NBL 2023: Tasmania JackJumpers win 80-75 over Melbourne United
A Milton Doyle masterclass has handed the JackJumpers back-to-back wins, exploding to come from behind and upset Melborune United.
Basketball
Don't miss out on the headlines from Basketball. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A Milton Doyle masterclass in the final quarter has inspired Tasmania to a sensational come-from-behind 80-75 victory over Melbourne United at John Cain Arena on Sunday.
The match was a dour arm wrestle for the first two-and-a-half periods before Melbourne bench players Ian Clark and Robert Loe helped catapult United to what looked like a decisive 13-point lead with 8:26 left in the game.
But Doyle had other ideas as he exploded to drain four three-pointers which powered a spectacular 20-3 run, as the JackJumpers regained the lead with 19.1 seconds remaining and didn’t give it back.
Shea Ili had the chance to give Melbourne back the lead with 1:14 to go, but missed an easy lay-up, and he then missed a three with 7.2 seconds left which would’ve tied the game at 78-78.
Doyle hit 14 of his 25 points in the final quarter, and finished the game with a 5-14 clip from deep (35 per cent) as well as eight rebounds and a steal.
Jordon Crawford was also key to the victory, registering 18 points, including his team’s first 10, and six assists, while Jack McVeigh chipped in with 13 points.
For United, Clark (11 points) and Loe (10, seven rebounds and a block) almost guided their team to victory, while Ariel Hukporti produced another impressive display with 15 points on 7-8 shooting (87 per cent), seven rebounds and a block.
Crawford largely played a lone hand in the opening term as Chris Goulding (12 points) and Hukporti led United to an 18-13 lead just before quarter-time on the back of a strong defensive showing.
Both teams traded buckets into the early part of the second period, before a quick five points from Doyle levelled things up at 24-24. The hosts responded with a 7-0 run to open up a seven-point buffer, but Tassie cancelled that out with a 7-0 run of their own to tie the scores again at 31-31 with 2:32 before half-time.
Little continued to separate the two teams but after Ili helped Melbourne to a handy 42-37 lead early in the third quarter, the JackJumpers hit back again with a 9-2 run to lead by one with 5:24 left in the period. The lead then changed three times in 35 seconds before Clark and Loe combined with devastating effect to catapult United to a 61-53 lead at the final change.
Melbourne looked on course to maintain their undefeated start to the season when they led 68-55 shortly after three-quarter time, but Doyle put paid to that notion.
The result saw the JackJumpers join a logjam of five teams at the top of the ladder all with 2-1 records, including title favourites Melbourne. The cluster will grow to six if Sydney beat Adelaide later in the day.
INCENSED BAYNES DRAGGED OFF COURT IN BULLETS LOSS
—Nick Tucker
Incensed Boomers great and Brisbane Bullets star Aron Baynes had to be restrained by multiple teammates during a torrid argument with referees in the Cairns Taipans thrilling 89- 86 victory over the Bullets at Nissan Arena on Saturday night.
Baynes erupted after a physical altercation while boxing out Taipans forward Lat Mayen late in the second half and vented his fury at the officials, earning a technical foul.
He had to be dragged from the court by multiple teammates and he earned another technical foul on the Bullets bench as his verbal spray at the referees continued.
Baynes continued the war of words with Cairns players as the teams headed to the dressing rooms at halftime.
Baynes was kicked out of the game before the second half started along with Mayen who was also ejected after the incident was reviewed.
At the time of Baynes’ blow up (55.7 seconds left in the second), the home side trailed by five (36-41) and then by 14 at the end of the third when the Taipans held a commanding 70-56 lead.
Bullets trio Nathan Sobey, Chris Smith and Sam McDaniel inspired a fourth quarter comeback when their jump-shooting and lockdown defence saw Brisbane come within one, down 87-86, with forty seconds left on the clock.
That was the closest they came.
Aron Baynes and Lat Mayen have both been ejected after several altercations in tonight's game. pic.twitter.com/zf5nwUylNz
— NBL (@NBL) October 7, 2023
SOBEY AND SMITH
The Bullets trailed by 14 with one quarter remaining, but where there is a Nathan Sobey, there is a way.
