NBL, Round 2: Sydney Kings dethroned with clutch dagger three
A huge performance from Illawarra’s Tyler Harvey has handed the Sydney Kings its first loss of the season as Justin Tatum’s Hawks maintain their hot streak.
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Tyler Harvey has solidified his status as one of the league’s most clutch players with a dagger three for Illawarra to end the unbeaten run of Sydney.
With the Kings trailing by as much as nine in the final term, they looked destined to again pull off another third quarter comeback in front of 11,438 at Qudos Bank Arena.
They tied scores up with a little over a minute to play, before Harvey stepped up to the plate once again with a huge three that would prove the difference and improve the Hawks to 3-0 with a 96-89 victory.
Harvey finished with 21 and was well assisted by 20 from Trey Kell III, while Kings superstar Jaylen Adams was well held by the Hawks, scoring just nine points (2-12 FG) to go with six turnovers.
“That’s what he (Harvey) does,” Hawks coach Justin Tatum said.
“He did it in New Zealand, he did it last year. When he gets the ball in his hands I just turn my back and hope it goes in because I know it’s going up.
“He’s a gamer. He knows when it’s needed and when it’s not. As long as he understands that we’re totally fine with what he does.”
Kings coach Brian Goorjian said while the loss was disappointing, he’s happy with where the team sits through two rounds.
“You’re looking at a situation where you’ve got a team (Illawarra) who really gelled last year and you’ve virtually got the same group back,” he said.
“We’re not in a situation now where we’re blowing them out. You get into a possession game at the end of the game and they were just more together.
“They got the right guys shots in the right spots. We didn’t.”
HAWKS FLY OUT OF BLOCKS
Illawarra led by as much as 15 in the first term and took a very handy 27-14 advantage into the first break.
Former King Wani Swaka Lo Buluk and Sam Froling both had seven points and Trey Kell III had eight as Sydney’s attacking force was completely nullified.
The Kings were able to bring scores back to level late in the second, but some clutch shooting from long range from Tyler Harvey and Darius Days helped restore the lead at halftime.
“We had the start that we expected, to come out there and punch first,” Tatum said.
“The last two games Sydney came and punched Adelaide and Perth, so we didn’t want to be on that side.
“We wanted to make sure that we set the tone and then whatever else happened after that we could be able to dictate what’s going to happen at the end of the game hopefully.”
FROM DNP TO KEY MAN
Sydney desperately needed something to spark their attack and Makuach Maluach answered the call off the bench in the second term.
Two big corner threes saw him add eight points in the term as the Kings rattled off 32 points to get back to within one of the Hawks coming into the second half.
He showed great poise to be able to produce, especially after not seeing the court during Friday’s win over Perth.
“I really liked him tonight,” Goorjian said.
“He’s done that in the pre-season. I told him to be ready tonight and I thought he gave us a big lift when we weren’t shooting the ball well.
“He’s athletic in the open court and he can shoot it. He’s hungry.”
KINGS ROLL THE DICE
After picking up a technical foul at the end of the third, Xavier Cooks was charged with his fourth foul just 45 seconds into the fourth.
With 17 points and 10 rebounds to his name at that point, Brian Goorjian opted to take the gamble on a coach’s challenge to be able to keep his star in the game.
It paid off almost instantly, with Cooks outmuscling a pair of Hawks to grab a key offensive board, leading to a Bul Kuol three to cut the margin to four.
Later in the term he controversially picked up his fourth after the referees allowed play to continue despite a shot clock malfunction.
Cooks led all scorers with 22 points before eventually fouling out.
Magnay mutes Melbourne Utd as JackJumpers win blockbuster
Will Magnay has led Tasmania JackJumpers to a powerful 81-72 win over Melbourne United in Hobart.
JackJumpers took their defence to another level after a reset from round one, winning a fierce battle against a growing rival.
It was Tasmania’s seventh game from their past eight on their home floor, led by magnificent Magnay (18 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and three steals).
Teammate Jordon Crawford sank 19 points with seven rebounds, and Melbourne maestro Jack White did his best to lift United with a game-high 21 and 11 rebounds.
