Rebounding key in huge Phoenix battle

Attacking the glass and controlling the rebounds will be vital when Adelaide 36ers battle South East Melbourne Phoenix on Sunday at John Cain Arena.

The 36ers have lost the past two matches to the Phoenix this season, with South East Melbourne outrebounding Adelaide on both occasions on the offensive end.

South East Melbourne hauled in 18 offensive rebounds for 19 second chance points in the Phoenix’s 105-99 win earlier this month.

Rewarding the added defensive focus is vital for the 36ers, who can spark the high-potent offensive game by limiting the Phoenix to just one tough shot per possession.

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THE KEY
Import power forward Matt Hurt has been a revelation for South East Melbourne in NBL25 and he creates match-up issues for the 36ers’ frontcourt.

Hurt starts at the power forward spot and will likely go head-to-head with Montrezl Harrell in the early stages, but he also can slide down to the centre position, causing some mismatches.

Adelaide will have Jarell Martin this time, who was missing in the previous contest, and he looms as the man to quell Hurt when he moves to the perimeter.

The 36ers can also attack Hurt at the offensive end, especially if the NBL25 MVP finalist is guarding Harrell or Isaac Humphries down in the post.

THE SECRET
South East Melbourne have multiple gamebreakers on both ends of the floor and the 36ers will need to be locked in right from the opening tip-off.

Adelaide stormed back from a 23-point deficit to take a five-point lead two weeks’ ago, but the 36ers must not allow the Phoenix to get early momentum in this match.

The Phoenix has several players who can step up and turn the game in minutes, including Nathan Sobey, Angus Glover and Joe Wieskamp, but also don’t underestimate the impact Jordan Hunter can have inside.

Head coach Mike Wells will have a game plan to limit the impact the home side can potentially have and should look no further than the third quarter performance of the most recent match-up.

DEPTH CHART
Sobey / Walton Jnr / Ayre
Foxwell / Glover
Wieskamp / Kenyon / Lewis
Hurt / Vodanovich
Hunter / Majok

FINAL WORD
After Thursday night’s win in Sydney, Adelaide will go into this match confident but must bring the effort of that fourth quarter against the Kings.

Adelaide limited the Kings to just 10 points in the first seven minutes of the final stanza, turning a 71-69 three-quarter time deficit into a seven-point victory.

Resilience, composure and attention to detail is going to be vital in this contest and the 36ers will need to be locked in at both ends of the court.

The 36ers should take a lot of learnings out of Thursday night’s success and know their best is good enough to win the next big challenge.