'We are showing real fight': Bruton

Adelaide 36ers head coach CJ Bruton said his side is building momentum despite a four-game losing streak to start the NBL24 season.

The 36ers stormed back into both matches last round in the third quarter, but on both occasions fell short on the road in Perth on Friday night and in Sydney on Sunday afternoon.

Bruton said to see the fight in his side is promising, but added improvements must be made moving forward.

“We have had out moments through the first four games so far, but we couldn’t sustain for 40 minutes,” Bruton said after Sunday’s 109-100 loss to the Kings in Sydney.

“We had some good patches in there, the fightback in this group is real, we have got a dog in is.

“We just need to find that balance and that momentum.”

Offensive rebounding again haunted Adelaide, who gave up 15 extra looks at the basket to the Kings, including three crucial possessions in the final quarter.

“We gave up too many O (offensive) boards for my liking,” Bruton said.

“Playing two games in a week, it’s about managing your turnover load.

“We played a brand of basketball that got us back in the ball game.

“If we were able to sustain that, it would have been positive.”

Besides the offensive rebounding and second chance points, the Kings held sway from beyond the arc, connecting on 15 three-pointers to Adelaide only seven.

“Yeah that hurt, Sydney, they put heat on the rim to find the kick out three balls,” he said.

“Kouat Noi came out in that first quarter and really set the tone for them.”

Bruton was pleased with the breakout performance from Trey Kell, who scored a game-high 28 points against the Kings, and the ever-reliable Jacob Wiley, who added 17 points, five rebounds and five assists.

“Since Trey has got here, he has been our main guy and trying to find his feet, he’s starting find his groove,” Bruton said.

“In the two games (last week) he built confidence and finding where he will get his shots from and how we can put him in actions to be successful. He keeps a calmness in the group, his IQ is really great.

“Jacob, I thought his energy was really good, attacking the basket to his ability, to get on the glass and run the lane, he brings that every day.”

Adelaide return home to Brett Maher Court this Saturday night as the Entertainment Centre turns pink for the inaugural PINK SLAM game against Illawarra Hawks, tip-off is at 5pm.