JackJumpers got away to a flyer in a fierce first quarter, leading 9-2 in the opening minutes and 20-14 at quarter-time with Magnay hot at both ends, sinking six points, three rebounds and a score-assist as a sign of things to come.
By midway through the second JJs were 30-19 as Magnay became the first player to shoot double figures with 10 points to go with six rebounds. United worked their way back as White (eight points, four rebounds) and guard Ian Clark (nine points) upped the intensity to reduce the margin to five.
That’s when Milton Doyle injected himself into the game, going into half-time with nine points and five rebounds as the JJs led at the long break 44-33.
As hard as Melbourne tried, JackJumpers held United at arm’s length in the third and in one magnificent moment, brought down the house with play of the night.
Magnay executed a huge block on a shot by Marcus Lee as he came in hot on the hoop.
The ball spilled free and ended in the hands of Crawford, who sank a monster three as the home team went into the final change 61-49.
Edwards, Waardenburg, lead Cairns in win
by Jake Garland
A fired-up Rob Edwards brought the Cairns crowd to their feet during Taipans first home game of the season to claim their first win.
The Taipans almost gave up a 15 point lead in the final term against the 36ers but managed to hang on thanks to Edwards (31 points) and captain Sam Waardenburg (21 points) leading the Taipans to a 101-97 victory.
Edwards called out the Cairns crowd earlier in the week to turn up as he was going to put on a show and the experienced guard did not disappoint.
The game’s leading scorer of the night shot 70 percent from the field, to go with four assists and a steal.
A heavy knock between Edwards and former Taipan Lat Mayen with two and half minutes to go in the third quarter wasn’t enough to stop the experienced guard from putting on a second half show.
The Taipans almost doubled their dismal 29 percent shooting from three point range against Illawarra in round 1 to 55 percent on Saturday night.
Point guard Kyle Adnam showed no signs of his injury concern spending more than 50 percent on the floor finishing with seven points, five assists including a textbook no-look pass to Kyrin Galloway early in the fourth quarter which sent the home crowd into a frenzy.
It was an explosive start to the final quarter for the Taipans after scores were tied 77 a-piece at the final break.
Adelaide’s Montrezl Harrell demanded the ball in the fourth as he tried to claw the 36ers back, looking to repeat his 12 points in nine minutes during the second quarter.
Harrell (20 points, five rebounds) and 36ers captain Dejan Vasilkevic (24 points, seven rebounds) were the shining lights for Adelaide.
Taipan Kyrin Galloway played his first game against his former team for the first time, finishing with 12 points, four rebounds.
While Mayen arrived at Cairns looking to silence the crowd, ended with eight points, seven rebounds.
Cairns will host last year’s premiers Tasmanian JackJumpers on Friday night while Adelaide will play their first home game of the season on Thursday night against South East Melbourne Phoenix.
ADAMS OVERSHADOWS MVPS
by Tristan Lavalette
Former MVP Jaylen Adams overshadowed the NBL’s two best players in an early season masterclass.
While the focus ahead of the Friday night blockbuster was on superstars Bryce Cotton and Xavier Cooks, Adams had 27 points, 6 assists and 6 steals in Sydney Kings’ dramatic 88-87 win over Perth Wildcats at RAC Arena.
The Wildcats were blown away early and completely stifled by the athletic Kings, whose defensive prowess has earned rave reviews from legendary coach Brian Goorjian. But they stormed back in front of a rowdy 11,800 crowd through hot shooting from Elijah Pepper, who missed a three-pointer to win the game at the buzzer.
The Wildcats had dispatched South East Melbourne in their opener and were unbeaten in the pre-season. They played without young gun Ben Henshall due to illness.
The Kings head home having beaten Adelaide 36ers in round one.
MVP OF MVPS
The last three MVP winners shared the court on this cool Friday night in Perth. But Adams stole the show with an electric all-round performance. He was on fire early to ignite the Kings and had the ball in his hands during the clutch moments down the stretch. He received support from Cooks, who was typically dynamic with 22 points while Cotton had 20 points but was limited to 4 of 13 from the floor.
