Gleeson: Sixers their "own worst enemy" with slow starts

Adelaide 36ers Head Coach Trevor Gleeson says his side dug itself too big a hole to get out of early in the loss to Brisbane on Sunday evening.

The Bullets raced out to a 13-point advantage in the first quarter as poor shooting and lax defending hurt the Sixers.

Playing at home for the first time in nearly a month, and celebrating the 40th anniversary of the club’s first championship back in 1986, Gleeson’s side lifted in the second period to close to within two points, only to fall back into the same habits that put them behind early, before going down 96-89.

Bryce Cotton again starred with 27 points and nine assists but showed signs of fatigue, shooting 2/12 from three-point range, and he wasn’t alone with his side going at just 6/32 from beyond the arc.

The Sixers had only returned from Auckland around 24 hours before tip off, having beaten the New Zealand Breakers on Friday night, but Gleeson said there was no excuse for the slow start.

“It was a big week for us - 40 years of 86, so it would have been nice to get a win,” he said after the game.

“The first quarter again it's cost us. I think we went five of 20 from the field, one of eight from the three-point line, and then they'd score pretty much at will.

“We dug ourselves too big of a hole.

"You get 15 down early in the game and we fought back. I thought we got it to two, just before the half and then they pushed it out to a little bit last minute or so and then the same happening in the third.

“We got it back to two and then they had that 8-0 run and pushed it back to 10.

“We're kind of our own worst enemy sometimes, to get too big of a hole to dig yourselves out of.”

As seems to have been the pattern this season the Sixers started slowly, missing several open looks and shooting at just 25 per-cent in the opening period as they fell behind by 13 at the first change.

Within five minutes of the break it was a two-point ball game, on the back of a big period by Cotton. He had 12 points in the quarter to bring his side back into the game, though some sloppy late possessions saw the Bullets push the margin back to seven points as the sides headed to the locker room.

A special ring presentation for the 1986 “Invincibles” 36ers side that won the club’s first ever NBL Championship should have sparked the group but with big Tyrell Harrison dominating both on the scoreboard and on the boards, the Bullets instead seemed inspired, pulling away by 10 at the final break.

As they had all game, the Sixers continued to find good open looks but just when it seemed they might make a run, the shots continued to miss, and the Bullets made them pay at the other end.

Even when Harrison fouled out, the undermanned Bullets held firm, eventually holding on for a seven point win.

Gleeson said the travel and short turnaround weren’t a factor in the performance and there was no excuse.

He said his side had failed to show consistency across games and there was plenty to work on.

“I thought the second chance points really hurt us against Brisbane,” he said. “And fast breaks hurt us, so a couple of things that we're going to work on…

“It's getting that consistency and then, you know, we kind of shoot ourselves in the foot.

“Down 15, and then it puts pressure on the open shots. We miss it. The crowd goes, ‘oh’, you know, and then we have to work back getting it.

“We've got to be more proactive with that and being consistent. Right now we're up and down and we've got to be consistent.”

The Sixers will next host Illawarra in a special Indigenous Round game on Saturday from 5:00pm ACDT.

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