Preview: Sydney vs South East Melbourne - Round 10, NBL24

Saturday, December 9, 2023

Can Sydney keep the good times rolling in Round 10, or will the Phoenix put their road woes behind them?

Sunday, December 10 at 4pm AEDT | Qudos Bank Arena

Watch: Live and free on ESPN via Kayo Freebies, 10 Peach and 10 Play | International viewership details
Box scores: Download the free NBL App

Sydney opened Round 10 with a win over Cairns in bizarre circumstances on Thursday night. The second half had to be played without a shot clock and the air conditioning broke at the Cairns Convention Centre due to a power surge during the game.

Jonah Antonio’s made three-pointer in the final seconds was ruled out as it was shot after the buzzer. If it had counted, the game between Sydney and Cairns would have gone to overtime.

South East Melbourne surprisingly parted ways with import Will Cummings during the week. NBL analyst Liam Santamaria implied a failure to meet off-court standards was the reason for removing the former French and German league MVP from the roster.

Craig Moller underwent surgery on the season-ending patella injury suffered in Round 9 on Monday.

Sydney
86-83 win over Cairns
105-114 loss to Perth
93-105 loss to Melbourne

South East Melbourne
90-79 win over New Zealand
93-96 loss to Adelaide
83-92 loss to Melbourne

Jaylen Adams
One name that’s been curiously absent from the MVP discussion so far this season has been Sydney’s Jaylen Adams, but that could well be about to change.

The NBL22 MVP returned to the Kings ahead of the new season, and his largely overlooked status as one of the best players in the competition, if anything, speaks volumes of his selflessness and ability to thrive almost under the radar.

Make no mistake though, this guy is a game-winner and one of the most high-level players in the competition, and he proved that in Thursday’s win over the Taipans.

In a tight game you have to make your free throws, and while Cairns shot a dismal 48 per cent from the line on the night, Adams shot a perfect 12-12 to guide his team home to a three-point win.

He ate at the charity stripe, but ended the game with 24 points, seven assists and four rebounds.

Sometimes you just need a little reminder of how good someone like Jaylen Adams actually is.

“It strengthened Jaylen Adams’ MVP case because he was clutch and he guided them to victory ... it got all tied up at 82 apiece and he was 12-12 from the free throw line, meanwhile the Taipans were shooting less than 50 per cent. It was on the back of his performance.” – Liam Santamaria on NBL Now.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"Oh my goodness" ?<br><br>Jaylen Adams took it all around the world on this finish ?<br><br>Catch the action live on ESPN via Kayo ? <a href="https://t.co/RGajRld1MX">pic.twitter.com/RGajRld1MX</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1732696266868400398?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Owen Foxwell
Through adversity comes opportunity. While the entire South East Melbourne guard rotation will likely see an increase in minutes and shuffling of roles, it will be interesting to see what role Owen Foxwell will play until the Phoenix find their long-term replacement for now departed guard Will Cummings.

Foxwell emerged as a favourite of former head coach Simon Mitchell last season, and the young guard was often preferred to his more senior and fully-rostered counterparts when it came to locking down an opposition guard. Under Mike Kelly this season though, he’s found opportunities tough to come by.

He’s hit the floor 10 times for South East Melbourne this season, but large swathes of that time on court has come in junk time at the end of quarters – or when the clash has been decided.

Foxwell is currently averaging less than one point per game and shooting less than 30 per cent from the field – both of which are drastic drop-offs from last season.

He earned a graduation from his role as a development player at the end of NBL23, and now it’s time for him to show why.

“It’s surprising to see imports being released at this time in the season, especially a guy who’s been playing well ... when a guy’s been playing quite well and this happens it’s clear there are some things going on, things off the floor or on the day-to-day.” – Liam Santamaria on NBL Now.

Owen Foxwell and Rhys Vague.

Jaylin Galloway vs Gary Browne
If the final possessions between Sydney and Cairns on Thursday reiterated on thing, it’s that Jaylin Galloway has the agility, speed and nous to lock down the best point guards in the NBL.

Galloway ripped the ball away from a driving Patrick Miller when the Kings were up by four with just seconds left on the clock to all but lock the game up, however a missed free throw at the other end opened the door for a potential overtime period that didn’t eventuate.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jaylin Galloway heating things up ??<br><br>Catch the action live on ESPN via Kayo ? <a href="https://t.co/EksDzjXB3Y">pic.twitter.com/EksDzjXB3Y</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1732685510483603754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The absence of Will Cummings in South East Melbourne’s rotation is going to add extra responsibility onto the shoulders of Gary Browne, and while players like Ben Ayre and Owen Foxwell will almost certainly be called upon to increase their playmaking duties, the Phoenix could live or die by how Browne performs.

Sydney’s switch-heavy defence means that Browne is going to see a number of different defensive matchups as the game plays out, but if there’s a possession to be played with the game on the line, expect Galloway to go to the Puerto Rican playmaker.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">King of the crossover ?<br><br>There’s not a dribble move <a href="https://twitter.com/Gbrowne14?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Gbrowne14</a> can’t pull off ?<br><br>Catch Gary Browne and the <a href="https://twitter.com/SEMelbPhoenix?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SEMelbPhoenix</a> in action at 5:30pm AEDT, live on ESPN via Kayo | Sky Sports in NZ ? <a href="https://t.co/tMPfniSoSF">pic.twitter.com/tMPfniSoSF</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1730789321282900082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

South East Melbourne has lost six of its last eight away games. The Kings broke their road hoodoo with a win over Cairns on Thursday, can the Phoenix do the same at Qudos Bank Arena?

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Alan Williams.