KUOL SETS THE TONE
Bul Kuol has a strong case to be the best lockdown defender in the NBL. He gave the 36ers guards fits, but his biggest test lay at stopping four-time MVP Cotton, who has long tortured the Kings.
The South Sudanese Olympian made a beeline for Cotton after the opening tip and used his almost 20cm height advantage to devastating effect. He stuck closely to Cotton and emphatically blocked his attempted layup to set the tone as the Wildcats had seven turnovers in the opening five minutes.
Cotton had some respite when Kuol went to the bench midway through the first quarter, but all five of his points in the opening stanza was through free throws. The reigning MVP found the length of the Kings difficult all game long in a rare off night by his lofty standards.
TOOHEY SHUT OUT OF THE CONTEST
The hype has been in overdrive for 20-year-old Alex Toohey after a strong pre-season and an eye-catching performance against the 36ers. He’s touted as a potential first round draft pick in next year’s NBA Draft and some pundits believe his ceiling might be higher than Australian NBA veteran Joe Ingles.
But Toohey did not feature strongly in the offence and was benched for much of the final quarter. He finished with just 4 points in 24 minutes.
PINDER STRUGGLES TO STEP UP
Against the tandem of Cooks and Adams, Perth needed star Keanu Pinder to step up alongside Cotton. But Pinder had a nightmare start with three turnovers in the opening minutes and was quickly yanked off the court by frustrated coach John Rillie.
He played just seven minutes in the first-half and was held scoreless. Pinder, who tallied a game-high 29 points against South East Melbourne, finally scored early in the third term but could never get going and did not play in the final quarter. He had just one point in 10 minutes.
KELL COOKS AS HAWKS BEAT BULLETS IN HIGH-SCORING SHOOTOUT
—Nick Tucker
Illawarra coach Justin Tatum and his red-hot Hawks walked the talk in a convincing 113-101 victory over the Brisbane Bullets on Friday night at WIN arena.
During the week Tatum said his side was a “top-two team” in the league and with Trey Kell III (30 points), Hyunjung Lee (15 points) and Sam Froling (16 points) sending his message, the Bullets limped to a second successive loss.
Kell cooked on all levels on his way to posting a career high 30 points, the classy 28-year-old American bullying Brisbane early and then again in the second half when the Hawks turned a 60-59 deficit into an 89-80 lead heading into the final quarter.
For an undermanned Bullets outfit, conceding 113 points was a weak response to last week’s first round loss when they gave up 91 points against the Breakers.
FIRST QUARTER WOES
The lacklustre Bullets were their own worst nightmare in the first frame.
The visitors conceded a whopping 36 points, one point shy of the largest tally ever recorded in a quarter.
A combination of stifling Hawks defence and a low-energy opening by Brisbane saw them head to the break trailing 38-25. The Bullets quickly fell behind 13-4 and things just looked messy for a side missing two important cogs: Josh Bannan (hand, rested) and Sam McDaniel (shoulder, season ending).
In the third quarter, after out-enthusing Illawara in the second to storm ahead, the Bullets surrendered their lead by seemingly returning to their sluggish ways.
KELL IS KING
For the first time in front of his new home fans, Hawks newcomer Trey Kell III put on a show that captivated one and all at the ‘Gong.
The powerful guard posted 14 first quarter points, steering Illawarra to a 34-20 lead and then a 43-25 buffer when everything was falling for the home side.
Featuring crisp fade away jumpers and tough lays while showcasing brute strength, Kell caught fire in an instant. His shooters touch was on show when he banked home a straight on three that sent a ripple down a shell shocked Bullets bench.
The Hawks weapon was on a heater and late in the third quarter he left his mark again to capture a crucial 81-76 lead nearing the final frame.
Kell capped off a career night with a sweet jump shot that brought up his heroic 30-ball.
COOKING WITH GAS
The Bullets were on course for another hopeless first half performance following a less than average opening half last week against the Breakers until captain Mitch Norton and his accomplice Keandre Cook started cooking.
Norton’s nose for stealing the ball and his all-out hustle sparked a chain reaction for the visitors who quickly found their feet and hit back with a mesmerising run of their own. A 35-16 rally ensued as the Bullets snatched momentum for the first time, and their first lead, 60-59, heading into halftime.
