Game Preview JackJumpers v Adelaide 36ers

Round 18 – Tasmania JackJumpers v Adelaide 36ers

Sunday 4 February, 2.000pm tip-off AEDT

MyState Bank Arena

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State of Play

The road to securing a play off berth is tough for many teams including Tasmania but Sunday will bring a desperate 36ers outfit who need to all but win out the rest of the regular season to earn a spot in the Finals.

The JackJumpers did themselves plenty of favours with a road win in Cairns on Thursday and backing up with a win at home this Sunday will lock in a third-straight finals appearance for the expansion side and possibly sew up 3^rd place and a home play in game.

Last tiem the sides met at MyState Bank Arena was one to forget for Adelaide who recorded the lowest by any team this season and the club's equal-lowest since the NBL switched to 40-minute games in 2009/10. The 36ers shot at just 29 per cent from the field for the match.

It came on the back of a road trip loss to the New Zealand Breakers in Christchurch before the short turnaround and hectic travel schedule to get to Hobart which did not bode well for them.

They’ll have a similar test as they back from a short turn around from their Friday night match up against the Kings, another team desperate to notch wins and stay within the top six.

Last time they met  

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 9

TASMANIA  JACKJUMPERS 94 (Doyle 20, Macdonald 15, McVeigh 14)

ADELAIDE 36ERS 59 (Vasiljevic 15, Wiley 14, Humphries 9)

The Tasmania JackJumpers notched the biggest win in their short history with a 94-59 thrashing of Adelaide, who narrowly dodged an unwanted record of their own.

Adelaide trailed 45-23 at half-time at Hobart's MyState Bank Arena on Saturday night, with their lowest-ever score of 57 against Brisbane in 1983 under serious threat.

JackJumpers' import Milton Doyle top-scored with 20 points and also picked up a game-high six assists in his side's first hit-out since the FIBA break.

Teammates Sean Macdonald (15 points, 3-of-4 three-point shooting) and Jack McVeigh (14 points) were also strong in a performance where the spoils were shared.

SRT Logistics Coaches’ take

Head Coach Scott Roth said “it’s a short turn around so we’ll clean ourselves up and at least get a full practice in Saturday. But Adelaide have an even shorter turnaround and they are going to be desperate, and that’s always tough when teams are fighting for their season. They’ve had a good run with Scott Ninnis so I’m sure he’ll be using everything in his book to try secure wins at this point in the season”.

Ins & outs 

Tasmania JackJumpers: Majok Deng remains sidelined with an ankle injury. Will Magnay is expected to suit up despite copping a heavy knock in Thursday’s win over Adelaide.

Adelaide 36ers: TBC  

Opponents on the Radar 

DJ Vasiljevic
The relationship between DJ Vasiljevic and the Adelaide 36ers has powered onto new height after new height during his stint with the club, so much so that he inked a three-year extension on the initial one-year deal he signed upon his arrival in the early stages of NBL24.