Ninnis says NYE defeat will spark Sixers

Adelaide 36ers head coach Scott Ninnis says his side has the New Year’s Eve defeat against Illawarra Hawks firm in their mind heading into Saturday night’s rematch at WIN Entertainment Centre.

The 36ers went into half-time with the lead on December 31, but the Hawks caught fire in the third quarter to run out 91-84 winners.

“It’s fresh in our memory, we played them on New Year’s Eve and we had a really good first half and then had a horrendous third quarter,” Ninnis said.

“We have made adjustments since then, which includes starting Jason Cadee in that third quarter, which gives us stability.”

“The numbers don’t always show up with him (Cadee), but he shot the ball particularly well tonight (against South East Melbourne on Wednesday).”

Besides the feeling of getting revenge for the New Year’s Eve defeat, Ninnis said his side has the belief and faith it can win against anyone, anywhere in the league.

“We go in there with confidence, we know they are playing well, the turnaround they have had has been astonishing, in some sort of way it may have given us some sort of inspiration,” Ninnis said.

“Our road record has been woeful, but we have shown tonight (against Phoenix) is furthering that belief.”

Adelaide spent Thursday in Melbourne recovering from Wednesday night’s win before flying north to prepare for the Hawks battle on Friday.

“We get an opportunity to get all the niggles right and go up there,” Ninnis said.

“I’m now eyeing teams, the league is so open this year, there’s no reason a team gets on a roll we can’t start pushing up the ladder a little bit.

“We can only focus on we are doing right now, and that is playing some good basketball.”

Adelaide will battle Illawarra Hawks on Saturday night at WIN Entertainment Centre, you can watch all the action live and exclusive on ESPN via Kayo Sports.

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ILLAWARRA HAWKS vs ADELAIDE 36ERS
WIN Entertainment Centre, Saturday 7.30pm ACDT

OVERALL
Played 134, Adelaide 77, Illawarra 57

LIKELY STARTERS
Hawks: Justin Robinson, Tyler Harvey, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, Gary Clark, Sam Froling.
36ers: Trey Kell, DJ Vasiljevic, Nick Marshall, Kyrin Galloway, Isaac Humphries.

LAST FIVE MATCHES
Dec 31, 2023 – Hawks 91 def 36ers 84 at WIN Entertainment Centre
Oct 14, 2023 – 36ers 89 def Hawks 80 at AEC
Jan 6, 2023 - 36ers 103 def Hawks 95 at AEC
Nov 3, 2022 – 36ers 96 def Hawks 80 at WIN Entertainment Centre
Oct 15, 2022 – 36ers 90 def Hawks 80 at AEC

STATS THAT MATTER

• Illawarra has won six of its last seven home games against Adelaide.
• Adelaide has won the first half in each of its last five games.
• The Hawks have won the third quarter in eight of its last nine games against Adelaide.
• Adelaide has won the fourth quarter in nine of its last 10 games against Illawarra.
• Illawarra has scored 90+ points in each of its last six games - team's longest streak since 2015-16.
• Adelaide has lost the third quarter in each of its last nine games at WIN Entertainment Centre after leading at half-time.
• Tyler Harvey has a career average of 3.7 three-pointers per game against Adelaide - most against any opponent.
• Isaac Humphries has scored 25+ points in each of Adelaide's last three away games.
• Adelaide has scored the first basket in each of its last seven games - longest active streak in the league.
• Trey Kell III recorded a triple-double in his last outing against Illawarra.
• Kyrin Galloway recorded a career-high 23 points and five three-pointers against South East Melbourne on Wednesday.