Stat Chat: Round 14 (What's Hot & What's Not)

Statistics ... whether you love them or hate them, stats play a huge part in sport.

Whether it's when recruiting a player, how teams prepare, how a starting five is setup, or just about any facet of the game, numbers are crunched and relied upon as fact. 

This year, 2018 NBL Champion and expert commentator Pete Hooley will be our resident stats man on NBL.com.au, providing a rundown of all the key numbers from the weekend's games. 

Keep an eye out after every round for the latest edition of 'Stat Chat'. 

What’s hot – 3
Three consecutive sellout records for the 36ers at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, as fans continue to fill the stands in NBL23. It’s incredibly impressive when you consider the rollercoaster season that the team has had. Nevertheless, the fans continue to show their support and I think that’s because they understand that when it all clicks for this team – they’re very hard to beat. 

What’s not – 23
In a game that was ultimately decided by two points, Adelaide will look back at its self-inflicted wounds as to where the game was lost. Against the Breakers they had 23 turnovers and only eight assists, which is a negative ratio that no team wants, and will always going to make it hard to win a game. 

Antonius Cleveland.

What’s hot – 32
Thank goodness for Tyler Johnson in this game, otherwise that final score could have looked even worse. Johnson had 32 points at 60 per cent from the field and played a sole hand in keeping that scoreboard ticking over for Brisbane. Also, a quick shoutout to the rookie Kody Stattmann for his spark off the pine in the final quarter. He had 10 points in just seven minutes of action ... hopefully we see him more to finish the season.

What’s Not – Minus 115
It was a game to forget for the Bullets against Cairns, going down by 26 points to a team missing their most important player. The five starters for Brisbane combined to finish with a plus/minus of minus 115 for the game, and only had 23 points between all five of them. Any team is going to find it near impossible to win a game if the starters are putting up numbers like that.  

Kody Stattmann.

What’s hot – 4
Last week I highlighted how important any win was for Cairns, as they continue the hunt to finish top two. Well, the 2-0 round from them without their MVP, again proved that this Taipans team is capable of anything and everything. The self-belief within this club right now is at an all-time high, and that game on Sunday against New Zealand is a mini championship game for them. Let’s hope Keanu Pinder is back.

What’s not – 4
They’ve survived without him, but the game against South East was the fourth consecutive game that Keanu Pinder has missed due to his injury. He has been an MVP contender and had an unbelievable season, but the Taipans know that they need him back in full flight if they want to win a title. 

Sam Waardenburg.

What’s hot – 2:56
The spirit and fight from the Hawks was incredible to witness in their game against Adelaide. Considering what they have been through this season and where they sit, with 2:56 left on the clock they were in the box seat to pull out just their third win on the season. Yes, it all fell apart quickly in those last three minutes, but considering what they’ve been through, to put together that performance for 37 minutes was a great thing to see.

What’s not – 3
The horrendous luck somehow continued on Friday for the Hawks who lost their third import to a season ending injury. Michael Frazier II, who has looked phenomenal in his short time with Illawarra, has been ruled out for the reminder of NBL23 with a fractured arm. After losing Justin Robinson in the season-opener, Peyton Siva recently and now Frazier II, the Hawks have had it all stacked against them this season. 

Michael Frazier II.

What’s hot – 11
Melbourne United broke through for a huge win in Tasmania to keep its season alive. In doing so, United hope they have started their own winning streak against the JackJumpers, who had beat them in the previous four games. Melbourne had 18 assists to only 11 turnovers, which is a big result when playing against the tough defensive structure of Tasmania.

What’s not – 4:21
Two key bigs for United only managed to play 4:21 total in the game, before being ruled out. Isaac Humphries' knee issue is a concern for a team that must continue to win each game if they want to play finals. Then there was Dave Barlow who took a nasty elbow from Milton Doyle and ended up with a concussion. Both bigs have been vital in turning the season around for United, and they’ll be hoping they don’t miss much time at all. 

Isaac Humphries.

What’s hot – 7
You could argue that there were many positive numbers to come out of New Zealand's win over Adelaide on Sunday. But for me, it was the return of Will McDowell-White, who had seven assists in just 20 minutes of game time in his first game back from a broken finger. This team is legit, but it’s McDowell-White who I believe holds the keys to their success at the PG spot. 

What’s not – 3:25
In the final 3:25 of the game, New Zealand didn’t score again and nearly threw away all their hard work. Ian Clark missed a wide open three ball after Le’Afa gambled on an outlet pass and it nearly cost the Breakers an important victory in their quest for a top two finish. 

Will McDowell-White.

What’s hot – 8
In a tough round for the Wildcats, I want to give some love to the young development player, Michael Harris. He has played sparingly over the course of NBL23, but when he gets on the floor, he gives a big energy boost to Perth. He scored eight points in 15 minutes against Sydney, and pulled down five rebounds. For a team that has been in many flat periods in games, maybe Harris can be a sparkplug for a minute or two when needed?

What’s not – 2
Two tough road losses for the Wildcats have them on the outside looking in with four rounds to go. Perth has one of the toughest remaining schedules in the league, but have to find a way to get as many wins as it can, if it's any hope of making the play-in tournament. Thankfully for them, other teams around them lost in the round as well, but you want destiny in your own hands if you can help it. 

Michael Harris.

What’s hot – 17
It’s been an up and down season for backup guard Kyle Adnam, but he really stepped up in this round, with key absences to the lineup. Adnam averaged 17 points across the two games and was doing all he could to pick up the pieces of the likes of Browne and Kell who were both out injured. In that he hit 6/10 from the three to help keep the scoreboard ticking over for the Phoenix. 

What’s Not – Minus 4
They’ve been decimated by injuries all season long and at horrible times, but the Phoenix find themselves on a four-game losing streak and on the brink of falling out of the play-in tournament altogether. Thankfully, reports are that they welcome back Browne and Kell for their next game, and with Creek set to be OK, they’ll be back at full strength and trying to make a push in the final weeks of the season. 

Kyle Adnam.

What’s hot – 113
What a monster round for the reigning champions, who further solidified themselves as the team to beat the season. The Kings averaged 113 points in their two games this round, capped off by some incredible individual stat lines. DJ Vasiljevic’s 42-point game will go down in history as one of the best performances you’ll ever see. Followed up by the efficient game by Cooks against the Wildcats and this team looks scary good right now. 

What’s not - 12
It meant nothing in the end because the wins were that dominant, but the Kings gave up an average of 12 offensive rebounds to their opposition in Round 14. They are too good of a team defensively to allow teams that many second chance opportunities, and I’m sure it’s one of the very few negatives that Chase Buford could find out of the 2-0 round. 

DJ Vasiljevic.

What’s hot – 13
He nearly did it again. Milton Doyle is a fourth quarter expert and seems to love the pressure of the moment down the stretch. After a rough first three quarters, Doyle had 13 of his 20 points in the last 10 minutes, a triple of threes. 

What’s not – 26
Scott Roth didn’t hold back in the press conference about his team’s lack of discipline on the defensive end. With that as their identity, they gave up 26 personal fouls on the night, which led to 31 free-throw attempts for United. That isn’t JackJumper basketball, and I’m sure Roth will make sure that doesn’t happen again for a long time. 

Milton Doyle.