McCarron eager for Thunder, Giddey battle

Adelaide 36ers captain Mitch McCarron is hopeful of taking a clean sweep from the United States as his side prepares to take on Josh Giddey and Oklahoma City Thunder today.

McCarron was an assist machine against Phoenix earlier in the week with 16 as the 36ers shocked the world with a 134-124 win.

"It was such a fun game and experience for us, but we need to move on," he said.

"We've got another game coming up and we'll try and win that one as well.

"You've got to give credit to the guys who made the shots."

The Thunder will be another test and McCarron is eager on going head-to-head with former 36er Josh Giddey.

"The narrative is we'd like to compete, we want to go into every game saying we want to win," he said.

"We don't go in with a loser's mindset, we want to be competitive, we know what the scout is, we know they're talented and they can play, we ask the question 'why not?' and let's do it again.

"Josh has got a lot better, it's been fun to watch his development and see him kill it in his first year, I'm sure he's super motivated for another big year, so it'll be fun to match up again."

Giddey himself was impressed with the 36ers' win over the Suns and said he 'can't wait' to battle his old side.

"Craig Randall, Robert Franks and Antonius Cleveland - that import trio is going to be hard to beat in the NBL, even the NBA as you saw," he said.

"They've got Macca, DJ and Sunday off the bench, they've got a loaded squad from head to toe.

"I've known for a long time the NBL is in a really steep upward trajectory and you see it now from making history in Phoenix, shot the lights out of the ball, I was super happy for those guys and for basketball in Australia."

Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said his team will embrace the challenge and enjoys the concept of playing international squads.

"With the way they played in Phoenix, they're going to throw a punch which any test we can have in training camp is good for our team," he said.

"They put a lot of pressure on you with the three-point shooting and the pace they play at.

"It'll be a good challenge for us, it's also three in four nights, which we're going to have to endure during the season.

"You're always facing a hungry team, they come in here with a great sense of purpose because it's a great opportunity for them.

"When you're playing a team who is doing this once a year, they're ready to go, you have to understand the mindset of the opponent."