Matthew Dellavedova has been ruled out of the rest of Melbourne United’s clash with Brisbane Bullets at John Cain Arena due to concussion.
While United fans were thrilled with a 43-28 lead at half time, they had concerns for Australian legend Dellavedova, who was landed on heavily in the second period.
The tough-as-nails veteran bravely put his body on the line in hope of drawing a foul only for driving Bullet Sam McDaniel to land on him with a knee to the head.
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It drew gasps from the crowd who watched replays of the incident and the 33 year old immediately went to the rooms for a head injury assessment.
Dellavedova’s career was under threat two years ago after multiple concussions in the NBA, so there was understandable concern from the club’s medical staff.
At half time, the club announced on social media that Dellavedova would take no further part in the game due to concussion.
PHOENIX RISE TO INCREDIBLE UPSET
A scintillating second half from point guard Gary Browne lifted an undermanned South East Melbourne Phoenix to a thrilling 86-85 upset win over top-of-the-ladder Tasmania JackJumpers at John Cain Arena on Saturday night.
Browne put the Phoenix ahead with 36.5 left on the clock before Mitch Creek slid in to foul JackJumpers centre Majok Deng with 3.4 left.
Deng was sent to the line for two shots, confidently draining his first before clipping the rim on his second and missing.
It was heartbreaking for Deng, but the Phoenix fans roared with delight as their two-game losing streak came to an end.
Playing without injured stars Alan Williams and Tyler Cook, the Phoenix came out of the blocks a little lethargic defensively but corrected their ways to restore parity by half-time.
A 10-0 run to start the second half, inspired by an energetic Browne, turned the momentum in favour of the Phoenix.
With MVP candidate Milton Doyle kept in check for most of the night by some focused Phoenix defence until he threatened with 14 points late, it was import guard Jordon Crawford who broke off the leash with 27 points, six assists and 5-9 from three-point range.
At times it looked like it was Crawford’s world and we were just living in it.
But it would be Browne who would fittingly put the exclamation point on the game with a team-high 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
It was all the JackJumpers in the first period.
Doyle was aggressive early with the first five points of the game.
Captain Clint Steindl came off the bench to drain his first two three-pointers and Crawford had the razzle dazzle as the visitors marched to a 23-18 lead at quarter time.
The Phoenix’s defensive effort was questioned early in the game but they ramped it up in the second.
With Will Cummings having better success on the penetration, Craig Moller logging valuable minutes in the paint and Mitch Creek finding his range, the Phoenix went on a 10-4 run to take the lead for the first time approaching midway through the second.
Crawford led all scorers with 17 at the half, while Creek had 11, as the sides went into the long break level on 43-apiece.
Browne was hellbent on giving the Phoenix the upper hand at the start of the third period, scoring the first field goal, causing a JackJumpers error and then hitting a baseline jumper as part of a 10-0 run that included a Moller three and three-point play from Creek.
The JackJumpers are proving hard to keep down this season and went on a run of their own with a Jack McVeigh counter punch.
McVeigh piled on nine points in the third, but the Phoenix held a slender 68-64 lead at three quarter time.
It was anyone’s ballgame entering the fourth, but the Phoenix had the steady hand late to improve to 2-3 on the season.
Bull ant
What an addition Crawford has been for the JackJumpers.
The bull-at-a-gate 33-year-old point guard brought the energy on both ends of the floor, breaking ankles with his zigging and zagging on offence and always willing on defence.
Standing at just 168cm, Crawford’s quick step back to open up space and land a three pointer makes him a hard cover because he just as easily burnt the Phoenix defenders on the drive.
He is fast becoming a must-watch player in the league.
Cheer leaders
Alan Williams (knee) and Tyler Cook (eye) are closing in on their returns from injury for the Phoenix.
The pair still made their presence felt on the Phoenix bench, calling out any decisions they felt didn’t go their team’s way and offering encouragement to teammates.
