Triple road test starts with Tassie tussle

Adelaide 36ers travel to Hobart to start Round xx of the NBL23 season with a crucial match-up against Tasmania JackJumpers at MyState Bank Arena.

With the countdown to the NBL23 playoffs well and truly on, both clubs will be searching for their 12^th win of the campaign.

The JackJumpers pride themselves on turning their home court into a fortress, but Tasmania only have a 5-5 record at MyState Bank Arena this season.

The 36ers’ form on the road this season has been up and down, winning four of nine encounters so far and will start a three-game stint away from home on Thursday night.

Both sides have tasted success against each other in NBL23, Tasmania stunning Adelaide 97-72 way back in Round 3 in the 36ers’ home opener, while Adelaide squared the ledger with a 93-82 win on December 19 at the Entertainment Centre.

Besides the obvious playoff ramifications, both sides will want to take that winning edge as it looks likely this won’t be the last time the pair face-off this season.

THE KEY
JackJumpers import Josh Magette can get under your skin while also running the Tasmanian offense.

The 182cm point guard will cause headaches with his in-your-face, no nonsense defensive style and will pick Adelaide’s ballhandlers up for the full length of the court.

Not only does his defence spark the JackJumpers, Magette can also be a weapon at the offensive end, he can get hot from outside the arc, while also having the ability to get into the paint and create for his teammates.

Expect Magette to play a big role on captain Mitch McCarron and Ian Clark throughout this battle, but the best way to curtail Magette is to attack the Tassie leader.

Big man Will Magnay looms large as a focus for Tasmania, and his match-up against Kai Sotto will be intriguing and whoever gets on top in this battle is a huge advantage to their side.

Magnay has been getting back to his best form recently and showing glimpses of why he was a sort after signature when the JackJumpers franchise was born 18 months ago.

Sotto had his best game for the season against the Breakers and his growing in confidence since being elevated into the starting quintet.

THE SECRET
Tasmania have had their fair share of players missing throughout the NBL23 season but now head coach Scott Roth has a full squad to choose from.

Having a number of rotations could see Roth play several different line-ups come Thursday night, with swingman Sam McDaniel back into the line-up.

A healthy roster is good news for Roth, which will make the JackJumpers a vastly different proposition coming into the final stretch of the season.

Import forward Rashard Kelly has been dominant in the paint in recent matches, his offensive rebounding a key indicator in the JackJumpers’ recent success and Adelaide must curb his influence on the glass.

Adelaide will also have to take care of import swingman Milton Doyle, who is a matchwinner in his own right and as recently as last month, was being touted as an NBL23 MVP candidate.

Doyle is the JackJumpers’ closer, he can create his own shot, get to the hoop to score or create to get his teammates involved.

Expect to see Antonius Cleveland not too far from Doyle on the court for a majority of this contest.

THE FINAL WORD
There is no way else to put it, this is a huge game for both clubs with playoff implications on the line. Tasmania and Adelaide go into Thursday night’s match both with an 11-10 record and with eight teams vying for six spots, the road to the playoffs start now.

Destiny is still in Adelaide’s hands and the 36ers need to take each match as a grand final, every game for the rest of the NBL23 season will have that playoff feel.

Tasmania, who bounced back with a win on Tuesday night in Wollongong against Illawarra Hawks after losing at home to Melbourne United on Saturday, won’t want to drop another game in front of their home fans.

Adelaide will be keen to rebound after just falling short against New Zealand in front of a third consecutive sell out at the Entertainment Centre last Sunday afternoon.

Clark looms large in this battle and could well be the ace up the sleeve Bruton has been searching for all season.

DEPTH CHART
Magette | Macdonald
Weeks | Steindl | White
Doyle | McDaniel
Kelly | McVeigh
Magnay | Krslovic | Bairstow