NBL week 7: Baynes in foul trouble as Kings rein in Bullets, Crawford leads JackJumpers to 10-point win

Aron Baynes has again fallen foul with the referees in Sydney, the 36ers’ sputtering season has suffered another misfire, while Tahjere McCall inspired an injury-hit Cairns to victory over Illawarra.

The latest from round seven of the NBL including more trouble for Aron Baynes in the final match to complete the fixtures.

Aron Baynes in foul trouble during Bullets loss

- Matt Cleary

Bullets’ big man Aron Baynes has again fallen foul of the referees as the Sydney Kings came back from a 14-point second-quarter deficit, and down six points in the last-quarter, to post a 104-95 statement win over Brisbane at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday.

DJ Hogg was pivotal to the Kings’ win. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

With drama rising in the final moments, and Baynes out with fouls, Bullets coach Justin Schueller pleaded with referees for a call of travel. It was not to be.

And when DJ Hogg made a three-point play, a steal and a runaway dunk the crowd of 10,235 went up as one.Hogg then added a strong rebound before guard Shaun Bruce iced the cake with some precise free-throw shooting.

“You can’t win every game easily,” Kings coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah said. “And that one was a dogfight.”

In just his third match back following a five-game suspension he received for abuse towards a referee and his role in a heated tunnel blow-up, Baynes fouls were unwelcome for Brisbane as Sydney went on their game-stealing run.

The win sees the Kings maintain outright second position on the NBL ladder behind Melbourne United.

KINGS CHALLENGED

After the Kings were down by six at the first two breaks, there followed a third quarter points blitz of 18-9 with go-to men Hogg, Jaylen Adams (24 points, four assists) and 19-year-old ‘Next Star’ Alex Toohey turning it on.

Yet Sydney was challenged throughout by a Bullets side that played without fear. Brisbane’s big men Baynes, Tyrell Harrison and another ‘Next Star’ in Rocco Zikarsky were physical under the basket.

Brisbane kept on hustling and with Nathan Sobey in hot shooting form, the visitors announced themselves in NBL season 23/24.

Baynes showing his frustration during the clash. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

BATTLE OF THE BIGS

Brisbane’s defence was strong early with Bullets’ seven-footer Harrison taking on Hunter and forcing him into error before making a statement with a reverse, under-basket dunk.

Hunter missed his own three but sent a pure low pass for Adams who tossed up a super, floating one-handed basket. When Jonah Bolden sliced through for a power dunk, courtside spectator Guy Sebastien may have hummed along to his hit tune from 2009, ‘I like it like that’.

Just after quarter time in-form Kings forward Makuach Maluach made an athletic drive to the basket and was rejected emphatically by former Śląsk Wrocław man DJ Mitchell. When Nathan Sobey hit a three from the very next play it was Bullets by nine.

With Boomers big Baynes a presence under the net and his team’s leading scorer it was clear Sydney faced a serious challenge, despite being four spots ahead on the ladder.

Then they brought on Zikarsky. And the exhortations of Kings’ coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah grew increasingly hoarse.

Hunter challenged by Baynes at the net. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

HELLO ZIKARSKY

The 228cm (seven foot three) Zikarsky made a lay-up, tapped in off the rim and landed a jumper from the field in a head-turning four minute cameo.

The 17-year-old was physical against Jordy Hunter and looked composed in a head-turning game.

But with Baynes out and Harrison gone with a calf injury, Zikarsky couldn’t hold back the purple tide and the home team roared to an emphatic victory.

Jordon Crawford leads Tassie JackJumpers to 10-point win

- Jason Phelan

The 36ers’ sputtering season suffered another misfire on Saturday night, the JackJumpers applying the defensive screws to score a 10-point win.

A bumper crowd of 9,440 fans piled into the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, but left disappointed after a result that dropped CJ Bruton’s inconsistent side to a 3-7 record.

Jordon Crawford led the charge for Tasmania with a game-high 17 points, with three of his teammates also into double figures.

The 36ers were without leading scorer Trey Kell III after the import was ruled out with a leg injury on game day, DJ Vasiljevic the team’s top scorer with 16 points.

Adelaide trailed by as much as 19 points, but rallied to slice the deficit to eight points with just over three minutes to play.

But the Sixers couldn’t keep the rally going, the JackJumpers holding their nerve to improve to a 6-4 record.

Jordon Crawford starred for the JackJumpers on Saturday night. Picture: Sarah Reed/Getty Images

KELL SPELLED

Kell’s production was sorely missed, particularly in the first half.

The Sixers had won just one first half in their opening nine games and they trailed by eight points at the main break on Saturday night after managing an equal season-low 31 points.

Adelaide’s struggles from long range were a key factor again, the home side with no triples from two attempts in the first quarter and 1-from-9, at 11 per cent, at half-time.

