Preview: Sydney v SE Melbourne (Round 14)

When: 7.30pm (AEDT), Wednesday 4 January, 2023

Where: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney

Broadcast: ESPN; Foxtel; Kayo; Sky NZ

LIVE SCORES AND STATS

Who won the last time?

South East Melbourne 113 (Creek 46, Kell 21, Williams 10) d Sydney 112 (Walton 45, Noi 12, Soares 12) 2OT – Round 11 at Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium, Traralgon

A lot could be written about this game - one of the most memorable in the NBL’s long history - but the simple story is Mitch Creek and Derrick Walton Jr put on a show for the ages. They traded big shot for big shot as they combined for 91 incredible points. The fourth term was one massive play after another, followed by two gripping overtime periods as both teams dug deep into their benches, but it was the South East Melbourne crew who did enough to help Creek home.

What happened last game?

While the Phoenix will never forget that game in Gippsland, they’ll wipe their trip to Tassie from their memories quickly. Down Zhou Qi, Ryan Broekhoff and Gary Browne, then losing Trey Kell III in the second quarter, they were completely overwhelmed by the JackJumpers. Tasmania's ruthlessness came off the back of an embarrassing performance against the Kings just two nights earlier, in which a transition running Xavier Cooks dominated like the Giannis Antetokounmpo of the NBL.

What’s working?

Crashing the glass – If there was one shining light from a long day in Hobart, it was the Phoenix grabbing 32 per cent of available o-boards to maintain their number one ranking in that category. Alan Williams ranks first in the NBL for second chance points, and that will be important to limit Sydney’s ability to rebound and run. In the Round 11 classic, the Phoenix won the second chance points category 20-7 in what became one of the game's decisive factors.

Xavier Cooks – The X-man limped off the floor in the first quarter in Round 11, one of many storylines in that epic clash, but his three games surrounding that have produced 22.7ppg at 70 per cent, 9.0rpg, 4.7apg and 3.3 O-boards as he has proven simply unstoppable. He tortured Tasmania with 10/12 from the field without shooting from beyond four feet, but Mitch Creek will provide a far sterner test as the NBL’s two best four-men go head-to-head.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Important ? from Creek Dog! Bought us 1?? point down! <br><br>? <a href="https://twitter.com/10PeachAu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@10PeachAU</a> ?? <a href="https://twitter.com/kayosports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kayosports</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNAusNZ</a> via Fox506 <a href="https://t.co/5TdLoCltqz">pic.twitter.com/5TdLoCltqz</a></p>&mdash; South East Melbourne Phoenix (@SEMelbPhoenix) <a href="https://twitter.com/SEMelbPhoenix/status/1604335936405262336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

What needs stopping?

Mitch Creek – That test will be replicated at the other end where Creek has averaged 25ppg since the start of November. After five outings averaging 29ppg, Creek had 18 at 41 per cent against Tassie and must now navigate the Kings’ wall-up defence. He had no issue with that in Gippsland, going 11/16 at the rim and 12/13 at the foul line as the Phoenix smashed Sydney 54-40 in points in the paint, one of only two losses in that category this season.

Derrick Walton Jr – South East Melbourne went in with a plan to deny Derrick up the floor and make other Kings initiate the offence, and in the half-court take away the roller in ball-screen situations and make Walton beat them on contested mid-rangers. While the theory was sound – the Kings are 7-1 when their floor general deals seven or more dimes but just 6-4 when he doesn’t – will the Phoenix dare give him space early to get going again? With Browne, Kell and Owen Foxwell all possibly out, is the in-form Junior Madut the man to get this job done?

Who’s matching up?

Tim Soares & Jordan Hunter v Alan Williams – Big Sauce was a big focus for Sydney in Round 11 and the attention he received allowed Kell to get going. Had Williams’ trademark floater game been on he would have blown the game open early. The Kings’ defence relies on Soares and Hunter walling up at the rim – and they must do a better job of that against Creek – so the weakside defenders need to help disrupt Sauce’s supply on the short-roll.

Justin Simon v Ryan Broekhoff – Rowdy is likely to play restricted minutes on return from injury, but the Phoenix are 10-4 when plays this season and 2-5 when he doesn’t, in NBL22 they were 11-6 before his injury and 4-7 afterwards. With a huge amount of firepower missing, SEM need to find him shots when he’s on the floor, and given he’s knocking down 45 per cent of his triples, Simon must make a priority of denying catches and contesting looks.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just before HT, that Rowdy ?<br><br>? <a href="https://twitter.com/10PeachAu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@10PeachAU</a> ?? <a href="https://twitter.com/kayosports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kayosports</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNAusNZ</a> via Fox506 <a href="https://t.co/OmZC9a2iYq">pic.twitter.com/OmZC9a2iYq</a></p>&mdash; South East Melbourne Phoenix (@SEMelbPhoenix) <a href="https://twitter.com/SEMelbPhoenix/status/1604328243112251392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Who’s saying what?

