Plenty to like in Sixers clash with Bullets

Similar to this time a week ago, nobody is satisfied with strong performances if they don’t end up as winning ones but there was once again a lot to like about what the Adelaide 36ers produced against the Brisbane Bullets at the NBL Cup on Thursday.

With new import Brandon Paul not quite ready to make his debut having just come out of quarantine and Isaac Humphries sidelined with a foot injury still, it was always going to be big ask at John Cain Arena for Adelaide against a firing Brisbane team.

But the Sixers themselves were buoyed by an impressive win over the Cairns Taipans on Saturday and what resulted was one of the highest-scoring and best quality contests of the season on Thursday.

Daniel Johnson and Sunday Dech started the game on fire for Adelaide and by half-time the 36ers had a season-high 62 points on the board with Johnson delivering 17, Dech 16 and Josh Giddey nine points and eight rebounds.

It had been a stunning first half performance on shooting 23/45 from the field, 7/13 from deep and with nine offensive rebounds to just one from a Bullets team who stayed in touch by shooting 63 per cent themselves and with 18 points from ex-Sixer Nathan Sobey.

Both teams continued playing at a high level in the second half with Giddey and Jack McVeigh putting Adelaide back on top 101-100 with 2:30 left on the clock. 

Sobey came up huge from there with two three-pointers and that proved enough for the Bullets to win 109-104 to move to the top of the NBL Cup, but there was a lot to be buoyant about from a Sixers perspective.

Daniel Johnson finished with another huge performance for the 36ers with 29 points and nine rebounds while Sunday Dech was on fire early with 12 first quarter points on his way to 20 for the game while hitting 3/5 from deep.

Josh Giddey got even closer to that elusive triple-double with 19 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds with Jack McVeigh continuing his hot form with another 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Jeremy Kendle added seven points and three assists, Tony Crocker six points and two steals, Jack Purchase three points and Keanu Pinder two to go with four rebounds.

Giddey said it was disappointing to have a chance to win the match while undermanned.

"We scored, they scored - we kept trading buckets," he said.

"We could have broken the game, we had many chances to do it but we didn't execute what we needed to do down the stretch.

"Credit to Sobey and Vic, they hit some big shots down the stretch and we've got to be better than that."

Sixers coach Conner Henry said there were still positive signs from the close loss especially with the knowledge Paul should make his debut Sunday against Perth and Humphries' return is closing in.

"You are seeing what we are going through, this is a great group of guys," he said.

"We have changed imports, we have our second import (Brandon Paul) training with us right now ... we have lost arguably one of the top 10 players in the league in Ice (Humphries).

"So we have taken a couple of blows and yet we are still fighting and playing hard. We just didn't execute things down the stretch."

It was all Daniel Johnson and Sunday Dech to open the game for Adelaide. They hit an early triple each and combined for the team's first 15 points for a lead of four points.

Dech was really feeling good which he took advantage of to drive to the rack and throw down a monstrous slam over the top of Bullets centre Matt Hodgson.

Josh Giddey then joined with a three and Jeremy Kendle scored on the quarter-time buzzer for Adelaide to lead 29-15.

Kendle then hit a three to start the second quarter and when Jack McVeigh scored again, the lead was out to nine before Brisbane responded by scoring the next nine points. The Sixers turned that around with the next eight made up of four each from Tony Crocker and Johnson.

Jack Purchase hit the floor for the first time in an Adelaide singlet just before half-time and knocked down a three to help his new club to a 62-56 at the break.

Adelaide saw its lead back out to seven early in the third quarter but the Bullets continued to shoot the ball at a high clip and opened up their own six-point lead midway through the period.

Adelaide showed good character to go on a 11-3 run to regain a lead before things were all tied up at 83-83 at three quarter-time.

It was a high quality almost shot for shot fourth quarter with Adelaide drawing back level with a three-point play from McVeigh, and pulling ahead with free-throws from Johnson.

McVeigh drew the Sixers back level on two more occasions before he then hit another shot to give Adelaide the 101-100 lead with two and-a-half minutes left. But Nathan Sobey hit two threes from there and Vic Law another bucket to see the Bullets home by five.

The 36ers will now finish their NBL Cup campaign on Sunday against the Perth Wildcats.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 9
NBL CUP WEEK 4

ADELAIDE 36ERS 104 (Johnson 29, Dech 20, Giddey 19) 

BRISBANE BULLETS 109 (Sobey 30, Law 22, Cadee 16)

POINTS AWARDED – Brisbane Bullets 5, Adelaide 36ers 2

BOX SCORE