Doyle sparks JackJumpers over improved Sixers

The Adelaide 36ers might have been shorthanded but put in their best performance this week at the NBL Blitz on the Gold Coast before Milton Doyle lifted the Tasmania JackJumpers to the eventual 86-82 victory.

It has been vastly different starts at the NBL Blitz for the two teams with the JackJumpers beating the South East Melbourne Phoenix and New Zealand Breakers while the Sixers had struggled in losses to the Breakers and Perth Wildcats.

The 36ers then came into Thursday's clash at the Gold Coast Convention Centre without import trio Trey Kell III, Jamaal Franklin and Jacob Wiley along with injured 367-game veteran Jason Cadee, but they had a point to prove.

With those four key players missing, coach CJ Bruton changed things up too with captain Mitch McCarron taking over the point guard duties with Sunday Dech into the starting line-up, and it all paid off especially early.

Adelaide put up 25 points to 16 in the opening quarter and more than anything, it was the execution to not turn the ball over and to look a cohesive unit that would have pleased Bruton more than anything.

By winning that opening term, the Sixers also ended the hopes of the JackJumpers winning the Loggins-Bruton Cup at the NBL Blitz too, but more importantly Tohi Smith-Milner stepped up in the second quarter to ensure Adelaide remained on top.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Milton Doyle = CLUTCH ??<br><br>The <a href="https://twitter.com/JackJumpers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JackJumpers</a> lead by three points with less than 30 seconds to play ??<br><br>Watch every game live &amp; free via Kayo Freebies ?<br><br>Outside Australia? Watch via ?? <a href="https://t.co/8LoWsbR7E4">https://t.co/8LoWsbR7E4</a> <a href="https://t.co/1u1zJYk6aF">pic.twitter.com/1u1zJYk6aF</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1704776296906018853?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

By half-time, the Sixers were leading 44-33 and it was Smith-Milner leading the way with 12 points while Dech had nine and McCarron five points, five rebounds and five assists. 

Even the five points and four rebounds from Next Star Trentyn Flowers was a marked improvement by playing more on the wing and not at the point. The seven turnovers was also a better sign for Adelaide.

However, whether it's the Blitz, a regular season NBL game or during the finals series, the JackJumpers refuse to lie down and that was once again the case on Thursday evening.

It was last season's All-First Team member Milton Doyle who led the second half charge for Tasmania. It was an offensive onslaught of 33 points in the third period that turned the tide of the contest.

The JackJumpers then turned that into an eventual four-point victory to end their NBL Blitz campaign undefeated with the wins against the 36ers, Phoenix and Breakers.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sunday Dech is in attack mode ?<br><br>He&#39;s up to 1??0?? points for the game. <br><br>Watch every game live &amp; free via Kayo Freebies ?<br><br>Outside Australia? Watch via ?? <a href="https://t.co/8LoWsbR7E4">https://t.co/8LoWsbR7E4</a> <a href="https://t.co/Fy3AklE2D1">pic.twitter.com/Fy3AklE2D1</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1704760454474530921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Milton Doyle finished with 19 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals for Tasmania with Jack McVeigh delivering another 13 points and six boards.

Anthony Drmic added 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals, Majok Deng 11 points, and Marcus Lee nine points and five rebounds.

While the 36ers end the week on the Gold Coast without a win, the signs were much better even without an import playing, and with Cadee sitting out with an injured finger.

Tohi Smith-Milner was the surprise packet for the Sixers with the 127-game NBL forward putting up 21 points on 8/13 shooting from the floor with 3/6 three-point shooting.

Captain Mitch McCarron added 16 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, Sunday Dech 14 points, four boards and four assists, and Isaac Humphries nine points and four rebounds.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Marcus Lee gets upstairs and finishes the lob dunk ?<br><br>Watch every game live &amp; free via Kayo Freebies ?<br><br>Outside Australia? Watch via ?? <a href="https://t.co/8LoWsbR7E4">https://t.co/8LoWsbR7E4</a> <a href="https://t.co/3gFiu3WYVJ">pic.twitter.com/3gFiu3WYVJ</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1704766752230432875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The NBL Blitz campaigns of both teams is now over with the JackJumpers to open their NBL24 season next Friday night in Perth against the Wildcats. Earlier that night, the 36ers open their season on the road to the Brisbane Bullets.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL BLITZ

TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 86 (Doyle 19, McVeigh 13, Drmic 11, Deng 11) 
ADELAIDE 36ERS 82 (Smith-Milner 21, McCarron 16, Dech 14)

BOX SCORE