Creek helps turn the tide as Phoenix thump 36ers

Friday, October 20, 2023

Mitch Creek led the Phoenix's charge back in Adelaide against the team he started his career.

A powerful second quarter propelled South East Melbourne Phoenix to a clinical 102-85 NBL victory against the Adelaide 36ers at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

The Phoenix pummelled the Sixers 28-14 in the second term on Thursday night to put the game out of the home side's reach, highlighted by a dominant 15-0 shortly before the half-time break.

Mitch Creek (23 points) led the Phoenix's charge back in Adelaide against the team he started his career with and was a former captain of. Puerto Rican point guard Gary Browne (19 points, eight assists) and American Will Cummings (18 points) did as they pleased, while the return Alan Williams (15 points, 13 rebounds) was influential in his first game of the season following a knee injury.

"We were trading baskets until that second five minutes of the second quarter when the guys got multiple stops in a row and kept scoring freely," Phoenix coach Mike Kelly said.

"That was the difference right there, that five-minute patch."

Import Trey Kell III (21 points) top-scored for Adelaide against the team he played with last season, while two-time Sydney Kings championship winner DJ Vasiljevic, signed by the 36ers only 48 hours earlier, had 17 points on debut having trained with the club for the last two weeks.

Vasiljevic was prolific early, firing 10 attempts and scoring 10 points in the first quarter.

At the other end, Browne racked up nine points and four assists in the opening period, which ended with scores tied at 28-28.

Vasiljevic's third triple gave Adelaide a slender 40-39 lead, before the visitors rattled off the next 15 points and led 54-42 at half-time.

After Browne led Phoenix's early charge, it was fellow imports Williams and Cummings who, in the second stanza, troubled the Sixers, who looked all at sea offensively and passive defensively.

After Phoenix's lead ballooned to 17 points midway through the third, experienced 36ers reserves Sunday Dech and Jason Cadee helped the home side briefly trim the deficit to single digits.

But their hard work was undone when Creek, who helped himself to 13 points for the term, drained an uncontested three on the three quarter-time buzzer to push Phoenix out to 77-65, before Williams and Browne continued on their merry way in the fourth.

"Disappointing - that's what that was," Sixers coach CJ Bruton said.

"Our effort left, our communication left, and everyone was a step too slow."

The Phoenix rose to 3-3 with their second straight win, while Adelaide (1-5) remain anchored to the bottom of the ladder. Both teams back up on Saturday with the Phoenix hosting the Brisbane Bullets and the Sixers still at home to old rivals the Perth Wildcats.