"Next Man Up" Sixers Turning Season Around

The Adelaide 36ers have launched themselves back into playoff contention thanks to four straight home wins, with their strong form culminating in yesterday's last gasp victory over the Brisbane Bullets.

Despite missing starting point guard and captain Mitch McCarron, the 36ers overcame a sluggish third quarter to overcome a competitive Bullets side by just three points.

Sunday Dech was moved into the starting line-up while newly signed import Ian Clark was impactful in his 19 minutes off the bench in McCarron's absence.

With 11 players getting on the scoresheet for Adelaide Anthony Drmic – who himself finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds, praised the team’s “next man up” mentality.

“We just have a bunch of great people on the team,” Drmic said post-game. “Everyone’s stepping up right now – we talk about our bench being one of the best in the league.

“I feel like we have guys who are willing to sacrifice and step up.”

Adelaide’s victory came in front of a sold-out home crowd. The attendance of 9263 is the second time the 36ers have broken their home attendance record in NBL23, however last time out they suffered a disappointing 25-point loss to the Tasmania JackJumpers.

“It was unbelievable,” Drmic said of the crowd.

“I feel like last time we had a record crowd we didn’t perform, and I was a little nervous we were going to come out the same way.

“Tonight we played a lot better and we played up to the crowd. It’s amazing any time you look up into the stands and see that many people supporting you. It’s special.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Record crowd for the <a href="https://twitter.com/Adelaide36ers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Adelaide36ers</a> at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre ?<br><br>9,263 fans are in the stands to watch some Thursday night <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> action ? <a href="https://t.co/BUjtxWPZUs">pic.twitter.com/BUjtxWPZUs</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1608403461808476160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Off the back of those four straight home wins the 36ers have now moved to a 10-8 record for the season.

They’ve joined Cairns and Tasmania with 10 victories in NBL23, and have moved one win clear of both Perth and Melbourne – however Perth has one game in hand over the 36ers.

Head coach CJ Bruton believes strong home form is the bedrock on which a championship tilt can be built.

“I’m excited for our club, I’m excited for our players and I’m excited for our fans,” Bruton said.

“Being able to come off wins is helpful for the mindset, and we just have to continue to build on what we’ve got … I feel like where we’re at right now, to be bale to do that gives a calmness.

“When you’re trying to fight for a playoff spot you need to be able to win at home.”