Thomas Praised for Pinder Surprise

The Perth Wildcats sent a message to the rest of the NBL last night. Not only did they earn their fourth consecutive win, but they dominated a red-hot Cairns Taipans side and kept MVP candidate Keanu Pinder to just six points in the process.

A large part of that success is due to the performance of import centre TaShawn Thomas, who was an immense presence on both ends of the floor and finished the game with 22 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.

The win has given the Wildcats a small amount of breathing room in the race for the top six as they have now moved one win ahead of fellow contenders Tasmania, Adelaide and Melbourne. It also keeps them within touching distance of the top four - just two games behind South East Melbourne.

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Speaking on NBL Today, Liam Santamaria says the rest of the competition needs to take note of this turned around Wildcats side.

“Really impressive,” Santamaria said of last night's victory. “I think by virtue of the fact it was their fourth win in a row, that’s something worth crowing about for ‘Cats fans, John Rillie and his squad because they’re really starting to build some momentum now.

“Perth just really dominated the game from the outset. They came out with more energy, they were more organised and they got a really important win.”

Santamaria saved his strongest praise for TaShawn Thomas’ impressive individual display at both ends of the floor, however he alluded to the fact Thomas could only play like he did because of the efforts of his teammates.

“I’ve been talking up TaShawn Thomas all season – I believe in him as a guy who can be really impactful in the NBL … he wasn’t a long way off of a triple-double against an MVP candidate. He played Keanu Pinder really tough, but also really smart. He stayed attached to him.

“Part of that was also his teammates, their ability to fight over screens so Thomas could stay attached helped on the roll so Thomas could get back to Keanu Pinder – and it all resulted in keeping the MVP candidate limited.”

Speaking post-game, Thomas was typically low-key when asked about his own performance and says the consistent talk around Pinder’s quality helped motivate him ahead of the matchup.

“Every time you hear about a guy going off all year and you get that matchup, I feel like everyone wants to play their best.

“With my confidence coming back and me feeling healthy and everything going well, I knew today was a big game to make an imprint for me and myself.

“I took the challenge and tried to make it as uncomfortable for him as I could.”