Preview: New Zealand vs Tasmania - Round 10, NBL24

Friday, December 8, 2023

New Zealand is fighting to keep its post-season hopes alive. Can they dispatch an in-form Tasmania?

Saturday, December 9 at 5:30pm AEDT | Spark Arena

Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo Sports | Sky Sport in NZ | International viewership details
Box scores: Download the free NBL App

New Zealand head coach Mody Maor received a $500 fine for his post-game comments about the referees in Round 9. His comments were seen to have broken the Basketball Australia Code of Conduct.

Damon Lowery has said the Adelaide 36ers would be foolish not to consider Maor for the club’s now vacant head coaching position, given his current contract at the Breakers is due to expire at the end of NBL24.

Tasmania will be without Milton Doyle for the clash. The star guard has returned to the United States with his family following the passing of his father.

The JackJumpers are one of just two teams in NBL24 without a Next Star, but Sean Macdonald’s performance against Adelaide last week saw Scott Roth hail the development player as Tasmania’s equivalent of a Next Star.

New Zealand
79-90 loss to South East Melbourne
96-83 win over Adelaide
65-69 loss to Illawarra

Tasmania
94-59 win over Adelaide
90-87 win over Cairns
92-97 loss to New Zealand

Mantas Rubstavicius
Injuries have restricted the ability for Next Star Mantas Rubstavicius to really impact games this season. The Lithuanian has played just seven games for the Breakers in NBL24, but his last appearance against South East Melbourne offered a glimpse into the quality he could provide in the back half of the campaign.

Rubstavicius ended the game with 11 points and an assist, but it was a short run in the third quarter that indicated his ability to take over games if the defence allows him to get hot.

He scored seven points in just over a minute to give New Zealand the lead, with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter.

His ability to make a high percentage of his shots from deep is one of the most drafable aspects of Rubstavicius’ game, and follows the trend of highly fundamentally skilled European players making the leap to the NBA.

It’s a small sample size, but Rubstavicius could prove a crucial part of New Zealand’s rise back to relevance in the landscape of the NBL24 season, should he start stringing games together.

“Mantas has been fantastic. It’s not just one injury, this is the second time he loses significant stretches which really hinders your development at this age ... everything you’re seeing from him now is just the tip of the iceberg. He’s a fantastic kid who does everything the right way ... I’m so happy he’s with us, just stay healthy kid.” – Mody Maor following the loss to South East Melbourne.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mantas Rubštavi?ius flashed his offensive potential against the Phoneix in Round 9 ?<br><br>Following an injury-riddled start to NBL24, the <a href="https://twitter.com/NZBreakers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NZBreakers</a> Next Star is definitely a player to keep an eye on for the remainder of the season ? <a href="https://t.co/h9uJhsVR8h">pic.twitter.com/h9uJhsVR8h</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1731918562263003177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Sean Macdonald
When Josh Magette was absent from the JackJumpers roster last season, it was Sean Macdonald who stepped up into the breach. Now with Milton Doyle missing for this weekend’s clash with New Zealand, the onus will once again be on Macdonald to plug the gap and help guide his team to a win.

With just how important Macdonald is to Tasmania’s fortunes it can be easy to forget he’s still on a development player contract, but the 23-year-old’s influence on his side has grown in the past two weeks – and that was with Doyle still available.

He scored 10 crucial points in the narrow victory over Cairns, before adding 15 more in Tasmania’s traipsing of Adelaide – a game which proved to be CJ Bruton’s last in charge of the embattled club.

Macdonald has already proved his ability to ably step into the role of facilitator with the loss of Magette last season. Let’s see if he can step into the role of scorer – even if it’s just for a weekend.

“I think people forget he’s a development player on our roster. He is our Next Star. He is our guy we’ve invested a lot of time and energy in, and he continues to grow. I love the work he’s been doing and he was rewarded tonight with a really good game.” – Scott Roth following the win over Adelaide.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sean Macdonald take a bow ?<br><br>Catch the final quarter live on ESPN via Kayo ? <a href="https://t.co/8AC8e7jfDy">pic.twitter.com/8AC8e7jfDy</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1710234752433660022?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Parker Jackson-Cartwright vs Jordon Crawford
Damon Lowery has loved discussing his ‘Little Big Man’ club in NBL24, and Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Jordon Crawford are the president and vice president of Lowery’s exclusive circle.

It may seem like an obvious statement, but Jackson-Cartwright seems to play his best when New Zealand win. While that’s often the case with a team’s best players – it shows just how important it is to lock the diminutive guard up when you’re playing against the Breakers.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Beep Beep!<br><br>Name a faster player in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL</a> than Parker Jackson-Cartwright. We're waiting ? <a href="https://t.co/ReYKl7C90I">pic.twitter.com/ReYKl7C90I</a></p>— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ/status/1730849811132526648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Even taking Round 9 as a sample, ‘PJC’ scored 21 points, shot over 65 per cent from the field and added nine assists in the win over Adelaide. Then, in the loss against the Phoenix, those numbers dropped to 14, 42 and seven respectively.

Eyes will be on Crawford to see how he can step up his game in the absence of backcourt partner Milton Doyle, and while he’s had a handful of explosive games this season, he’s still searching for some consistency on offence.

Three 20 and one 30-point performance have been broken by two games where he’s shot below 30 per cent from the field, and one game where he had five turnovers.

At their best both Jackson-Cartwright and Crawford have proved to be match-winners for their sides this season, but they’ve also shown they can be locked up to an extent.

Who can break out of the defensive shackles and win the game for their sides?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jordon Crawford getting tricky with the sweet dime ?<br><br>The JackJumpers are off to a hot start against the Adelaide 36ers. <br><br>? Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL</a> live on ESPN! <a href="https://t.co/qLUaPKSvqP">pic.twitter.com/qLUaPKSvqP</a></p>— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ/status/1730884947131720020?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

New Zealand has won its four previous games against Tasmania at Spark Arena. Two of those wins came in last season’s Finals series where the Breakers earned 20 and 15-point wins to take a spot in the Championship Series.

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Sean Macdonald and Parker Jackson-Cartwright in Tasmania and New Zealand's clash in Round 8.