Preview: Adelaide vs New Zealand - Round 20, NBL24

Thursday, February 15, 2024

With players and coaches potentially playing for contracts into next season, can the 36ers spoil the Breakers' Finals party?

Sunday, February 18 at 4pm AEDT | Adelaide Entertainment Centre

Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo Freebies | 10 Peach and 10 Play | Sky Sport in NZ - International viewership details
Box scores: Download the free NBL App

DJ Vasiljevic has said he has vouched for Scott Ninnis as Adelaide’s head coach due to the way the club’s fortunes have turned around, but added that Brian Goorjian would be a great coach for the side.

His comments came after the star guard said he would be “pissed off” if Ninnis was not given the job from next season onwards.

Adelaide is out of contention for the NBL24 Finals, but could finish as high as seventh on percentage, with a victory over the Breakers.

Trey Kell III will miss the 36ers' final game due to a foot injury.

The Breakers locked all but locked in their place in the NBL24 post-season with a win over Brisbane on Friday night. The game could have been Tom Abercrombie’s last home game for the club should they fail to reach a best-of-three Playoff series against Melbourne or Perth.

Abercrombie compared guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright to former NBL MVP Jerome Randle following the win, and said he has never seen a player move like his side’s current point guard.

Adelaide
84-102 loss to Brisbane
86-109 loss to Tasmania
85-78 win over Sydney

New Zealand
103-87 win over Brisbane
81-94 loss to Melbourne
88-85 win over Illawarra

Isaac Humphries
The contractual fate of a veritable handful of 36ers players is still up in the air, but there are likely none the Adelaide faithful would like to see re-sign for the club more than center Isaac Humphries.

Humphries returned to the club after a season with Melbourne United in NBL23 and has returned to the star-level performances that led him to becoming one of the most dominant defensive local centers in recent memory over the course of the NBL21 season, where he averaged a frankly ridiculous 2.8 blocks per game.

He’s had a miraculous turnaround under Scott Ninnis in the latter stages of this season too. Humphries has been made a focal point of Adelaide’s offence, and has thrown his name into the All-NBL conversations come the Gazeys.

He’s had a few quieter offensive games in his recent run of form though. He scored just 11 points in Round 19’s defeat to Brisbane, and just seven in the Round 18 loss to Tasmania.

Can the Boomers representative round off what’s been a largely successful individual season with another strong performance?

“It depends what the management want to do with our players here, I think all of our players will end up playing somewhere in the NBL, no doubt about it. If they all stick here or if they go elsewhere, I don’t know – it’s none of my business – but I know all of them will be able to play in the NBL, that’s for sure.” -DJ Vasiljevic mid-week.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Always an honour to play for my country! <br>???? <a href="https://t.co/ygwOZiP5HJ">https://t.co/ygwOZiP5HJ</a></p>— Isaac Humphries (@IsaacHumphries7) <a href="https://twitter.com/IsaacHumphries7/status/1758331759509598706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Parker Jackson-Cartwright
Is NBL24 the season of ‘MVPJC’? Probably not given the ridiculous form of Bryce Cotton over the course of the season, but Parker Jackson-Cartwright has taken the NBL by storm this season.

When Anthony Lamb went down with a ruptured Achilles, the general consensus leaned towards relief that at least the Breakers still had Jackson-Cartwright to lead the way into the post-season, and the diminutive guard has been immense for Mody Maor’s side in recent games.

His 27 points in the win over Brisbane was just the latest remarkable performance in a season filled with them. When he had 25 points, eight assists and six steals in New Zealand’s opening round, people wondered if he could keep that level of play up. It turns out that was the rule, not the exception.

Jackson-Cartwright is the type of player who has thrived on bigger and bigger challenges throughout his career, and with New Zealand down one of its stars in Lamb heading into the post-season, could leading the Breakers to the title be the biggest challenge he’s taken on yet?

“I’ve played against some little guys in the league over the years – Jerome Randle comes to mind – but Parker is unique. He is little but he plays big, and the way he moves on the court, I’ve never seen anything like it. He glides around at superspeed, it’s pretty phenomenal to watch and I feel like he’s just getting better and better each week.” – Tom Abercrombie following the win over Brisbane.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Most valuable. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UNBREAKABLE?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UNBREAKABLE</a> <a href="https://t.co/l00osywOaG">pic.twitter.com/l00osywOaG</a></p>— BNZ Breakers (@NZBreakers) <a href="https://twitter.com/NZBreakers/status/1758709227991056611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Jacob Wiley vs Zylan Cheatham
Two of the most athletic, high-energy power forwards in the NBL will face off in what will be the final game of Jacob Wiley’s return season to Adelaide.

Wiley departed the 36ers as a fan-favourite after his maiden campaign with the club in NBL19, and he’s picked up from where he left off with his relationship with Adelaide’s fans. His direct opponent for Sunday’s game, Zylan Cheatham, has equally endeared himself to the New Zealand faithful this season for many of the same reasons.

You can never question the effort or desire both Wiley and Cheatham put into each and every game, and that type of never-quit attitude and keenness to do the dirty work is one of the best ways in which an import can endear themselves to the fans of their club. Add the fact they’re both exceptional players with a penchant for game-breaking highlights – then it’s the perfect recipe.

Outside of the sheer entertainment factor Wiley and Cheatham’s matchup will bring, when the stars align they’re two of the most dangerous players in the competition. It’s worth remembering Cheatham’s name was floated in the early-season MVP race prior to his foot injury.

For anyone tuning into this game, the prerogative is simple. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show these two are primed to put on.

Adelaide has won each of its last four home games, however the Breakers have won four of its last five games against the 36ers – including two victories away from home.