Adelaide 36ers set to renew acquaintances with Mitch Creek on road trip to face South East Melbourne Phoenix
Adelaide 36ers are on a roll after three consecutive wins, including two in a row at home. But they are set for another tough game - Mitch Creek’s South East Melbourne Phoenix on the road.
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Don’t get too comfortable because another big test is around the corner.
That is Adelaide 36ers coach Joey Wright’s advice for his side after its four-point home win over Cairns and ahead of Sunday’s away game against fellow 3-1 team South East Melbourne.
The 36ers have bounced back after their season-opening loss to Sydney, grinding three consecutive victories, including two in a row at their new home, Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
There were some really positive signs versus Cairns on Friday night, as Jerome Randle had his best game since returning to the club, Jack McVeigh continued to impress off the bench and the defence clicked, led by import big man Eric Griffin.
Wright said he was happy with the start to the campaign but was already focusing on what was ahead, Mitch Creek’s Phoenix.
“They (the games) are all big tests,” Wright said post-match.
“Tonight we just played against a team that won by 20 in Perth.
“I think the team that stays in that neutral zone the best, don’t get too high, too low, makes defence a focus and gets lucky with injury, those teams will be around at the end.
“But it’s a long season, we’ve got a game on Sunday, we’ll try to get it done.”
Adelaide could well have been 2-2 if it did not pick up its defence midway through the second period against the Taipans.
It trailed by six points before going on a 13-0 run that changed the game and was sparked by the 36ers’ bench.
“I thought the second unit came in and did a pretty good job of taking away all their easy stuff, whether it was in the post or whether it was a catch and shoot,” Wright said.
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At the other end, Cairns found it difficult to stop Randle, who scored 22 points and showed glimpses of the form that led him to become a league MVP in his first tenure at the club.
“I thought Jerome was big,” Wright said.
“He exposed them on the pick and roll, he knocked down open shots.
“That kind of output is definitely what we brought him in for.”
While Randle was one of the 36ers’ positives, a worry was how easily Cairns cut Adelaide’s 15-point three-quarter time lead to two, nailing several open three-point looks to ensure a nervy finish.
On another night, it might have been the Taipans, not Adelaide, that made the big plays in the final minute to seal the game.
“It definitely concerned me,” Wright said.
“We have just got to be a little bit more aware in those situations knowing they’re going to take those deep ones.”