McCarron says 36ers need to bounce back

Adelaide 36ers captain Mitch McCarron said his side will need to bounce back hard after Sunday’s 97-78 loss to Sydney Kings at Qudos Bank Arena.

McCarron had nothing but praise for the defending NBL champions, who led from start to finish as they exploited a tired 36ers side who came back from 19 points down to beat Cairns Taipans 78-75 on Friday night on Brett Maher Court.

“I thought they defended really well, they were prepared and ready for us in their coverages,” McCarron said.

“They climbed into the ball more than what they did last time we were here and disrupted us a little bit more in our offense.

“They executed on offense, they got a lot of points in the paint. They shot 66 per cent from the two, so we were getting the ball out of the net we didn’t have our pace in transition as we did the other night to get us going in the second half.

“We need to be better defensively and creating opportunities for ourselves.”

McCarron said Adelaide missed livewire swingman Anthony Drmic, who has been a spark recently since being put into the starting line-up.

“We missed him a lot, he’s been an energy guy for us, he’s been a scorer and he’s been consistent,” McCarron said.

“Anytime a guy goes out it hurt us but at the same time we are looking for other people to step up, Sydney were the better team but we be looking to bounce back next weekend.”

McCarron said there was no panic in the group despite the loss, Adelaide facing another tough double header next weekend, starting against arch-rival Perth Wildcats on Brett Maher Court this Friday night.

“We are not freaking out over one loss but if you want to play finals you have to start stacking some wins together,” McCarron said.