Keandre Cook had dropped in 15 points and Norton 12 on a combined 11-15 shooting while big man Tyrell Harrison hit his straps to end the half, a handful of buckets and a flashy dime to a dunking Cook doing the trick.
SOUTH KOREAN SHARPSHOOTER SIZZLES
Sharpshooting 23-year-old wing Hyunjung Lee put a canyon between the two sides, the 204cm three-point specialist superb in 16 minutes of action.
Lee, who last year felt he was “the best shooter in the NBL” lived up to his high standard with an all-important 4-6 shooting showcase from behind the arc.
Lee’s deep shooting delivered on timely occasions when his rivals threatened to draw within striking distance.
The lefty found himself on the highlight reel in the third quarter when a flashy behind the head pass of his found an open Tyler Harvey who drained a triple to provide the Hawks more breathing room.
DELLY DRIVES UNITED THROWDOWN DOMINATION
by Lance Jenkinson
Melbourne United’s Throwdown-hardened veterans came to the fore as it overcame a new-look South East Melbourne Phoenix 96-84 at John Cain Arena on Thursday night.
United made it six wins in a row over their neighbours and improved to 2-0 on the season, but unlike the previous five derbies, this one seemed to have a bit more substance to it with the Phoenix, albeit now 0-2, offering a genuine contest.
Perhaps it was the greater familiarity that United point guard Matthew Dellavedova had with his team over newly recruited Phoenix playmaker Derrick Walton Jr was a key factor in the result.
Dellavedova, who had a double-double 18 points and 10 assists, put United in the right positions, while Walton Jr is still working out the best way to use his weapons.
While Phoenix fans will go away despondent with that same old result, it did feel like the rekindling of a rivalry, a Throwdown with the sporting hatred you expect to see from cross-town rivals.
United’s veterans found a way, including a game-high points from Chris Goulding off the bench, but the Phoenix’s shiny new toys look like they will be no pushover this season.
Dellavedova picked up where he left off from Hoops Fest with the game’s opening five points, but it was the Phoenix who dominated the rest of the first period, connecting on five of their first six three-point attempts to go on a 28-16 run.
The Phoenix’s new imports took centre stage.
Matt Hurt, out of the famed Duke University, led the way for Phoenix with 18 points and seven rebounds, was locked in at both ends from the outset.
But Hurt’s willingness to get his hands dirty on defensive end set the tone after the Phoenix were lambasted for their weak defence in the first up loss to Perth at Hoops Fest.
The 24-year-old endeared himself to the home fans with two rejections in the first period alone.
EASY JOE
Then the Phoenix’s other import Joe Wieskamp, a 25-year-old former NBA player, lit the Throwdown fuse.
Things got heated when the forward honed in on Goulding with two physical plays that floored the United star.
The second saw Wieskamp issued with an unsportsmanlike foul as he put too much heat into trying to move a Goulding screen.
DON’T POKE THE BEAR
Wieskamp’s attention seemed to unleash the fire in Goulding.
Goulding, who started on the bench for the second game running, inspired United’s second period fightback.
United went into half time with a 46-40 lead with Goulding leading the way with a game-high 13 at the half.
BOILING POINT
Tension between the two sides didn’t cease at halftime.
United centre Marcus Lee threw new Phoenix recruit Angus Glover to the floor, prompting Phoenix coach Mike Kelly to run on to the court to calm down his players who were seeing red, before Phoenix’s Tom Vodanovich and United centre Rob Loe then locked arms ferociously.
It was the kind of Throwdown back and forth heat that fans of both teams wanted after United bullied the younger brother all last season.
With veterans Dellavedova and Clark leading the way, United took a 67-60 lead into three quarter time.
The Phoenix found their groove in the fourth, a three-point play from Owen Foxwell, a three from Wieskamp and a Derrick Walton Jr bucket had it all tied up.
Sensing trouble, United forward Jack White, returning from the NBA, nearly lifted the roof off the stadium with a thunderous dunk to put United up five.
White was huge down the stretch, finishing with 15 points
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