Round 19 Game Preview: Kings vs. 36ers

By Matt McQuade

 

Stay focused.

Stay locked in.

Ignore the external noise.

That will no doubt be the mantra for Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings Head Coach Chase Buford as his team faces a Saturday night battle against the Adelaide 36ers at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, commencing a vital sequence of four games in the next nine days.

Riding their best winning streak since the 2005/2006 season, a ten-game surge capped by a spectacular performance last Sunday on the road against the Tasmania JackJumpers, the Kings have been lauded as no doubt championship favourites by many in the Australian basketball media.

One particularly outspoken commentator has even proclaimed “Just give the rings to the Kings.”

But Coach Buford knows that if those thoughts start creeping into his group, they could quickly fall off their lofty perch. Overconfidence can be a killer. Heck, even a playoff spot still is yet to be locked in.

So, there’s a ton of work left to do. Based on their current record and the remaining games left on their schedule, the purple and gold probably need at least two wins to ensure the Kings’ 16^th appearance in the NBL playoffs since entering the league in 1988.

“It’s a heck of a week coming up for us,” Coach Buford admitted.

“I think rest and recovery will be huge this week, as we prepare our bodies to go play a bunch of games.

“At the end of the day, these guys want to play games; they don’t want to hear me yelling at them in practice. So, the more games we play, it’s probably better for these guys in our locker room.

“But we gotta be ready for it. We’re going to have some tough games. Adelaide is a tough team; they rebound the ball well and they can score.”

And the 36ers, despite being eliminated from playoff contention, represent a tricky challenge this Saturday.

In recent times, Adelaide put up a century in a big win over playoff-contending South East Melbourne Phoenix and controlled a large portion of their eventual defeat to the Tasmania JackJumpers.

And of course, the last time Sydney ventured into Adelaide in Round 13, it took a clutch three-point bomb from the magnificent Jaylen Adams to secure victory, so the Kings can’t afford to take the 36ers lightly.

Despite suffering some injury issues and with import gunner Dusty Hannahs uncertain to play, the Sixers still boast enough firepower to grab the Kings’ attention.

It starts with offensive machine Daniel Johnson (16.3ppg, 6.7rpg, 2.0apg), whose low post game combined with his ability to stretch the floor makes him a difficult cover at the best of times.

Mitch McCarron (7.7ppg, 7.0rpg, 5.2apg, 2.0spg) is a tough-minded, do-everything guard who keys everything that Adelaide does at both ends of the floor.

Then there’s Sunday Dech (11.5ppg, 4.1rpg, 2.0apg) who can fill it up from the outside if left alone and is a tenacious defender.

The Sixers also boast some decent perimeter talent with Hannahs (if healthy), import Todd Withers and youngsters Mojave King and Tad Dufelmeier Jr. all capable of knocking it down from long distance, and towering size in the form of 7’2” Filipino star Kai Sotto.

Of course, the Kings feature some reasonable weaponry of their own to throw out there this Saturday, with superstar import Jaylen Adams (20.4ppg, 5.1rpg, 6.4apg, 1.4spg) leading the way. He’s been in total control of every game throughout this remarkable winning streak and it’s easy to say that as Jaylen goes, so go the Kings.

According to his coach, big man Jarell Martin (16.4ppg, 8.4rpg, 1.0spg) has been a warrior this season, and its an apt description. Jarell has battled every game and come out on top against some of this league’s behemoths, and his ability to spread the floor and hit the open three is a massive key for the purple and gold.

Adelaide will also need to account for All-NBL contender Xavier Cooks (14.6ppg, 9.4rpg, 2.5apg, 1.7bpg) who was just a rebound and an assist away from the sixth triple-double in franchise history last Sunday against the JackJumpers. His extreme length, mobility and athleticism has caused problems for Sydney’s opponents all season.

Coach Buford then has the ultimate luxury of bringing an NBA champion off the bench in Ian Clark, while Wani Swaka Lo Buluk is one of this competition’s best defenders, Dejan Vasiljevic can burn 20 in a hurry, Makur Maker is providing terrific frontline depth, Angus Glover could start for a bunch of teams and Tom Vodanovich has been excellent in the past few games with his energy and activity.

