Round 4 Preview: Kings vs Adelaide

Written by Matt McQuade for Kings Media 

It’s at those moments of crisis when you find out the true character of a team.

Those moments where a game can go one of two ways. Either it becomes all too hard and you just let things go, or you hunker down, come together even more as a group, and refuse to lie down.

That’s where the Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings found themselves in the fourth quarter of last week’s 85-80 loss to the Adelaide 36ers.

Sydney was down 70-54 with eight minutes to go in a hostile environment. The 36ers were flowing, the crowd was into it, and with the Kings as undermanned as they were, it was easy to see them throwing in the towel and looking forward to the next game.

But that didn’t happen.

Instead, Casper Ware and Shaun Bruce nailed back-to-back triples to ignite a stunning 15-2 run, and before you knew it, the purple and gold had sliced the margin to just three points with four minutes remaining.

And while they couldn’t quite get the job done in the end, the fact they fought back in the manner they did should make all Kings fans very proud of their team. They’ve been away from Sydney since late December; they’ve been missing family and friends and they’ve been ravaged by injury, so they’ve had plenty of excuses. But they’ve not used those at any stage. They’ve just gotten on with the business of trying to win ballgames.

It’s an attitude and philosophy that will hold them in good stead the rest of NBL21, especially when they start getting some healthy bodies back in the line-up.

And while they will remain undermanned for this Saturday night’s return engagement with the 36ers at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, the Kings have shown they are not to be taken lightly.

Adelaide found that out in no uncertain terms in the fourth quarter of their win last week, when Sydney’s intense full court pressure defence forced a whopping six turnovers and made the 36er ballcarriers appear very nervous. Expect to see Head Coach Adam Forde throw that press out there at various stages to get the home team out of a rhythm.

Then there’s Rookie of the Year candidate Dejan Vasiljevic, who blistered the nets for 16 first half points, finished with a career-high 28, and proved that he will be a go-to guy for this group this season in his debut campaign.

After a quiet first three periods, Casper Ware came to life in the fourth quarter last week and he’ll be looking to take that momentum into this week’s game; while Jarell Martin will be a tough cover for the 36er frontline and as always, El Toro himself, the ageless wonder Brad Newley, will be in constant attack mode in his hometown.

Sydney’s primary concern in this game is dealing with the talent and muscle of Adelaide’s Twin Towers in Isaac Humphries and Daniel Johnson, who combined for 43 points and 13 rebounds last Saturday. Both can hurt teams inside and out and their size and length make them a difficult matchup. The onus is on the likes of Craig Moller, Jordan Hunter and Tom Vodanovich to really step up defensively and make life difficult for Humphries and Johnson at all times.

Adelaide is also getting good production out of their wings – import Tony Crocker and Sunday Dech – and the Kings will need to limit their effectiveness; Ware will similarly be tasked with putting maximum pressure on 36er Next Star Josh Giddey and Shaun Bruce will have the responsibility of leading Sydney’s second unit.

No one would argue that these are challenging times for the Sydney Kings right now. But the squad will go into Adelaide this Saturday night confident they have the ability to take the 36ers down.

Never underestimate the Pride of Sydney.

Rise With Us Sydney.

 

WHO

Sydney Kings vs. Adelaide 36ers

WHEN

Saturday 6 February, 8:00pm tipoff AEDT

LOCATION

Adelaide Entertainment Centre

TV/RADIO

ESPN; SBS On Demand; Cluch Radio, SWR99.9FM Radio

THE PLAYERS

KINGS

Casper Ware (import); Dejan Vasiljevic; Brad Newley; Craig Moller; Jarell Martin (import)

Shaun Bruce; Jordan Hunter; Tom Vodanovich; Jaylin Galloway (development player); Archie Woodhill (development player)

36ERS

Josh Giddey (Next Star); Sunday Dech; Tony Crocker (import); Daniel Johnson; Isaac Humphries

Donald Sloan (import); Jack McVeigh; Keanu Pinder; Brendan Teys; Alex Mudronja; Owen Hulland (development player)

THE COACHES

KINGS

Adam Forde, NBL rookie head coach, NBL record 1-3

36ERS

Conner Henry (1^st season with Adelaide, NBL career record 21-16, record with Adelaide 4-2)

2020/2021 REGULAR SEASON SERIES

36ers lead 1-0

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

NBL LADDER

Kings 1-3, seventh

36ers 4-2, third

KEY STATS

KINGS

Points: Jarell Martin, 18.0ppg

Rebounds: Jarell Martin, 9.3rpg

Assists: Shaun Bruce, 3.3apg

36ERS

Points: Daniel Johnson, 21.7ppg

Rebounds: Isaac Humphries, 8.0rpg

Assists: Josh Giddey, 5.2apg

KEY MATCHUP

Jarell Martin vs. Isaac Humphries

Humphries went for 27 points and nine rebounds in the opening matchup of this NBL21 regular season series and caused the Kings enormous headaches with his size and mobility. His ability to face up and knock down the perimeter shot means you have to respect him and carry a hand to his face, and when he sees you on a closeout, that gives him the green light to put the ball on the floor and go hard to the rim, where he finishes extremely well. Defensively he’s a rim protector, and his rebounding is much improved after his stint in the NBA. Conversely, Martin has carried the Kings for large stretches through his offensive production. For a big man he’s got light, quick feet; he’s extremely mobile and a better shooter than his opponent from the outside, plus he has a fearsome inside game and a soft touch around the basket. He’ll be asked to do heavy rebounding duty once again, and must be a bulwark in the post.

THE QUESTIONS

Can the Kings put a ton of heat on the Adelaide guards?

Will Brad Newley continue his great form in Adelaide?

HISTORY

All-time Head-to-Head

94 games played; 36ers lead 54-40

In Adelaide

49 games played; 36ers lead 33-16

At Adelaide Entertainment Centre

2 games played; series tied 1-1

DID YOU KNOW?

Dejan Vasiljevic’s 28 points last Saturday night were the most points scored in a single game for a Sydney Kings rookie in franchise history. Previously, the record was 26 points shared by two Kings – Sydney Kings Legend Matthew Nielsen, who had 26 points against the Wollongong Hawks in Round 23 of his Rookie of the Year season in 1997, and Mark Worthington, who ironically also tallied 26 against the Hawks in Round 19 of his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2005/2006.