R6 Preview: Sydney Kings vs Perth Wildcats

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Will Bryce be right for the grand final rematch? Either way, two quality teams who have been bitten by the injury bug will be cranking up the D to get another NBL Cup win.

When: 5pm (AEDT), Tuesday 23 February

Where: John Cain Arena, Melbourne

Broadcast: ESPN; Sky Sports NZ; SBS On Demand; Twitch

The last time
Perth 111 (Cotton 31, Kay 30, Plumlee 13, Steindl 13) d Sydney 96 (Tate 20, Newley 19, Lisch 16), Grand Final Game 3, 2019/20, Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney

This ultimately championship-clinching win was offensive domination of the highest order. Perth had owned the Kings’ drops defence throughout the season, and then after some initial troubles with Will Weaver’s junk schemes early in the grand final, the Cats simply got what they wanted in Game 3 – 111 points, 52 per cent from the field, 14-of-30 from deep, 26 free-throw attempts and 25 assists to 9 turnovers.

This was a four-quarter demolition, with Perth not scoring fewer than 27 points in any period as Bryce Cotton and Nick Kay combined for 61 points at 53 per cent and 10-of-16 from deep. They also dished off 11 dimes between them when the defence overplayed, Clint Steindl and Miles Plumlee adding 26 points at 73 per cent to complete the rout.

The now
This Perth outfit is a long way removed from that slick offensive unit, who seemed to know exactly how to get Cotton a shot against any defence, with the likes of Kay, Steindl, Terrico White and Jesse Wagstaff in perfect positions to punish the help. Against Melbourne on Saturday, Bryce somehow managed to score 30 points and carry his team to victory despite ragged offensive execution that left him creating against set defence time and again.

That’s unlikely to cut the mustard against a Sydney team that has become a shut-down unit who also create points from their D, especially if Cotton is ruled out with illness. With DJ Vasiljevic and Shaun Bruce logging big minutes, Casper Ware has been freed up of some of his playmaking duties and has gone into attack mode. Even with Jarell Martin and Xavier Cooks sidelined, the Kings had six players with 8 points or more against Adelaide.

The stats

- In the Wildcats’ five wins over Sydney last season, they averaged 100.6 points on 12.6 trifectas at 43 per cent. Over the rest of the season, the Kings allowed just 87.7ppg on 10 triples at 36 per cent

- Last season, Perth and Sydney both averaged 10.6 offensive rebounds in the season series, however the Cats won second chance points 118-86, winning that category in six of seven meetings

- So far this season, the Kings are allowing a league-high 12.4 o-boards while grabbing a seventh-ranked 8.6 themselves. Perth grab the third most o-boards (11.3) while allowing the second fewest (7.7)

- The Wildcats are forcing an NBL-best 13.8 turnovers a game, while Sydney have forced 14.3 in their past three wins, but just 7.3 in their four losses this season

The key men

Jesse Wagstaff – When Sydney finally decided to take Bryce as seriously as they should at the end of last season, something had to give and it was their coverage of Nick Kay, who averaged 20.5ppg at 55 per cent in their final four meetings, and knocked down 10-of-17 triples in the grand final series to make curtailing Cotton impossible.

Interestingly, the only Cats connecting at above 36 per cent from the arc in NBL21 are Wagstaff and John Mooney, and it’s Jesse with the veteran ability to pop at the right moments and connect – he’s hit 8-of-10 triples in the past three games – that is likely to put doubt in the Kings’ minds about when to crowd Bryce.

Casper Ware – How about 23.3ppg at 52 per cent and 15-of-28 shooting from distance? Those are Casper’s numbers over the past four games as he put his recent run of woes behind him and enjoyed more court time alongside Shaun Bruce. Of course, that rotten run had a lot to do with Bryce Cotton, who averaged 33.1ppg against the Kings last year, including 30 a game in the grand final series.