SCOREBOARD
South East Melbourne Phoenix 86 (Browne 20, Creek 16, Cummings 15)
Tasmania JackJumpers 85 (Crawford 27, McVeigh 19, Doyle 14)
At John Cain Arena, Melbourne
36ERS GO DOWN TO THE WIRE FOR BREAKTHROUGH WIN
—Jason Phelan
The resurgent Adelaide 36ers broke through for their first win of the season on Saturday night after Trey Kell III and Trentyn Flowers starred in a thrilling nine-point victory over the Illawarra Hawks.
Staring down the barrel of an 0-5 start to the season, the Sixers trailed by six points heading into the last quarter, but Flowers lit up the Adelaide Entertainment Centre with 18 of his 23 points coming in the stunning finale.
With the Hawks (1-3), coming off a 30-point drubbing by the JackJumpers, and the last-placed Sixers the league’s only winless team after two rounds, Saturday’s clash was the definition of ‘must-win’ for both teams.
Adelaide hadn’t won a fourth quarter in its previous four losses, but Kell, with a game-high 25 points and nine rebounds, and Flowers were instrumental in the relieving win.
With the first win in the books, Adelaide now has the opportunity to stabilise its season with back-to-back home games up next, the 36ers hosting the Phoenix on Thursday night and the Wildcats on Saturday night.
SLICK VS SLOPPY
With so much on the line, the slick Hawks flew out of the blocks while Adelaide started poorly.
The visitors led 11-2 almost five minutes into the clash, with the home side managing just two free throws to Isaac Humphries, Bruton calling an early time-out to refocus his troops.
The switched-on Hawks looked dangerous on offence, with Daniel Grida providing an early highlight with a monster put-back dunk.
At one stage the sloppy Sixers had more turnovers than shots from the floor (7-5).
Adelaide desperately needed a spark and Kell provided it, the import firing up with 13 first-quarter points, including 3-from-3 from long range, as the home side slashed a 12-point deficit to just two at the first break.
WILEY STYLEY
Jacob Wiley was responsible for the biggest roar from the home fans in the first half.
In a pivotal moment, Tohi Smith-Milner was called for a foul after he inadvertently caught Justin Robinson with an elbow to the face, but Bruton challenged the call successfully.
The Sixers won the resulting jump ball and Jason Cadee floated an alley-oop pass in Wiley’s direction.
The energetic import gleefully accepted the invitation, slamming home a two-handed dunk then hanging off the rim as the fans went wild in appreciation.
The two points put the Sixers in front and signalled an improved all-round performance, although Kell was doing just fine, the import with a game-high 19 points.
It was a tough night for Robinson, who went 0-from-12 at one point and finished with three points on 1-from-14 shooting.
TRIPLE TALK
The Sixers entered the clash as the worst team in the league from long range, averaging 6.5 triples a game at 26 per cent.
After Kell’s hot start, Adelaide didn’t manage another triple until Flowers connected with just under three minutes left in the third quarter.
The Sixers were 4-from-14 from outside the arc at the last break and trailed by six points after Lachie Olbrich and Todd Blanchfield drained late triples, the visitors 8-from-24 going into the final term.
Adelaide finished with a season-high 9-from-20 from long range, Flowers leading the way with 5-from-6 shooting, with the Hawks 10-from-32.
PINK SLAM
The Entertainment Centre was a sea of pink on Friday night, with Adelaide’s players and fans turning out in support of the 36ers’ partnership with The Hospital Research Foundation Group to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer research.
– Brad Elborough
Melbourne United miserly start to the NBL season continued in Perth on Friday night.
They have solid claims for having the best defence in the competition at the early stages of the campaign after beating the Wildcats 88-81 in a thriller at RAC Stadium.
And that’s with Perth knocking down 29 points in the fourth term.
Perth averaged 94 points in their previous three games, even reaching 99 in a loss to South East Melbourne in round 2
With Melbourne’s tall timber Ariel Hukporti and Robert Loe fouling out late in the game, Keanu Pinder threatened to pinch the game for the home side.
But the cool heads of Ian Clark and Matt Dellavedova saw United home.
