Impressive Sixers open pre-season with big win

It has been a long wait but NBL pre-season action finally got underway at Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Friday night and there was a lot to like as the Adelaide 36ers recorded a 93-75 victory against the Brisbane Bullets.

The official start to the 2020/21 NBL season is still yet to be confirmed with the opening likely to be in mid-January, but the players have been putting in some enormous work and grabbed the chance with both hands for a competitive hit out on Friday evening.

A crowd of 3,556 came into the AEC for the occasion too desperate to get their own taste of basketball action and the home fans would have been pleased with what they saw from the Sixers.

While there is still likely two months from the opening to the NBL season proper, with Next Star Josh Giddey running the point and threatening a triple-double, Daniel Johnson his usual self, Jack McVeigh providing the energy and then Isaac Humphries and Owen Hulland especially exciting, it was the ideal pre-season opener.

Coach Conner Henry got a good first up win in charge of the 36ers too as they pulled away from the Bullets throughout the second half after only leading by six at the main break.

There were some good numbers for Adelaide too who forced Brisbane into 25 turnovers and scoring 26 points from those along with shooting 49 per cent from the field and the 20 assists on 34 made field goals. Being outrebounded by 16 would be one area that Henry will look for improvement in though.

There has been great fanfare over the signing of emerging superstar Giddey by the 36ers and he showed it was justified with the Next Star producing 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Johnson was his usual efficient self for 20 points on 8/12 shooting while McVeigh delivered 14 points on 5/7 shooting.

The real surprise packet came in the second half as Hulland got rolling and ended up with 15 points while nailing all four of his three-point opportunities for the 36ers.

Humphries added nine points while Sunday Dech finished with five points, three rebounds and three steals, Daniel Dillon five points and three steals, Michael Harris five points, Alex Mudronja four points and three assists, Keanu Pinder two points and Nick Marshall one.

Former Sixer Anthony Drmic top-scored for the Bullets with 17 points on hitting 5/6 from three-point range. Jeremy Kendle added 13 points, Tanner Krebs 12, Harry Froling 10 and Tyrell Harrison nine.

Josh Giddey and Daniel Johnson combined to give Adelaide a 4-1 start to the contest with both teams shaking out the cobwebs early. A three-point play from Johnson kept the 36ers on top before he made it 10-5 knocking one down from deep.

Giddey added the next four points and Adelaide was up 14-5 before Owen Hulland hit his first triple of the evening to make it 19-9, which turned into 26-15 by the end of one.

Former 36ers pair Anthony Drmic and Harry Froling knocked down three-pointers for Brisbane just before half-time to bring their new team within six at the main break.

A couple of buckets to Johnson and a flush from Isaac Humphries kept Adelaide on top to start the second half before Sunday Dech connected from downtown to begin things blowing out a little.

Two threes in no time from Hulland saw the margin remain in double-figures and it was 14 by three quarter-time thanks to an and-one play from Hulland.

All of a sudden that lead ballooned to 22 to start the fourth when Alex Mudronja capitalised on a bad pass and found Jack McVeigh for a three that lit up the Adelaide crowd. 

When Michael Harris connected on a three ball with two minutes to go the lead was out to a game-high 27 before the Bullets did some scoring late to bring the final margin back to 18.

The two teams do it all again on Sunday at Titanium Security Arena with tip-off at 1.30pm ACDT.

2020/21 HUNGRY JACKS NBL PRE-SEASON

Adelaide 36ers 93 (Johnson 20, Hulland 15, McVeigh 14)
def.
Brisbane Bullets 75 (Drmic 17, Kendle 13, Krebs 12) 

Box Score