Tasmania JackJumpers looking to bring back physicality against Sydney Kings

After going down by just one point in their last outing, the Tasmania JackJumpers have identified what they need to be better at against Sydney Kings.

Tasmania forward Fabijan Krslovic is confident the JackJumpers have identified where they need to be better against the Sydney Kings on Sunday after last week’s one-point loss to South East Melbourne.

The Ants three-match winning streak was ended by the Phoenix at John Cain Arena last Saturday with Majok Deng missing the second of two free throws with three seconds remaining that would have sent the contest to overtime.

Fabijan Krslovic is confident the JackJumpers can respond against the Kings on Sunday after a one-point loss to South East Melbourne last Saturday. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

But despite losing by the smallest of deficits, Krslovic said the JackJumpers trademark tough basketball was well below par throughout the contest.

“They (the Phoenix) just looked like they wanted it more than us and really set the tone,” he said.

“That’s something we pride ourselves on so it was disappointing but we’ve talked about ways we can make sure that doesn’t happen again and physicality is massive.

“We know what is expected of us and when we are not at the level we need to be so it’s a group effort (to rebound against the Kings).

“I think we are in a pretty good spot, 3-2 after the first three weeks. We’ve had some good spells and some bad ones. We look at the game against South East and they just imposed their will a bit more than us so it’s a chance on Sunday to rectify that.”

The round 4 matchup between the JackJumpers and the Kings will be the two sides’ second game against each other in 15 days with Tasmania winning their round 2 clash 80-72.

“They (Sydney) are always a tough battle,” the JackJumpers vice-captain said.

“The battle to control the tempo of the game is going to be massive. I think we did a great job of it last time, we kept them in the 70s, and they want to get up and down the court and keep you on your heals defensively so I think whoever wins that battle is going to be an indicator of who will come out on top.

The JackJumpers vice-captain fights for a ball against Daniel Grida and William Hickey of the Hawks during the round three NBL match between Tasmania JackJumpers and Illawarra Hawks at MyState Bank Arena, on October 12, 2023, in Hobart, Australia. (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)

“If we allow them to be free and get up and down the court and play at their speed, it’s going to be a rough night for us but I think every time we play them its tough.”

The JackJumpers have enjoyed their strongest start to an NBL season since its inception, knocking off ladder leaders Sydney and Melbourne United but will need to be at their best to knock both off again in their next two games.

“It’s been as tough a three weeks as you can have. We’ve had Perth, (Melbourne) Untied, Sydney, Illawarra and then South East (Melbourne) so it’s been good to take a breather this week with a longer break,” Krslovic added.

“We are in a pretty decent position though. The last couple of years we’ve had some slow starts but that hasn’t been the case this year. It’s just a game-by-game basis to make sure that doesn’t slip and we keep building and improving every week.”

The JackJumpers and Kings clash kicks off at 4pm on Sunday from Qudos Bank Arena.