It starts with defence: Johnson

Adelaide 36ers milestone man Daniel Johnson said a return to winning ways starts with defence as they look to tackle the Perth Wildcats at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre tonight.

The 36ers are coming off a 97-78 loss to the Sydney Kings, but toppled the Wildcats in Perth the last time they met.

“We’ve shown when we play our best basketball we’re a really good team,” he said.

“I thought our defence was really good in the last time we played Perth.

“We’re battling at the moment in a log jam in the middle of the ladder.

“If we can get some consistent form and stringing a few together and climbing the ladder will be really good.

Johnson said the 36ers ‘didn’t come out with the right energy on defence’ in the loss to the Kings.

“We gave up 97 points which is way too much, we’ve been holding teams in the 80s,” he said.

“We’re trying to figure out the inconsistency as a group, I think we’re trending in the right direction.

“We’re focused on working on those things.”

Antonius Cleveland was given responsibility of handling Bryce Cotton in the last game between the two sides, and Johnson said the team was fortunate to have a group of players capable of shutting him down.

“We’re pretty fortunate we have AC, Sunday and Macca, we have a lot of guys we can throw at him,” he said.

“It takes a whole team effort to stop him.”

Get your tickets for tonight’s game here.