NBL: Perth Wildcats slide as Adelaide 36ers pile on the points

Perth Wildcats captain Damian Martin lamented his team’s lazy and selfish play against Sydney Kings.

Jason Cadee of the Kings grabs a rebound during the round 15 game against Perth Wildcats at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney yesterday. Picture: AAP

Perth Wildcats captain Damian Martin lamented his team’s lazy and selfish play after the two-time reigning NBL champions lost to the last-placed Sydney Kings twice in the same round.

The Wildcats, who have played in the past 31 finals series, were dominated by the reborn Kings (7-16) in back-to-back losses that relegated Perth (13-9) to fourth.

Sydney backed up Friday’s 84-77 win — their first in Perth in 10 seasons — by keeping the Wildcats to the lowest score of any team all season yesterday. The 84-56 home result gave Andrew Gaze’s men their first back-to-back victories this season and the NBL heavyweights plenty to think about with six regular season games remaining.

“It’s frustrating; not playing with that energy, enthusiasm and intensity that we’re accustomed to playing with and is required if you want to win,” Martin said.

“Right now we’re playing selfish basketball ... (and not) giving up something for the betterment of the team.

“We spoke about it once or twice but this weekend is a real eye opener.

“Everyone’s got to have a good hard look at themselves ... we haven’t qualified for the finals and we’re kidding ourselves if we just think we’re going to walk in.”

Things couldn’t be more different in Adelaide’s camp, the 36ers extending their winning streak to seven with victory in Illawarra.

Last season’s minor premiers piled on the points — first at home to win 112-90 then away 112-93 — as the Hawks slipped to 9-12 this season. It marked the first time in the NBL’s 40-minute era a team has scored more than 100 points in four successive games.

Perth’s slump has seen them fall off the pace being set by Melbourne (14-7) and Adelaide (15-8), while also fan Cairns’ finals fire.

The Taipans defeated the New Zealand Breakers 81-71 on Saturday to stay within reach of the top four.

Cairns (10-13) sit just outside the finals spots with game-breaking centre Nathan Jawai three games into his comeback from a foot injury suffered on the season’s opening night.

The third-placed Breakers (13-8) had started the round with a 98-81 thumping of Melbourne at home.

Melbourne recovered in time to briefly reclaim top spot with a come-from-behind 105-98 defeat of Brisbane (7-15) — the Bullets’ seventh straight loss — on Saturday.

In the NBA, Joel Embiid had 29 points and Australian Ben Simmons chipped in with 16 as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the undermanned Milwaukee Bucks 116-94 for their seventh NBA win in eight games.

Simmons added eight rebounds and nine assists in an impressive all-round performance.

With the victory, the Sixers improved their win-loss record to 22-20 and moved past Milwaukee for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

Milwaukee were without All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was sitting out the first of two games to rest a sore right knee.

AAP