The JackJumpers weren’t firing on all cylinders at the other end, but shot 6-from-14 from three-point range.

Ball security was also an issue for the Sixers, who average just over 14 turnovers a match, and they failed to take care of the ball with 10 giveaways in the opening half.

COLD SHOULDER

Will Magnay played his first game of the season after recovering from a foot injury, but Tohi Smith-Milner didn’t exactly lay out the welcome mat.

Quite the opposite, the solidly-built 117kg Kiwi sparked a heated push and shove in the first quarter after he floored Magnay with a shoulder in some overzealous defence, which saw him whistled for an unsportsmanlike foul.

Bruton was a little hot under the collar as well, the coach issued a warning by officials.

Issac Humphries attacks the rim in the 36ers’ 10-point loss. Picture: Sarah Reed/Getty Images

STEINDL’S 3 IN 300

In his 300th NBL game, Clint Steindl didn’t put up a shot until the third quarter, but it was a triple that helped the visitors push their lead into double digits.

Jack McVeigh (14 points) and Crawford (12) did the heavy lifting as the JackJumpers rolled to a 16-point lead at the last break.

The Sixers trailed by as much as 19 points and didn’t have a scorer in double digits until DJ Vasiljevic drained a three to drag the margin back to a more manageable nine points with just over seven minutes to play.

McCall inspires injury-hit Taipans to important win

- Gyan-Reece Rocha

Tahjere McCall is inching back to his best after he led the Taipans to an 81-71 victory over the Illawarra Hawks. A defensive leader and a cornerstone of the Taipans, McCall continually took charges, dived for loose balls, manoeuvred around screens, and was consistently solid in one-on-one defence. He finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and three steals, combining with Bul Kuol (17 points) and Sam Waardenburg (15 points) to steer the Taipans home, breaking a two-game losing streak. Taipans’ coach Adam Forde was full of praise for his star guard.

Taipans’ coach Adam Forde was full of praise for his star guard.

“When your marquee import is out there diving on loose balls (it sets the tone on defence),” Forde said.

“There was an example of desperation when they got a deflection and he was the only one who dived on it.

Tahjere McCall was crucial for the Taipans. Picture: Getty Images

“He leads and captains his team and he sets the example and guys naturally follow.”

Sam Froling was the pick of the best for the Hawks, starting strong with 14 points, seven rebounds, a steal, and a block in a terrific first half, but was only able to add four points for the remainder of the game. Gary Clark was also strong with 19 points and 6 rebounds. The Taipans continue to make the Cairns Convention Centre a snake pit for opposition in their fifth win at home for the season, meanwhile, Illawarra has lost 18 of its last 19 away games, continuing their disastrous run. Hawks coach Jacob Jackomas said his side fought hard in the first half but let it go late.

“We kept the lead for so long but just let the game go late,” Jackomas said.

“We tried a lot of things to try and get it right.

“We’re just going to have to keep going, we can’t quit on this and I’m sure there are some things we’ll figure out from this game that we need to get better at.”

Tyler Harvey was just three shots away from 300 NBL career three-pointers before tip-off, but was unable to have the same impact as his game-winning three-pointer in the reverse fixture a fortnight ago. He finished with nine points, shooting 5-17 from the field and 2-9 from the arc.

BUL KUOL - MR RELIABLE

Bul Kuol continued his form as a pest on defence, locking down players on the perimeter and making it difficult for Hawks guard Justin Robinson to get going. The 204cm (6ft 8in) Swiss Army knife also used his agile build to irritate opposition offence on the interior. Kuol has been a defensive stalwart for several seasons now and is someone coach Adam Forde can rely on.

TAIPANS’ BATTLE OF OFFENSIVE VS DEFENCE

Finding the balance between defensive tenacity and attacking prowess continues to be a struggle for Taipans.

Heading into the round seven, Cairns ranked second in the league for defensive rating this season with 108.6.

However, offence is far less consistent. Prior to the contest, Cairns ranked tenth in the league for points per game this season at 84.6, and tenth in the league for offensive rating at 105.4.

Coach Forde was glad his side fought out the game despite the offensive woes.

“It wasn’t the prettiest game,” he said.

“I’m not going to sit here and pretend that this helped improve our offensive rating.

“The desire to win was the separator

MISSING OFFENSIVE PUNCH

The Cairns Taipans continue to be struck down by injuries, with Next Star Bobi Klintman the latest player forced to the sidelines. He joined Patrick Miller, with their absence limiting the Taipans’ ability to space the floor and convert from three. This was particularly evident in the first half when they went 3-14 from the three-point line and finished the game 5-20. Klintman, 20, will be out until Round 8 with a hip complaint. Chicago import Miller is expected to return next Thursday against Perth.

Originally published as NBL week 7: Baynes in foul trouble as Kings rein in Bullets, Crawford leads JackJumpers to 10-point win