Back then, Ware was trying to control the Kings’ offence possession after possession, while then trying to control Cotton off countless screens without much help from his bigs, whose job was to protect the paint. They’ll be up in Bryce’s space more often than not this time around – if he indeed plays – and Ware will be sharing more of the playmaking offensively, which should help Ware exorcise his Cotton-inspired demons.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">You love to see it. <br><br>Casper Ware doing Casper Ware things to put the Kings back in front. <br><br>Kings 61 lead the 36ers 55 midway through the third. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheKings?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheKings</a> <a href="https://t.co/9KB1k0MheH">pic.twitter.com/9KB1k0MheH</a></p>— Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings/status/1363392710304915457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The quotes

It’s a question being asked quite a bit by fans of the Hungry Jack’s NBL at the moment, and it’s a fair question – how on earth have Sydney won three of their past four with the key players they’ve had out?

To cut a long story short, take a look at the performance of Archie Woodhill on Sunday against Adelaide. Who, people from outside Sydney may ask? Indeed.

Yet the 206cm youngster made a big impact, checking in with the 36ers on a 12-5 run in the second period, grabbing two big offensive rebounds to open up the deadly DJ Vasiljevic.

“In the first half Jordan (Hunter) wasn’t bringing it, Tommy (Vodanovic) wasn’t bringing it, Craig (Moller) wasn’t bringing it, so all right Archie, give it a crack,” coach Adam Forde said.

“He goes out there and he grabs two rebounds in three minutes. Then we get into foul trouble and we go back to him.

“He played a couple of minutes in Adelaide a few weeks back but the reality is he trains hard, he hasn’t missed a practice, he’s done it all, but yet he’s had to sit on the bench game after game after game and never complain.

“He gets an opportunity and in nine-and-a-half minutes he does not waver. Credit to him, and credit to his approach. This is the identity we are trying to build with this group.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kings DP Archie Woodhill with aggression. ? ??<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheKings?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheKings</a> <a href="https://t.co/QOO9l9w5cU">pic.twitter.com/QOO9l9w5cU</a></p>— Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings/status/1363400110604836866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It’s fast becoming a trademark of this new-look Sydney team, as is their ability to turn D into O.

They were at it again on Sunday, winning points from turnovers a whopping 22-5, giving them a 68-29 edge in that category over their four wins this season.

“We have to take a ton of pride on the defensive end,” Jordan Hunter said after pinching 5 steals himself.

“We’ve lost some great offensive threats in our team, but we know that our points come from that end of the floor.

“Getting a lot of a stops is often turning into points for us, so it’s about keeping a defensive focus and knowing that will create offence for us.”

They’re going up against the masters of that domain on Tuesday, the Wildcats forcing Melbourne into 17 miscues, turning that into 24-13 points from turnovers advantage, and handing United their first loss of the season.

It’s an area Sydney handled well against Perth last season, instead unable to curtail the Cats from the three-point line. Things look very different this year though, making this an intriguing first date for two powerhouse clubs currently sitting on a .500 record.

“It’s hugely different,” coach Trevor Gleeson said.

“There’s no Tate, there’s no Bogut. We don’t have four of our five starters so it’s totally different.

“The page has turned on that one, and we look forward to playing them tomorrow night … there’s new characters here now and it’s chance to for them to put their own stamp on the rivalry.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Don't sleep on John Mooney ? when he's outside the arc. <a href="https://t.co/4yeLyG8UpK">pic.twitter.com/4yeLyG8UpK</a></p>— Perth Wildcats (@PerthWildcats) <a href="https://twitter.com/PerthWildcats/status/1363018916419698695?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Perth have been anything but consistent this season, dealing with the loss of Majok Majok and the absence of Clint Steindl.

Defensively, they’ve twice given up 90-plus points, but in their wins they have locked that down to 78.3 with an aggressive, turnover-forcing approach, something Gleeson sees as their recipe for success.

“If we play at that level we played on the weekend, we’re going to be hard to beat no matter who we play,” he said.

“That’s something we can control and we’ve been locked in on that.”