He splashed two treys and finished two and-one plays, and with the help of the sharp-shooting Chris Smith along with the titanic defence from McDaniel, the Bullets clawed their way back into the game.
The boys in blue came within three, fell away to trail by eight, came back within three before a pull-up three from Akoldah Gak sent a dagger through the hearts of the Bullets faithful.
Or so we thought.
And-one kings Sobey and McDaniel set up a thrilling finish where the Bullets had the chance to take the lead with 40 seconds left.
Sobey missed on that opportunity, and Isaac White the same when heaving up a contested up three which would’ve tied the game in the final seconds.
Taipan Patrick Miller was a crunch-time-king when sinking both free throws in the clutch to ensure the Bullets could only tie the game if they scored a three on the last possession.
HOW ABOUT THE HUSTLE ON SHANNON SCOTT AND SAM MCDANIEL
Bullets duo Shannon Scott and Sam McDaniel were on a mission to be disrupters and they could not have done a better job.
In the first half, which Cairns won 43-38, the pesky Scott was a menace, accruing four steals as he locked down whomever he matched up against.
It said everything about his intentions when he dove on the ground and wrestled for loose ball in the first quarter, and he continued to earn his minutes with his active hands, surely impressing head coach Justin Scheuller.
He didn’t score in the first half, but his defence, ball-handling and nasty crossover moves did not go unnoticed.
His right-hand man McDaniel was just as disruptive, clamping 201cm Taipans forward Bul Kuol among other rivals.
He was immense, on one occasion forcing a turnover which Mitch Norton executed with a tough transition lay-up.
Talk about setting the tone.
ZIKARSKY PRODUCTION
Towering Bullets Next Star Rocco Zikarsky made his presence felt in 2:38 first quarter minutes when he met Sam Waardenburg at the top and stuffed his dunk attempt.
Zikarsky also pulled in a rebound and slammed home a dime from Sam McDaniel, but it was his vicious rejection on Waardenburg that really got the crowd involved.
Waardenburg will think twice next time he sees the giant Zikarsky in front of him.
Hawks end home drought with big Phoenix win
Ed Bourke
An explosive last quarter from South Korean import Hyunjung Lee has delivered the Illawarra Hawks’ first win of the season in a high-scoring clash against South East Melbourne Phoenix.
The 22-year-old, who brazenly declared himself “the best shooter in the NBL” when he touched down in July, walked the talk with a pair of three-pointers on either side of a crucial rebound to break the deadlock and set off a 12-0 run for his side in the final minutes at the WIN Entertainment Centre.
It was Illawarra’s first home court win since December last year after eight unsuccessful attempts, as US import Justin Robinson delivered an imposing 26-point performance in a promising sign of things to come for the Hawks faithful.
Robinson was forced to look on as the Hawks slumped to the bottom of the table in his first campaign, after he tore his meniscus in the season opener and missed every game thereafter.
This time the 25-year-old shone as he engaged in an entertaining first-half shootout with Phoenix stars Mitch Creek (24 points) and Will Cummings (28 points).
Creek sank all three of his three-point attempts as he kept the visitors in the contest, but Lee did the same in a superb 12-minute cameo which broke the game open in the dying stages as he finished with nine points and five rebounds.
Phoenix coach Mike Kelly was rankled by the officiating in the closing stages but was powerless to turn the tide as his side went into bonus and continually lost control of possession.
YIPS NO MORE
Robinson was dismayed by how his first 14 three-point attempts in the NBL were unsuccessful, but said after the game his inaccuracy would be a thing of the past after he went two from eight beyond the line on Saturday.
“I think overall I was just putting too much pressure on myself … I joked with myself coming into the game I was 0-14 over one and a half games in the NBL,” Robinson told ESPN.
“I think it just kind of carried over (from last year), but now to get that off my shoulders, I think I’m just going to continue to roll and get back into the gym and shoot some more.”
CREEK’S OLYMPIC DREAM
As Boomers coach Brian Goorjian watched from the stands, Mitch Creek delivered a superb performance which could only enhance his bid to return to the national set-up in time for the Paris Olympics.
The 31-year-old missed out on selection at the World Cup but represented Australia at the 2019 tournament, and will enter calculations if he can continue his early-season form after 24 points, a team-high eight rebounds and three assists in the loss.
