McCarron says Sixers prepared for Snakes showdown

Adelaide 36ers captain Mitch McCarron said his side is expecting Cairns Taipans to bring the heat for the full 40 minutes on Saturday night at the Entertainment Centre.

The 36ers face a Taipans side coming off an 86-83 loss to Sydney Kings at home on Thursday night and Cairns have shown to be able to bounce back.

Cairns defeated league leaders Melbourne United on the road last round after suffering a home defeat just 48 hours earlier.

“As soon as you underestimate them, they punk you, we have seen that firsthand from previous experiences,” McCarron said on Friday.

“They are going to play extremely hard, they are very athletic, they get up the floor.

“You can’t switch off for a second, no lead is safe, you got to keep playing hard each possession.”

McCarron said interim head coach Scott Ninnis has tweaked the game plan slightly after taking the reins on Wednesday after the club mutually agreed to part ways with CJ Bruton.

“We have tried to simplify some things, some new defensive philosophies and specifically how we want to play the Taipans,” McCarron said.

“It’s all about moving forward, we have to continue to battle and the end goal doesn’t change.

“Ninnis has taken over as head coach and we all support him and find a way.”

Ninnis said this week the 36ers rotation will be shortened and McCarron said the players need to go out and prove themselves.

“It’s up to everyone to train as hard, train as well as they can and earn their minutes,” McCarron said.

“It’s just on everyone now to earn their spot from now on, it’s our job as players to come to practice everyday and bring it.”

McCarron gave the playing squad a strong and emotional message after training on Friday and said the roster needs to bond moving forward.

“I was just talking about us as a group, not talking about minutes, who’s playing, who’s not playing, buy in as a group, listen to Scott Ninnis and support him,” McCarron said.

“It’s everything (to come together), we have had some change this week and it’s easy to read into what’s been said by each individual and what’s been said about the group and the club.

“Our job is to win basketball games, and that is what we are trying to do Saturday night.

“I think everyone needs to dig deep and support each other.

“We know we aren’t where we want to be this season, our record isn’t where ww ant it to be.

“We have time to turn it around, we can win games, go on a run and make a finals push.”

Adelaide will battle the Taipans on Saturday night at the Entertainment Centre from 7.30pm ACDT, you can catch all the action on ESPN via Kayo Sports.

ADELAIDE 36ERS vs CAIRNS TAIPANS
Brett Maher Court, Saturday 7.30pm ACDT

LIKELY STARTERS
Adelaide: Mitch McCarron, Trey Kell, DJ Vasiljevic, Jacob Wiley, Isaac Humphries.
Cairns: Patrick Miller, Tahjere McCall, Bul Kuol, Josh Roberts, Sam Waardenburg.

OVERALL
Played 83, Adelaide 45, Cairns 38

LAST FIVE MATCHES
January 30, 2023 – Adelaide 36ers 99 def Cairns Taipans 96 at Cairns Convention Centre
December 31, 2022 – Cairns Taipans 86 def Adelaide 36ers 83 at Cairns Convention Centre
December 2, 2022 – Adelaide 36ers 81 def Cairns Taipans 78 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre
March 18, 2022 – Adelaide 36ers 83 def Cairns Taipans 57 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre
February 20, 2022 – Adelaide 36ers 82 def Cairns Taipans 71 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre

STATS THAT MATTER
- Adelaide has won each of its last seven home matches when playing with a rest advantage.
- The home team has won nine of the last 10 games between Adelaide and Cairns.
- Adelaide has won the third quarter in each of its last five games against Cairns.
- Heading into Round 10, Jacob Wiley is the only qualified player in the league to be leading their team in rebounds (8.0) and assists (2.6) per game this season.
- Jacob Wiley has a career average of 17.3 points per game against Cairns - most against any opponent.
- Adelaide ranks 2nd in the league for free throw percentage this season (76.9%).
- Josh Roberts has played the most minutes without a turnover (82:25) of any player in the league this season.
- Patrick Miller ranks 1st for assists per game (6.3) this season.