Sixers expect tough fight against bitter rivals

Bitter rivals will go head-to-head on Thursday night when Adelaide 36ers welcome Perth Wildcats to the Entertainment Centre.

Adelaide 36ers head coach Scott Ninnis is no stranger to the 36ers-Wildcats rivalry and he expects another chapter to be written on Thursday night.

“This rivalry has been going on for 35 years and I’ve been a big part of that for most of those times, so you know what to expect,” Ninnis said.

“It’s going to be a tight, close contest and I expect us to win.”

Perth hold a 2-1 record against Adelaide this season, but the home side has won every match, the 36ers victorious 89-78 on October 21.

“We have played them pretty well this year and we have beaten them in the one game, we played them pretty tight in Perth as well,” Ninnis said.

“Bryce Cotton is the best player in the league, you are going to have to do something to try and quieten his effect, you are not going to stop him completely.

“They have talent wherever you look.

“Having the win Christmas Eve and then to turn around a play a team the caliber of Perth is a real exciting challenge for us.”

The Wildcats will be playing their third road game in eight days after already spending the Christmas holidays in Melbourne and Cairns.

Perth head coach John Rillie said the Wildcats have come to expect these long away trips at this time of the season with RAC Arena hosting an international tennis event.

“At this time of the year we’re always going to travel because they have a tennis tournament in Perth, kind of like Melbourne later on in the month of January, where they get removed from their facilities,” Rillie said.

“The same thing happened in Perth with the lead-up tournament to the Australian Open.

“This is normal, now the amount of games we have in a concise space, I don’t know about that, but we’re always on the road at this time of year.”

READ MORE

• Ninnis thrilled with SIxers' resilence in success
• Opportunity awaits in big Wildcats battle
• Elevate your 36ers home game experience

Besides the rivalry on the court, there will be a head coaching battle between Rillie and Ninnis, who were both part of the 36ers 1998 NBL championship triumph.

Rillie said he hasn’t given any thought to coming up against his former teammate.

“When you’re a part of a championship team together there’s a unique and special bond that goes along with that, but that will be pushed to the side when the ball gets thrown up,” Rillie said.

The 36ers host the Wildcats from 7pm on Thursday night at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, you can watch all the action live and exclusive on ESPN via Kayo Sports.

ADELAIDE 36ERS vs PERTH WILDCATS
Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Thursday 7pm

LIKELY STARTERS
Adelaide: Trey Kell, DJ Vasiljevic, Trentyn Flowers, Jacob Wiley, Isaac Humphries
Perth: Tai Webster, Bryce Cotton, Kristian Doolittle, Hyrum Harris, Keanu Pinder

OVERALL
Played 155, Adelaide 69, Perth 86

LAST FIVE MATCHES
Nov 4, 2023 – Wildcats 99 def 36ers 88 at RAC Arena
Oct 21, 2023 – 36ers 89 def Wildcats 78 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Oct 6, 2023 – Wildcats 82 def 36ers 75 at RAC Arena
Jan 14, 2023 –  Wildcats 112 def 36ers 97 at RAC Arena
Dec 9, 2022 – Wildcats 98 def 36ers 90 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre

STATS THAT MATTER
- DJ Vasiljevic & Keanu Pinder - 100th game
- Adelaide has won the third quarter in seven of its last eight games against Perth.
- Adelaide ranks 1st in the league for free throw percentage this season (77.5%).
- Mitch McCarron is just two away from 200 NBL career three-pointers.
- Jacob Wiley ranks 2nd for rebounds per game (8.3) this season.
- Isaac Humphries ranks 4th for FG% (58.3%) this season.
- Wildcats have won eight of its past 10 games.
- Perth has won four of its last five games against Adelaide.
- Bryce Cotton is the only player in the league to have scored 40+ points in a game this season.
- Tai Webster has a career average of 5.3 assists per game against Adelaide - most against any opponent.
- Bryce Cotton has recorded 2+ assists in 71 consecutive appearances - longest active streak of any player in the league.
- Keanu Pinder has a career average of 8.6 rebounds per game against Adelaide - most against any opponent.