Perth had won eight of its previous nine home games before Friday night. But United now have a 8-2 record in Perth since the start of the 2019-20 season.
Welcome home Luke
Former Perth Wildcat Luke Travers was put off by the fiery welcome he received from the Perth crowd that cheers him so loudly only one season earlier.
The United rising star quietened the Wildcats faithful with three big dunks in the opening half.
His athleticism was an issue for his old team.
He did earn a rising cheer midway through the second term when he left the court with a cut on his nose.
His three-pointer in the third term kept Perth at bay after the home side had reduced the margin to two points.
He finished with a handy 11 points and five rebounds.
Chris Goulding top scored with 18 points including four from long range. Clark also scored 18.
Early foul trouble
Before Friday, Perth had led at halftime in every other game this season.
But they had 35 points shooting at just 33.3 per cent in the first half against United.
Nothing worked for them on offence.
They trailed by 12 points after Goulding hit his 10th point for the half midway through the second quarter.
But a couple of offensive fouls to Loe and Hukporti within 20 seconds of one another, gave the home side a little bit of momentum.
Melbourne also got into foul trouble.
The Wildcats trailed by just four points at the main break thanks to two late three pointers from Alex Sarr and Jordan Usher.
Come with me
Keanu Pinder single handedly kept Perth in a game for most of the night.
He top scored with 25 points and had seven rebounds in a powerful display. He looks close to being back to his best.
Bryce Cotton was kept to just 11 points and had only four points in more than three quarters.
Shane Ili has had some terrific game on the Wildcats star.
Cotton dropped first three pointer three minutes into the last term.
Jordan Usher also added 20 points.
Kristian doing little
Perth could be short a man for a few weeks, with starter Kristian Doolittle suffering a knee injury on Friday night.
The Wildcats import knocked his knee trying to jump over Melbourne’s Shane Ili less than two minutes into the game.
The game needed to be stopped so he could be helped from the court.
Doolittle was the last import added to the Cats roster, joining them in the week leading into their round 1 win against Tasmania.
He’s yet to hit his straps, with just 11 points and 10 rebounds in three games to open the season and he was kept scoreless against Adelaide in round 2.
He registered just one assist and one turnover on Friday night.
NBL Next Star rubs salt in Brisbane’s wounds
—Nick Tucker
Spearheaded by NBL Next Star Alex Toohey, the Sydney Kings rubbed salt into the gaping wound left by the five-match ban to Bullets star Aron Baynes with a comprehensive 113-102 victory over Brisbane at Nissan Arena on Friday.
Toohey, the first Australian player to commit to the Next Stars program since fellow NBA Global Academy alumni Josh Giddey, snuck in an efficient 18 points on 7/8 shooting, helping former league MVP Jaylen Adams (26 points) account for Brisbane.
Toohey came alive in the second half, giving the Kings’ social media team a vicious transition slam-dunk and block to choose from before finishing through contact in the final minute to put a Bullets come back to bed.
Despite strong performances from early MVP candidate Nathan Sobey (26 points), Chris Smith (21 points) and DJ Mitchell (16 points), the reigning champions surged home in a high-scoring affair where threes were flying left, right and centre.
Jaylin Galloway (16 points), Denzel Valentine (15 points), Jonah Bolden (12 points) and Kouat Noi (14 points) were strong contributors in Sydney’s 11-point-victory.
TOOHEY TERROR
Nineteen-year-old NBL Next Star Alex Toohey walked the talk with an almost perfect showing at Nissan Arena, picking apart the Bullets with 18 points on 87% shooting.
One of Australia’s most promising prospects, 201cm Toohey, who decommitted from Gonzaga to become the league’s first Next Star, was efficient, didn’t shoot a shot that wasn’t there, and looked NBA ready.
Eligible for the 2024 draft, Toohey boosted his draft stocks with a rollicking steal to spin-move-slam late in the third quarter when he plucked the ball from the grasp of his opposition and went coast-to-coast before finishing with a one-hand-jam.
