NBL 22: Game reports from Round 10
Still Covid-depleted and coming off a blow out loss to Perth, South East Melbourne bounced back in a drama-filled thriller, thanks to their ice-cool import.
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Were the South East Melbourne Phoenix red hot or ice cold against the Illawarra Hawks?
If you asked Grandpa Simpson, he’d reply with “A little from column A, a little from column B.”
In a remarkable topsy-turvy game packed with drama, the Phoenix mixed the sublime with substandard but survived by the skin of their teeth, 88-87, thanks to a special performance from import point guard Xavier Munford.
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After several clutch buckets from Munford either ended Hawks’ runs or kept his side in the game, all looked lost for Phoenix, down by a point with 1.1 seconds left on the clock.
But Munford was bailed out on a desperation three by Xavier Rathan-Mayes. He would have to wait for his chance to ice the game, though, with Hawks’ coach Brian Goorjian challenging the foul call.
It stood and Munford — an 85 per cent free throw shooter — calmly knocked in the first two, giving him 24 on the night, and deliberately missed the third to ensure the Hawks couldn’t take the ball out of bounds and set up a Hail Mary play.
Munford said the Phoenix “made something out of nothing” on the broken play that ultimately gave them victory.
“I was just trying to protect the ball and then I looked at the clock, so I had to make a play and it just so happened that he over-jumped and it was a foul.
“But that wasn’t the play we drew up.”
Still without coach Simon Mitchell, captain Kyle Adnam, Cam Gliddon, Dane Pineau and Reuben Te Rangi, who are all in Covid protocols, stand-in mentor Judd Flavell called for a response from the Phoenix after they were hammered by Perth.
And boy, did they deliver early.
In a stunning start to the game, the Phoenix were white hot, nailing a perfect 10-from-10 from the field to jump out to a 26-12 lead.
But they jumped out of the blocks against the Wildcats, before taking the foot of the pedal, and the same thing happened in this one.
The Hawks opened the second on an 8-0 run and threatened to roll over the top. But a Flavell time-out was just what the Phoenix needed to refocus and regroup and they put together a 10-0 stretch of their own to re-establish dominance.
Early in the third, the Phoenix jumped back out to an 11-point lead and should have put it away. But the let down came again and the Hawks looked home, before Munford’s heroics.
After going scoreless in the first quarter, Tyler Harvey woke from his slumber, scorching 20 points across the second and third as Goorjian, in his bid to cure some of the Hawks’ woes shifted star forward Sam Froling to the bench. It worked, the big fella, clearly keen to get himself back into the starting five, putting in 17 points.
Flavell, who scored his first win as coach, said he was proud of his charges’ ability to respond, especially without their bench core.
“(The loss to the Wildcats) was one that didn’t sit right in any of us for the last 24 hours,” Flavell said.
“Just the attitude, the mindset, was great and then obviously we walk out of this place with a win, which isn’t easy to do.
“I thought our offence was much better tonight.
“Illawarra put on their zone, which put the handbrake on for a little bit, then we found our groove and obviously it was a tight ball game in the end.”
Phoenix, who got 20 points out of Mitch Creek, are in the midst of a tough stretch. This game closed out round 10 and they will play in the first game in Round 11, back at home Thursday against Sydney, before hosting Tasmania Sunday. The Hawks host Cairns Saturday.
Rowdy making noise in different ways
Broekhoff made a career out of splashing threes. He’s got one of the sweetest shooting forms you will see. While his accuracy has inexplicably deserted him this year, the marksman shooting just 22.7 per cent on his 44 attempts from deep, he had a massive impact on the game, crashing the glass and creating havoc defensively. He had 12 rebounds at halftime — almost as many as the Hawks as a team and finished with an 11-point, 16-rebound double-double. The shot still didn’t fall, though — he missed his first four three-point attempts and shrugged his shoulder as if to say “finally” when one finally dropped in the third quarter. If that weapon re-emerges, lookout NBL.
Finals picture already?
If you’re a believer in omens, then the top-four is set. Remarkably, in each of the last four season, the four teams in the top-four at the end of Round 10 were the teams who played in the finals at season’s end. The Wildcats, Melbourne United and Phoenix are the top-three. Bad news for Illawarra is the feel-good story of the season in the expansion Tasmania JackJumpers leapfrogged them into fourth. Work to do for Brian Goorjian’s men.
SCOREBOARD
Illawarra Hawks 87-88 South East Melbourne Phoenix
Hawks
Harvey: 20 points,
S. Froling: 17 points, 5 rebounds
Reath: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists
Rathan-Mayes: 13 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists
Phoenix
Munford: 24 points, 5 assists
Creek: 20 points
Le’afa: 13 points
Broekhoff: 11 points, 16 rebounds
Qi: 11 points, 7 rebounds
JACKJUMPERS PLAY SWEET TONES IN UNITED’S HOUSE
Melbourne United can’t say they’ve Never Seen the Rain.
While it wasn’t a Cloudy Day outside John Cain Arena, Tasmania brought the stormy weather from down south, pouring in nine of their 11 shots, including five from deep, in a first quarter that was decidedly un-United.
