7mpg) who might be having his most complete NBL season.

It doesn’t end there. Mitch Norton (7.6ppg, 3.5rpg, 4.4apg, 42.2% FG, 29.4% 3PT FG, 71.9% FT, 25.3mpg) is one of the league’s premier defenders, Jesse Wagstaff (8.1ppg, 3.6rpg, 1.5apg, 41.1% FG, 47.3% 3PT FG, 84.6% FT, 21.0mpg) remains one of the competition’s best sixth men and there are a host of role players who continue to do their jobs very well for five-time NBL championship-winner Trevor Gleeson.

Right now, the Perth Wildcats are the biggest challenge to date for the Sydney Kings.

However, based on recent form, this is a challenge the purple and gold can definitely rise to meet.

Like the Wildcats, the Kings are currently streaking, riding a three-game wave that includes a pair of Round 10 victories at home against Melbourne and Cairns.

 

And their performance against United last Friday night both underlined the potential of this squad and their ability to compete with the league’s elite ballclubs. It was record-breaking and as well as the Kings have played all season.

That brilliant win over Melbourne was important for the team’s confidence, but no less important was their victory over Cairns last Sunday, in a game where they struggled to get anything going for much of the night yet still found a way to get the job done. And sometimes, that old adage, ‘winning ugly’, can be just as meaningful as getting the spectacular W.

Sydney has been getting contributions from the entire roster over the last couple of weeks, but there’s no question that the team’s prime mover has been import floor general Casper Ware (19.8ppg, 3.6rpg, 4.2apg, 46.0% FG, 36.8% 3PT FG, 82.3% FT, 32.0mpg). Casper has been dynamic this season and renews hostilities with his counterpart in Perth after going shot for shot with him in the teams’ first meeting in NBL21.

Ware’s backcourt running mate Dejan Vasiljevic (17.1ppg, 3.6rpg, 1.9apg, 48.8% FG, 45.5% 3PT FG, 86.8% FT, 28.9mpg) has been a little quiet of late offensively but is primed for a bust-out game this Sunday, while Jarell Martin (17.1ppg, 6.4rpg, 1.5apg, 52.8% FG, 33.3% 3PT FG, 70.5% FT, 24.3mpg) is getting better each game and Most Improved candidate Jordan Hunter (7.9ppg, 5.2rpg, 58.5% FG, 63.2% FT, 18.4mpg) is emerging as a beast on the low block.

From the sidelines, Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings Head Coach Adam Forde has done a stellar job this season and is intimately familiar with Perth and their systems, having been the Wildcats’ lead assistant in three of their championship runs from 2011 to 2018. He understands this will be a difficult assignment, but he’ll have his guys ready to go.

Perth will be tough. But this is a tremendous opportunity for the Kings to make another statement. And they’ll be relying on every Sydney Kings fan to help get them across the line. So, bring the passion, bring the energy and the noise, and roar your team on to victory this Sunday at Qudos Bank Arena.

Rise With Us Sydney.

 

WHO

Sydney Kings vs. Perth Wildcats

WHEN

Sunday 28 March, 3:00pm AEDT tipoff

LOCATION

Qudos Bank Arena

TICKETS

Available HERE

TV/RADIO

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

THE PLAYERS

Kings

Casper Ware (import); Dejan Vasiljevic; Didi Louzada (Next Star); Jarell Martin (import); Jordan Hunter

Brad Newley; Craig Moller; Shaun Bruce; Tom Vodanovich; Daniel Kickert; Jaylin Galloway (development player); Archie Woodhill (development player)

Wildcats

Bryce Cotton (import); Mitch Norton; Todd Blanchfield; Jarred Bairstow; John Mooney (import)

Jesse Wagstaff; Clint Steindl; Kevin White; Corey Shervill; Tom Jervis; Luke Travers; Wani Swaka Lo Buluk

THE COACHES

Kings

Adam Forde (NBL rookie head coach, NBL career record 9-8)

Wildcats

Trevor Gleeson (8^th season with Wildcats, record with Perth 155-87, NBL career record 258-175, five NBL championships)

2020/2021 REGULAR SEASON SERIES

Wildcats lead 1-0

Wildcats def. Kings 113-106 @ John Cain Arena, Melbourne, Round 6

NBL LADDER

Kings 9-8, sixth

Wildcats 11-4, first

KEY STATS

Kings

Points: Casper Ware, 19.8ppg

Rebounds: Jarell Martin, 6.4rpg

Assists: Casper Ware, 4.2apg

Wildcats

Points: Bryce Cotton, 26.1ppg

Rebounds: John Mooney, 11.7rpg

Assists: Bryce Cotton, 6.2apg

KEY MATCHUP

Casper Ware vs. Bryce Cotton

In their first meeting this season during the NBL Cup in Melbourne, both superstars put on a show. Cotton went for 30 points and nine assists; Ware answered with 34 points, five rebounds and four assists. But just as he did in last season’s Grand Final, Cotton got the win, and you know that situation adds enormous fuel to Ware’s competitive fire. Casper will be laser-focused on Sunday to lead his team to victory, and he’ll need to be against a guy who is now in the conversation as the best import in NBL history. Cotton’s strengths are many – his ability to move without the basketball is almost unparalleled, he can pull up on a dime and knock down the jumper and he can get into the passing lanes defensively with speed to ignite the Wildcat fast break, but perhaps his greatest weapon is his work ethic, which is without peer. Nonetheless, Ware will relish the matchup and has the tools to cause Perth serious problems, from a perimeter game that is locked in, to his ability to get into the paint and create and his tremendous man defence. These two are the best there is in the NBL right now and this is the marquee matchup of Round 11.

THE QUESTIONS

Who will come out on top in the Bryce Cotton-Casper Ware battle?

Can Jordan Hunter neutralise Perth big man John Mooney?

HISTORY

All-time Head-to-Head

98 games played; Wildcats lead 59-39

In Sydney

51 games played; Kings lead 26-25

At Qudos Bank Arena

14 games played; series tied 7-7

DID YOU KNOW?

The seemingly ageless veteran big man Daniel Kickert, who over the course of his terrific career has earned a reputation as one of the greatest perimeter shooters ever seen in the National Basketball League, has entered historic territory for the Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings. ‘Kicks’ has now qualified for the club all-time top ten for career three-point percentage, currently sitting second all-time with a 45.5% clip from long distance (92/202). Only David Barlow, who ironically is the only man in the Kings’ all-time top ten still playing in the NBL, has a better mark than Daniel over the course of his career with Sydney, shooting the three ball at 47.3% (97/205) during his 86 games between 2003 and 2007.