Derrick Walton put on a show for the ages in Traralgon, but he wasn’t really in the mood for talking about it afterwards.

“I was always taught a point guard is defined by his wins and losses,” he said.

“To not be able to come out on top in a game where I feel like we had it in so many critical moments, where split decisions like giving up foul shots and offensive rebounds is keying on my mind more than anything.

“As much as a player you want to embrace having a good game, you always try to think of the ways you want to win.”

Thankfully, the SE Melbourne Phoenix were more than happy to sing Walton’s praises.

“I said to him after the game that was an incredible battle and I was just so proud to be a part of it, you don’t get many moments like this in sport,” Mitch Creek said.

“Tip your hat to him, incredible, incredible game from him and I hope every time we play Sydney it’s like that.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Big half from Derrick Walton Jr?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheKings?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheKings</a> <a href="https://t.co/U8NiZk5wcx">pic.twitter.com/U8NiZk5wcx</a></p>&mdash; Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings/status/1604326307982200833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Coach Simon Mitchell didn’t enjoy trying to counter the Kings star during the game, but relished the memory afterwards.

“The environment created the contest which was special. We saw a couple of special performances with Walton Jr and Creek, and then just a coin flip in the end, which way’s it going to go,” he said.

“You go in with a game plan for a guy like Walton, these are the shots we’re going to allow him to have, not uncontested but these are the shots we want him shooting,” Mitchell said.

“You go through the numbers, you go through the film, this is where he’s maybe not as efficient as other areas of the game, and he comes in and drop four or five mid-rangers, it’s like, ok Plan B. Then he’s getting on the rim and finding guys and it’s ok, Plan C.”

While that headline battle caught the imagination, the contributions of many others made a difference as injuries and foul trouble took its toll.

Isaac Gattorna and Owen Foxwell made a defensive impact for their teams, Trey Kell operated superbly from the second side when Creek was denied, while Angus Glover and Jaylin Galloway injected some serious speed into Sydney’s game.

On the sidelines, the coaches were working overtime finding new line-ups to work, while on the floor players had to adjust to those new looks on the run.

“It was a very highly-intellectual game,” Creek said.

“There were a lot of moving pieces and we’d make counters to their offences, then they would make adjustments, then we’d have to make a counter to something they’d just adjusted to. Everyone was moving pieces around the board.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The bucket that got us over the line. <a href="https://twitter.com/RTeRangi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RTeRangi</a> ?????? <a href="https://t.co/YNySET18Bz">pic.twitter.com/YNySET18Bz</a></p>&mdash; South East Melbourne Phoenix (@SEMelbPhoenix) <a href="https://twitter.com/SEMelbPhoenix/status/1604353438074040322?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Can the Round 14 rematch live up to its predecessor? It’s a hard act to follow, and it will certainly follow a different script.

The Phoenix lost Gary Browne and their point guard still on the sidelines and Rowdy likely to play limited minutes. Zhou Qi returned home for family reasons shortly after the Gippsland game, while Kell and Foxwell are in serious doubt for Wednesday night.

It leaves Mitchell’s men seriously underhanded and that took its toll in Tasmania, but the fourth-year coach was in no mood to forgive his side’s capitulation.

“We’re in Round 13, we started the season off with pretty much exactly the same group as we ended up with tonight, I think that was the roster we had Round 1 and we beat these guys,” he said post-game.

“We’re 13 rounds down the line, is it a good experience for them? No, we've had plenty of experience, these guys have played minutes, they played all through pre-season.

“So now it’s time to step up and take care pf the ball and play better … but just as importantly the guys that have experience and are on the floor need to be much better than they were tonight.”

Creek owned up to his own poor performance, and he’ll want to be at another level with Xavier Cooks fully fit and firing for this match-up, and that’s the way the Phoenix skipper wants it.

“I hope Xave’s ankle is ok, I was really looking forward to that match-up, a lot of people were, shitty to see him play seven minutes and be walked to the changerooms,” he said post-game.

“I hope he gets better, I hope he gets fit quickly so we can have a really good battle together because we both respect each other a lot.”