With defensive leader Jack White and reserve big man Ariel Hukporti in Covid protocols, United gave up 36 in the opener — more points than any team has conceded in a quarter in the 2022 season.
Case in point why White is so important to this team.
The 24-year-old is an organiser on that side of the ball who sparks the United run the other way.
Without him, the offence sputtered and the defence floundered. It’s the reason why he’s only ever lost twice in his career — United fell in both games to open the season as he continued his rehab from an Achilles rupture and the story was the same in Sunday’s 94-85 loss.
Disorganised Melbourne was shredded on the interior and allowed open shot after open shot from deep.
They made previously mild-mannered MiKyle McIntosh look like MiKyle Jordan as he made a series of forays to the rack that the usually impenetrable United defence could not deal with on his way to nine first-quarter points. In 11 previous NBL games the import averages 4.82 points per game and had scored in double digits just once — he ended with 16 on the night, a career high.
Down 12 at halftime the lights dimmed and, in case you didn’t get the song references, No. 1 ticketholder Tones and I performed for the crowd.
The plucky Jackies, on a three-game winning streak, could have been forgiven for thinking they were about to Fly Away with the biggest victory in their short history.
But United captain Chris Goulding ain’t no Dance Monkey and he was the only person in John Cain Arena who could eclipse the Aussie pop Queen.
In four-and-a-half minutes of shooting bliss, CG43 drained a trio of three-pointers and added four free throws to single-handedly erase the JackJumpers’ lead.
Incensed by an early foul against him, an irate Goulding jawed with the refs, jawed at himself and splashed bucket after bucket as he took particular delight in pouring the hurt on the team from his home state with 27 points by the last break.
But, guess what? There’s another twist to this tale, the JackJumpers proving they are no one-hit wonders, fighting their way back to lead 87-83 with 57.1 seconds left on a massive three from the brilliant Jack McVeigh, who finished with a team-high 17 points.
Star United point guard Matthew Dellavedova had the chance to close the gap, but he missed a pair of free throws and then McVeigh went up the other end and killed it off from the charity stripe.
Coach Dean Vickerman’s group had vowed to bounce back after the loss to Adelaide, but the response was “totally unacceptable”. Although he said it was a “big statement” to say the performance was “un-United” and praised the JackJumpers.
“The pressure certainly wasn’t the team that we expect ourselves to be and it wasn’t the standard,” Vickerman said.
“But, at the same time, they made shots. You’ve got to credit some of the things that they did. “We miss a coverage and we got punished for it.”
Veteran Goulding who showed form is temporary, but class is permanent, draining five three-pointers after an 0-14 night in Adelaide, Veteran Goulding admitted he was too focused on the referees early on.
He said he had to be better.
“I’ve been around too long to get caught up the way I did in the first half,” Goulding said.
“Our mindset was a little altered towards officiating … and I take responsibility for that.
“Before you know it, you think you’re hard done by, but you’re down 15 and now we’ve got to claw this thing back.
“We need to have that claw-this-thing-back mentality from the jump.”
Jack-nificent Jumpers
Could these Jackies be dreaming of playoffs? Of course they could — they’re the hottest team in the league with four straight wins. They have a bunch of guys who have bought into the expansion club and play for Scott Roth. Big man Will Magnay can only get better, Josh Magette is among the best point guards in the NBL, Josh Adams is a streaky shooter and that McIntosh guy showed what he is capable of, too. If they can get that type of performance from him on a consistent basis, no one will want to play this mob on the run home.
Weary travellers return
The last time United played at John Cain Arena, Christmas was still coming. It was Round 3 on December 19 and they hammered the New Zealand Breakers by 23. Fast forward 49 days and, coming off a loss to Adelaide, they walked out of the blocks and stumbled at the end. They have three more at home, but they’re tough — contenders Perth, then bitter cross-town rivals South East Melbourne await in the Throwdown after THE THROWDOWN.
Best centre in the league?
It’s a favourite catchcry of former NBL MVP Corey ‘Homicide’ Williams, but Jo Lual-Acuil is making it look less crazy with every game. Homicide reckons the 27-year-old has become the best centre in the NBL. The big guy is a monster on the block, runs the floor, can make the three and is a wall on defence. After his dominant 26-point, 21-rebound double-double in a losing effort, it’s hard to argue.
SCOREBOARD
Melbourne United 85-94 Tasmania JackJumpers
John Cain Arena
Crowd: 8499
United
Goulding: 29 points, 5 3PM
Lual-Acuil: 26 points, 2 rebounds
Dellavedova: 11 points
JackJumpers
McVeigh: 17 points
McIntosh: 16 points
Adams: 16 points
COVID-CRUSHED PHOENIX NIPPED BY ‘CATS
Billed as the battle of the NBL’s top-three early-MVP candidates and most-prolific scorers, a young Wildcat with NBA prospects and a familiar foe stole the show from a Covid-depleted South East Melbourne in its first home game at John Cain Arena in nearly two months.
Wildcats Bryce Cotton, Vic Law and Phoenix forward Mitch Creek are seen as the men leading the MVP race.
