Adelaide 36ers do us proud against NBA heavyweight Utah Jazz in historic clash in Salt Lake City
ADELAIDE fans dared to dream when the 36ers led Utah by three points at quarter-time but Utah flexed its NBA muscle and blitzed the tiring visitors in the final quarter to win 129-99 in Salt Lake City.
ADELAIDE fans dared to dream when the 36ers led Utah by three points at quarter-time but Utah flexed its NBA muscle and blitzed the visitors in the final quarter to win 129-99 in Salt Lake City.
The 36ers, however, did their and the NBL’s reputation no harm for standing up to a star-studded Jazz on the big stage in the first half which demanded the home side play hard.
The Sixers led 31-28 at quarter-time and in a case of little wins being big wins, won the third quarter as well but were opened up in the last even though Utah rested its stars.
Adelaide had plenty of contributors but one man enhanced his standing in the big-time with Nathan Sobey scoring a game-high 25 points after going head-to-head with Utah superstar Donovan Mitchell.
Just over a year since he came to Utah for the NBA summer league only to be hampered by a groin injury and unable to show his wares, Sobey was at his hustling best on defence and hit three three-pointers with composure from the field.
Adelaide’s latest US import Jacob Wiley (15 points) also showed he’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the NBL by taking it to some of Utah’s big bodies.
The Jazz beat Perth in a walkover last week but the 36ers were a different team and made them earn it early.
Adelaide’s starters were Sobey, Wiley, Ramone Moore, Daniel Johnson and Anthony Drmic while Utah went with Donovan Mitchell, Jae Crowder, Joe Ingles, Ricky Rubio and Derrick Favors.
The early signs were good when Drmic drew two fouls, Wiley landed an alley-oop and Sobey blocked a Rubio shot.
It was Adelaide’s physicality on defence that kept them in it early, Sobey was running hard with superstar Mitchell and the bigs were doing their bit before Rubio hit consecutive threes.
But the little things started going Adelaide’s way. Sobey’s aggressive drive drew a foul from Favors who punched the air in frustration, Johnson made a spinning fadeaway and Sobey hit another three on his way to 12 first-quarter points.
Adelaide led 27-19 with a minute to go before quarter-time then 31-28 at the break which had the bench on its feet.
Sobey was playing like a man possessed. He made the floater then ran into the Jazz bench intercepting a pass before Harry Froling made a trailer bucket.
Trailing 37-34 the Jazz needed a spark and it came from Grayson Allen who was dropping everything on the drive and from long range.
Midway through the second quarter Utah turned to its big-men in Favors, Royce O’Neale and Georges Nang before Mitchell went to work with consecutive baskets to put the Jazz up by 12 points at half-time.
Johnson copped heavy contact while setting a screen for Sobey and got rewarded when he got it back for the lay-up before Sobey hit a three and Adelaide went shot-for-shot with the Jazz.
Wiley then came alive with two successful free-throws and the fadeaway jump shot as Utah took Mitchell, Crowder, Ingles and Rubio off but kept control of the game.
Adelaide hit consecutive threes through Johnson and Deng but the Sixers needed stops and they got two through Sobey and De Leon who both took a charge from Allen and Brendan Teys hustled hard in defence for two turnovers.
Wiley turned it up again in the third this time with a dunk and blazing drive and finger-roll before Jack McVeigh drained his fadeaway jumper on the buzzer to trail 94-86 at three-quarter-time.
The 48-minute game ultimately caught up with the Sixers who are used to the 40 minute games in the NBL and they tired.
The shots just wouldn’t drop to start the final quarter and as the defence tired they were ultimately out-muscled on the drive, and when Utah got rolling they opened up the defence and ran out 30-point winners.
reece.homfray@news.com.au