This came after a crisp mid-range jump shot and was followed by an and-one moments later.
DJ MITCHELL FINDS FORM
He was overshadowed by the brilliance of Sobey and Smith but for Brisbane fans, seeing DJ Mitchell nail two-from-three triples in the first half would’ve brought a smile to their faces.
Looking sharp in Black, Mitchell made his first start of the season and looked full of confidence when letting the three-ball fly.
A highlight of his came halfway through the third quarter where he splashed a pull-up three to address an 11-point-deficit.
He finished with 16 points.
Sharpshooter Smith wasn’t afraid to shoot either but this time, doing his best work inside the arc in the first half before coming alive from deep in the second half to finish with 21.
ROCCO ZIKARSKY’S TIME TO SHINE
Brisbane’s 220cm giant gained more valuable playing experience in tonight’s loss, earning 13 minutes in the clash.
In the first quarter Zikarsky slammed home a tip-in, reeled in two rebounds and played excellent defence before a highlight-reel swat on Kouat Noi.
Baynes’ absence may well be a blessing in disguise with Zikarsky set to step up behind the shot-blocking Tyrell Harrison who performed well in the starting five.
JAYLEN ADAMS
You didn’t forget about him, did you?
The 2021/2022 NBL MVP was back to his brilliant best, an elite scorer who looked a class above.
The nifty point guard was his team’s leading scorer at the half with 14 on 6-10 shooting, was deadly from the mid-range and had a turn of pace paired with handles which kept the Bullets at bay.
He loved a swish and finished with 26.
KOUAT NOI A THREE POINT SNIPER
The 201cm forward was a laser from three-point-land, nailing three-from-five behind the arc in a strong first half showing.
By the main break, he had 11, but what stood out was his confidence letting a three-ball go.
It was as if once he got the ball, he had one mode and in the first half it worked wonders for the visitors.
Galloway and Toohey were also sinking treys at an efficient clip, making life hard for the Bullets.
The Kings’ three-point-magic did not stop at half time.
-Ryan Rosendale
The Tasmania JackJumpers have continued to stamp their credentials as a NBL24 championship contender with a commanding 30-point win over Illawarra at MyState Bank Arena on Thursday night.
Clinical from the outset, the JJs were never really challenged by the Hawks and finished 103-73 winners to successfully defend the island for a second straight game and extend their winning streak to three.
Imports Jordon Crawford (17 points and six assists) and Marcus Lee (10 points, eight rebounds and two assists) both put in their best performances to date as JackJumpers while superstar Milton Doyle (19 points, nine rebounds and five assists) continued his incredibly hot start to the season.
After getting in foul trouble against both the Kings and United, Lee was far more tactical in his defence early but still finished with the four personal fouls.
The Jackies got off to the perfect start, thanks to Lee at both ends of the floor, with Doyle’s first three of the night getting them out to an early 10-point advantage.
Another to Crawford down the stretch of the first extended that to 13 before he and Hawks pair Justin Robinson and Todd Blachfield collided in the final minutes of the first.
All three were fine with Crawford slotting two free throws to give the home side a five-point lead at the first break.
Tasmania continued to dominate in the second quarter, draining six threes to finish the term up by 26 points and looking as damaging as they have done in their three-year history on offence.
The Hawks had absolutely no answers with forward Sam Frowling appearing incredibly frustrated on a number of occasions.
The visitors outscored 31-10 for the quarter with just 29 points at the half and going 2-13 from the three point line.
Despite another three consecutive long range baskets to start the third from Tasmania, the Hawks put in a much improved effort, in the third, largely thanks to forward Gary Clark’s 10 points.
The result was beyond doubt heading into the last with the JackJumpers strong defence keeping the NBL’s highest average scoring team – 97 points – to just 73, the third-straight game an opponent was kept under 80 points.
The win saw the JackJumpers go 3-1 to start the season ahead of Saturday’s away game against South East Melbourne Phoenix while Illawarra now have a 1-2 record and will face Adelaide in Saturday’s early contest.
