Stat Chat: Round 9 (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 – 19

It looked like the 36ers were down and out a few times in the game against Cairns, but coming back from a 19 point deficit to win had the home crowd in a frenzy. It was the largest comeback to win of any team this season and it showed that the 36ers have enough weapons to make a charge whenever they need.

What’s Not – 22

It was set to be one of the games of the season after their earlier match with Adelaide in NBL23, but the Kings had something else in mind, handing Adelaide a 19 point loss. The 36ers allowed more than 22 points for Sydney in every single quarter of this game and ultimately set themselves a mighty task when allowing 97 for the game.

Mitch McCarron.

What’s Hot – 14

The Bullets win against Perth in overtime was much needed for many reasons. It was great to see such a positive response after what happened in New Zealand and the home fans wanted to see a show, and that’s exactly what they got. Impressively, Brisbane scored 14 points in the overtime period to just three from the Wildcats. They came up big when it mattered most.

What’s Not – 30

It was a tough outing for their second game of the round against the JackJumpers, particularly in the second half. After scoring 27 points in each of the first two quarters, the Bullets managed just 30 combined in the second half, which led to a tough loss to the gritty JackJumpers who turned it up defensively.

Rasmus Bach.

What’s Hot – 24

Somehow the Taipans snatched defeat from victory in Adelaide, but it was a huge effort from Tahjere McCall throughout. His 24 points on 62% from the field was a highlight as he continues to transition back into this team after returning from injury. He was just one of two players in double figures on the night. Unfortunately his sixth foul would be one he would want back, though.

What’s Not – 20.7

We know how these snakes are designed to play, but there still is the lingering question of if they can get the job done when their shots aren’t falling. They shot 6/29 from deep across this game, just 20.7%, which led to them scoring just 28 points total in the second half. For a team that is meant to play ultra-fast and score the ball at a high rate, this is the one area they need to continue to prepare a backup plan for.

Tahjere McCall.

What’s Hot – 93

Where did that offensive onslaught come from? After a sizzling 31 point opening quarter, the Hawks went on to score 93 for the game. When you consider that they only average 77.5 points per game, it was a welcome change for Hawks fans to see their team put up these numbers. Sam Froling was unstoppable all night and with the addition of Michael Frazier, could they have turned over a new leaf?

What’s Not – 5

Thankfully it didn’t come back to hurt them, but Peyton Siva was understandably frustrated after fouling out in the fourth quarter. He has some of the fastest hands in the league, but was caught trying to swipe down on Marcus Lee which ended his night. He had seven assists prior to that, but it’s his calmness and ability to set up his teammates which is so important to this team.

Michael Frazier II.

What’s Hot – 32.4

They didn’t come away with the win, but United held the Phoenix to just 32.4% shooting from the field in the Throwdown. It was a contrastingly different performance than the game against Illawarra, but again they showed some flashes of great basketball. Ultimately it wasn’t enough as the Phoenix grinded out the six point win.

What’s Not – -9

As well as the scoreboard, United lost the rebound count to the Hawks by nine on Monday night, including 12 offensive rebounds. The Hawks had 18 second chance points and for a team that has really been struggling to find any offensive rhythm, they seemed to benefit greatly from those opportunities. United were without Isaac Humphries, and it proved to be a significant absence in their lineup.

David Barlow.

What’s Hot – 63

In their Thursday game against the Phoenix, the Breakers put up a blistering 63 points in the first half. They are the only team in the 40-minute era to have back-to-back 63 point first halves, after their 65 against Brisbane the game before. We know they are a beast of a team defensively, but when they are clicking that well on the offensive end, good luck stopping them.

What’s Not – 16

For a team that’s entire identity revolves around their defence, they will be disappointed they didn’t do more to stop Corey Webster dominating this game. Webster had 16 points in the third quarter alone to keep the Breakers continuously trying to claw their way back into this game. As good as New Zealand are defensively, it’s never just one player who stands out. Rather it’s their collective ability to defend that makes them who they are.

Sam Timmins.

What’s Hot – 1

For the first time in their history, the Phoenix have won consecutive games over their city rival. The all-time record now stands at 7 – 18 in United’s favour, but the Phoenix are slowly chipping away. The final quarter was a grind, just 15 to 13, but in the end they did enough to walk away victorious.

What’s Not – 3

There is a lot of talk that the Phoenix are one of the most talented teams in the league, and it may very well be true. However, they had just three points from their bench in this game which is a slight concern. Everyone knows that a team’s depth is not only tested, but it’s vital, when it comes to a final’s series. Three points is the lowest by any team this season.

Alan Williams.

What’s Hot – 23

There was a lot of positives to come out of this big win over New Zealand, but it is hard to go past the Wildcats 23 assists on 32 made FG’s. Four players had four or more assists in this game and the offensive greatly benefited from it, putting up 92 on the best defensive team in the league.

What’s Not – 3

What could have been for round 9 for Perth. They will feel as though they let one slip in Brisbane and perhaps, they’re right. For a game that probably shouldn’t have even gone to overtime, they struggled to find any scoring in the extra five minutes, scoring just three points on 1/11 FG.

Corey Webster.

What’s Hot – 16.6

What a performance against Adelaide it was by Sydney. The Kings showed the league why they are still the team to beat. Offensively they were clicking, shooting 55.1% from the field, on the way to score 97. Defensively they were just as tough, holding Adelaide to just 38.5% from the field. A 16.6% FG difference was all that mattered in their big home court win.

What’s not – 60

There is something about the free-throw lines at Qudos Bank Arena for the Kings. They hit just 60% from the stripe against Adelaide and sit last in the league in terms of home free-throw % at just 59%. They are too tough to guard for the majority of games, which means they are likely to spend a lot of time at the free-throw line.

Tim Soares.

What’s Hot – 33

It is now consecutive 30-point games for Milton Doyle against the Bullets as he almost single handily took them apart on Sunday. He is a silent assassin with the way he goes about his business, but make no mistake, he’s one of the most efficient in doing so. It might be time to start taking strong notice on the season that Doyle is having in the apple isle.

What’s Not – 9

Tasmania are too strong of a defensive unit to allow second chances for their opposition. The Bullets had nine offensive rebounds in this game, which normally wouldn’t be too bad. However, when you consider they were without Aron Baynes and Tyrell Harrison, and the fact that Will Magnay is back, the Jackjumpers will want to continue to tidy that up going forward.

Will Magnay.