WIld West battle looms as huge test

Adelaide 36ers are back on the road again, heading across the Nullarbor for a Thursday night showdown against arch-rival Perth Wildcats at RAC Arena.

Only 72 hours after arriving home from New Zealand, the 36ers will be running out in front of the Red Army, looking to bounce back from Sunday’s 89-83 loss to the Breakers in Auckland.

The Wildcats are at home and awaiting another big home clash, Perth getting their NBL23 campaign back on track in recent weeks after losing five straight games earlier this season.

Adelaide is building and are looking a better team on the court, despite splitting their two-game road trip last round.

With this rivalry, one thing can be certain, it doesn’t matter where both sides sit on the ladder, who is in form or not, expect this game to go right down to the wire.

THE KEY
Any time you play the Perth Wildcats, shutting Bryce Cotton down goes a long way to having success and ending up on the winning side.

Cotton has dominated the NBL since he touched down in Perth in 2017 and the three-time NBL champion and three-time NBL MVP showed exactly why on Brett Maher Court on November 5 in front of a record home crowd of 9071 fans.

After being held to just three points to three-quarter time, Cotton exploded when it mattered most, scoring 12 of his 15 points in the final quarter as the Wildcats snapped a five-game losing streak to win 94-89.

The 182cm combo guard connected on four big three-pointers in the final 10 minutes as the Wildcats scored 32 points in the final stanza to comeback from a last quarter deficit.

You can keep a great player down, but Antonius Cleveland is the best man for the job and should be standing right next to Cotton for most of the game on Thursday night.

The reigning NBL Defensive Player of the Year should be given the task to shut down the league MVP in front of the Red Army.

Expect Adelaide coach CJ Bruton to throw several different defenders at Cotton, but Cleveland should spend most of the time on the Wildcats superstar.

THE SECRET
He is no secret anymore, but right next to the Cotton name on Bruton’s pre-game whiteboard should be Wildcats import forward Brady Manek.

Manek, who struggled to start the NBL23 season, exploded at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, with some basketball commentators saying his game-high 25 points, including six-from-eight from downtown, saved his job.

The former University of North Carolina star has continued his great form since his performance in Adelaide, with Wildcats coach John Rillie still bringing Manek off the bench to great effect, including 21 points and five rebounds in Perth’s 103-96 win against South East Melbourne Phoenix last round.

Along with Manek, who is now averaging 10.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per night, Rillie is also using the NBA-bound Luke Travers off the Wildcats bench.

Travers, who can be a match-winner in his own right, looks to have found his role in the Perth rotation, averaging 9.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in NBL23.

Expect both Manek and Travers to be on the floor come crunch time on Thursday night.

THE FINAL WORD
Adelaide will have the focus to stop the Wildcats from the perimeter after Perth bombarded the 36ers from beyond the arc last time out.

Perth scored 45 of their 94 points from the three-point line, connecting on 15 triples at 40 per cent, a number that needs to significantly reduce if Adelaide wants to reverse the result.

The defensive end has been a rapid improvement recently for the 36ers and expect the perimeter pressure to be a lot better against the Wildcats this time around.

Adelaide will also need to focus on not just Cotton, Manek, and Travers. With Corey Webster, Todd Blanchfield and Jesse Wagstaff all able to hit the three-pointer.

The inclusion of Kai Sotto will add to the 36ers’ defensive presence around the rim as Adelaide will aim to force the Wildcats off the three-point line and attack the basket.

Sotto was huge missing piece in last Sunday’s 89-83 loss to New Zealand Breakers in Auckland and he will be fresh and ready to show his worth on Thursday night.

Expect Robert Franks to continue his good form as the 201cm becomes more of a low post presence in the offense.

Cleveland should quarterback the defensive effort, while captain Mitch McCarron will go head-to-head with his Australian Boomers teammate Mitch Norton.

This is a crucial game for Adelaide to get back on track, the 36ers have responded on the road so far this season and will need to again in Perth on Thursday night.

It is not a must win game for Adelaide, but it’s pretty close. This result could set up Adelaide’s season, who have six home games at the Entertainment Centre next month.

DEPTH CHART
PG Norton | Zunic
SG Cotton | Webster | Harris
SF Blanchfield | Travers
PF Wagstaff | Manek
C Thomas | Majok | Hayes-Brown