Yes, the Kings will go in as favourites this Saturday, even on the road. And yes, they are playing a team that has lost three of their past four games.

But if Sydney approaches this game with anything less than maximum intensity, they could find themselves coming away disappointed.

This is no time for slip-ups.

A playoff spot is there to be won.

Time to take care of business.

 

WHO

Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings vs. Adelaide 36ers

WHEN

Saturday 9 April, 8:00pm tipoff AEST

LOCATION

Adelaide Entertainment Centre

TV

ESPN, Kayo Sports

THE PLAYERS

Kings

Jaylen Adams (import); Dejan Vasiljevic; Wani Swaka Lo Buluk; Xavier Cooks; Jarell Martin (import)

Makur Maker (Next Star); Ian Clark (import); Angus Glover; Biwali Bayles; Tom Vodanovich; Matur Maker; Jaylin Galloway (development player); Jayden Hodgson (development Player); Ignatius Mitchell (development player)

36ers

Mitch McCarron; Sunday Dech; Hyrum Harris; Todd Withers (import); Daniel Johnson

Dusty Hannahs (import – subject to fitness test); Tad Dufelmeier Jr; Kai Sotto; Mojave King (Next Star); Emmanuel Malou; Nick Marshall (development player); Isaac Gattorna (development player); Lachlan Olbrich (development player)

THE COACHES

Kings

Chase Buford (NBL rookie head coach, record 15-7)

36ers

CJ Bruton (NBL rookie head coach, record 7-15)

2021/2022 REGULAR SEASON SERIES

Kings lead 1-0

Kings def. 36ers 93-90 @ Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Round 13

NBL LADDER

Kings 15-7, second

36ers 7-15, ninth

LAST GAME

Kings def. Tasmania JackJumpers 103-83 @ MyState Bank Arena, Hobart, Round 18

36ers lost to Brisbane Bullets 92-91 @ Nissan Arena, Brisbane, Round 18

KEY STATS

Kings

Points: Jaylen Adams, 20.4ppg

Rebounds: Xavier Cooks, 9.4rpg

Assists: Jaylen Adams, 6.4apg

36ers

Points: Daniel Johnson 16.3ppg

Rebounds: Cameron Bairstow, 7.8rpg

Assists: Mitch McCarron, 5.2apg

KEY MATCHUP

Jaylen Adams vs. Mitch McCarron

One of the great things about the National Basketball League is the number of quality backcourt players in every team. Each week, it seems like there’s several matchups of outstanding point guards or shooting guards and this one is no exception. Mitch McCarron isn’t renowned as a big-time scorer by any means but he does everything else extremely well. He’s a terrific facilitator, he’s dynamite on the glass and he’s a physical defender who can guard one through three on the floor. Jaylen Adams of course is staking his claim for NBL MVP and the thing you love most about him is how he carries himself on the floor – with poise, confidence and even a calmness that filters through his ballclub, who have ultimate trust in him and understand that if things get tough, they can just throw him the ball and he will go make a play. Adams is a legitimate NBA player in the NBL, and even in the short time he’s been here is already making a case to be considered alongside some of the all-time greats to have worn purple and gold like Steve Carfino, Shane Heal and CJ Bruton.

THE QUESTIONS

Will Sydney’s offensive potency be too much for Adelaide?

Can the Kings control the defensive glass against a team that hits the offensive boards hard?

HISTORY

All-time Head-to-Head

99 games played; 36ers lead 55-44

In Adelaide

50 games played; 36ers lead 32-18

At Adelaide Entertainment Centre

4 games played; Kings lead 3-1

DID YOU KNOW?

The Kings are looking for their third straight win in Adelaide on Saturday night in the 100^th NBL game to be played between these two clubs. Interestingly, the last time Sydney won three consecutive games in Adelaide was between 2011 and 2013. The Kings’ biggest ever win against the 36ers in Adelaide was a 94-71 blowout in Round 3 of the 2011/2012 season, with centre Julian Khazzouh going for 26 points and 13 rebounds. What was particularly surprising about that result in Adelaide, was that just six days earlier the Kings had been crushed by the New Zealand Breakers 98-61 in Sydney – the 37-point defeat was the biggest loss at home in franchise history.

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