JackJumpers shake off pre-game drama to defend the island
- Ryan Rosendale
The Tasmania JackJumpers have secured their first win of the NBL24 season with a vocal home crowd, and superstar Milton Doyle, powering them to a 80-72 win over the Sydney Kings on Friday night.
The match was not without some pre-game drama however, with a backboard smashed during the warm-up.
About 90 minutes before tip-off, the JackJumpers players were warming up when one player took to the rim with a force so big it saw the backboard shatter.
Venue staff were quick to replace the smashed backboard with no delay to the main event.
In their first game at MyState Bank Arena this season, the JackJumpers responded from last weeks’ six-point loss to the Wildcats to add another entertaining chapter in the two clubs’ short rivalry and knock off the NBL’s two-time reigning champions.
Save it for the game fellas 😅
— NBL (@NBL) October 6, 2023
Rest easy though - the broken backboard is being replaced and the game will proceed as planned 💪
Coverage of tonight's clash between Sydney and Tasmania is on now, live on ESPN and Kayo. Tipoff 7:30pm AEDT 📺 pic.twitter.com/Hg87QdNxuc
🚨 Backboard update 🚨
— NBL (@NBL) October 6, 2023
The broken backboard has been replaced, and we're ready to go, right on schedule 👌
The game starts NOW! Catch the action live on ESPN via Kayo 📺 pic.twitter.com/46guk7OzhI
Doyle was electric all night, finishing with 21 points which included a hot second quarter where he dropped 10 to sway the momentum back in the JJs favor.
The home side started the game with a 6-0 run before the Kings hit the board with two early fouls allowing the JJs to apply scoreboard pressure.
Despite the JackJumpers finishing the term with a 29.4 field goal percentage, their work on the defensive end saw them trail by just one point at the break.
They came alive in the second, with Junior Madut and Jordon Crawford dropping back to back threes before Anthony Drmic and Jack McVeigh joined the party from long range - the JJs hitting six threes for the quarter.
Ants skipper Clint Steindl saw his first minutes of the game midway through the term and made an immediate impact with a steal that brought the largest reaction from the home crowd of the night to that point.
Their success on offence, combined with some strong defensive efforts at the other end of the floor, saw the JackJumpers finish the half with an eight point lead, outscoring the Kings by nine in the second term.
Kings superstar guard Jaylen Adams finished the half with just two points before coming alive in the second-half to finish with 21 points.
Doyle’s hot streak continued to open the third, an early three extending the JackJumpers lead to 14, but an improved quarter on defense from the Kings saw them cut the deficit to just seven at the final break with an Adams drive to the rim successful right on the buzzer.
A six-point to one run to start the fourth snuffed out any real chance the defending champions had at starting the season 2-0 with the win proving a new-look JackJumpers side is once again a strong chance to make a third consecutive playoff series.
The Jackies will now face Melbourne United on Sunday at John Cain Arena while the Kings will return home to face Adelaide later that day.
Originally published as NBL 2023: Tasmania JackJumpers win 80-75 over Melbourne United
Pinder stars, Cotton fires, as Wildcats smash Phoenix
A fourth-quarter frenzy fueled by Keanu Pinder and NBL MVP Bryce Cotton has powered the Perth Wildcats past the Phoenix in the NBL’s seeding qualifier.
Star’s drug ban rocks Aussie basketball
Two days out from a crunch NBL final a former league MVP has been stood down and faces a potential ban for failing a drug test.
Darwin Salties sign experienced coach for 2025 season
The Darwin Salties have announced a new coach with plenty of pedigree to build on their back-to-back national titles. Read what she hopes to bring to the role.
Kings rocked by doping ban on eve of NBL finals
The Sydney Kings’ title hopes have been shattered on the eve of the NBL finals, with star centre Xavier Cooks provisionally banned over an anti-doping violation.
New life begins for Simmons
With $240m of his original five year deal in the bank Ben Simmons is set for a third NBA team on what’s likely a reduced salary and joining a familiar face.
Wildcats superstar one step closer to Gaze after another MVP gong
Perth Wildcats guard Bryce Cotton has been named the NBL’s Most Valuable Player for a second straight season. All the awards from Australian basketball’s night of nights inside.