Early on, it looked like it would be the Phoenix star’s night, his six first-quarter points leading South East Melbourne to a 12-point lead at the break. Cotton and Law missed their first seven shots before the former got on board half way through the second quarter.
It sparked something in the three-time MVP, he and Wildcats young gun Luke Travers instrumental in a game-changing 21-0 run in the second quarter that undid South East Melbourne’s start.
Assistant Judd Favell was a late call-up on Friday night for coach Simon Mitchell, who, along with four other phoenix players, missed through Covid protocols.
Flavell refused to use the late scratchings as an excuse, saying the Phoenix had enough time to prepare.
He said his side lost its way in the second quarter, turning the ball over, giving up offensive rebounds and putting the Wildcats on the free throw line.
“That second term was obviously where the game was separated,” Flavell said.
“When we look back on the game, there’s a bunch of different things we can nitpick on and pull apart.
“Things that we could control … things in our hands.
“We needed to tidy up and we failed on that front.
At halftime, the chorus of boos was an indicator of dissatisfaction with the referees during the Wildcats’ run.
First, an interpretation of an unsportsmanlike foul that could only be described as ticky-tack when Qi half stuck his hand in the cookie jar near his own hoop. He was met with a severe penalty. Letter of the law? Better basketball minds can decide. Then, a late whistle pinged Creek for a foul on Law and, on the ensuing play, a foul was called in a rebounding contest that sent Brandon Ashley and Jesse Wagstaff sprawling to the floor.
Phoenix were up by seven, 36-31, before the Qi unsportsmanlike. Fifty-one seconds later, they were down by three. That’s as big a momentum sucker as you can get on a basketball court.
Flavell would not be drawn on the unsportsmanlike foul but said some of the calls “hurt” as Phoenix tried to quell the Perth run.
Once Cotton gets his tail up, he’s very hard to stop.
The Perth star finished the game with 21 points and six assists, while his running mate Travers showed why there is NBA interest in the 20-year-old with a game-high 24 points to go with seven rebounds.
Phoenix was best-served by Xavier Munford, who had 18 points, while Creek had 17 and nine rebounds.
With Perth out the way, the Phoenix are in a tough stretch of four games in nine days, with the Hawks in Wollongong on Monday, before home games against the Sydney and Tasmania later in the week. A grand final rematch next Saturday awaits Perth, who will face Melbourne United at John Cain Arena
‘Nix Covid crisis
The NBL has previously cancelled games where multiple players were impacted by Covid protocols but this one went ahead with the Phoenix missing captain Kyle Adnam and contributors Cam Gliddon, Reuben Te Rangi and Dane Pineau. It left the Phoenix rotation short and forced big minutes into their starters, including Izayah Le’afa, in his first game back from a bout of Covid himself.
NBL1 gun made good
Lachie Barker, called up as a Covid replacement, did his best Adnam impersonation, netting points and providing the Phoenix with a spark off the bench. His contested bucket in the lane late in the first quarter produced his first NBL points and moments later he drilled a three-pointer from the corner to outline his class. The Phoenix are deep at guard, but the second-tier star did his future NBL hopes no harm in this one, finishing with 11 points.
Tight turnaround
South East Melbourne now has less than 48 hours to right the ship, with fellow NBL finals fancy Illawarra awaiting on Monday night.
Thing aren’t about to get any easier, with the potent Hawks’ offence, led by explosive guard Tyler Harvey, also smarting from a last-time-out loss.
Phoenix assistant Judd Flavell, who will stand in for coach Simon Mitchell for the second straight game, said he would be keeping it simple.
“We’ve got to look after the basketball, that’s for sure. We can’t have wasted possessions and gift the ball to the opposition and we’ve got to tidy up the rebounds — it’s not rocket science for us,” Flavell said.
“Those are the areas that, if we do those well, our offence is flying, scoreboard’s ticking over.”
Phoenix guard Xavier Munford, who dropped 18 points in the loss to the Wildcats, will have his hands full with Harvey, who leads the Hawks at nearly 17 points per game.
“I saw him a little bit in pre-season — heavy leftie can shoot it, do many things well,” Munford said.
“He’s the engine for that team, so we’ll break down the film and just prepare for him.”
The Phoenix surrendered top spot on the ladder with the loss to Perth, falling to third, but have played three less games than Melbourne United and two less than the Wildcats, who are both above them.
NBL not happy with Hodgson suspension
The NBL hierarchy has decided Hodgson deserves more than a one-match ban for his double strike on Sydney King Dejan Vasiljevic last week. It has appealed its independent tribunal’s decision to impose a three-match suspension, with two of those suspended. Hodgson will know his fate in the next 48 hours, with a full tribunal to hear the case, should the appeal be granted.
SCOREBOARD
South East Melbourne Phoenix 101-79 Perth Wildcats
John Cain Arena
Crowd: 3727
Phoenix
Munford: 18 points,
Creek: 17 points, 9 rebounds
Wildcats
Travers: 24 points, 7 rebounds
Cotton: 21 points, 6 assists
Originally published as NBL 22: Game reports from Round 10
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