Hamilton delivers, Stoddart grabs opportunity

On a night where Bryce Hamilton put up 36 points and was unstoppable, Nick Stoddart was also rewarded for earning his minutes and made the most of his chances for the Tasmania JackJumpers in Launceston.

The JackJumpers might have suffered a third straight defeat on Thursday night at The Silverdome, but there was plenty to like in the performance ahead of returning home to play the Brisbane Bullets at MyState Bank Arena on Saturday.

There was a lot to be encouraged about from the effort of the JackJumpers against the Phoenix with the performance of Stoddart one of those who received his biggest opportunity so far of NBL26.

Having only played a total 13 minutes so far this season, he played 14:29 on Thursday night and the JackJumpers were +17 in his time out there as he finished with three points, four assists and three rebounds.

Roth has been impressed with the way he's been practicing and was happy to play him in the role that the now departed TJ Starks had been filling in the absence of David Johnson.

"He is one of the guys who over the last 10 days to two weeks has really been trending well in practice and we've kept trying to get to a point where we would be able to use him," Roth said.

"And with TJ getting back home and getting ready for China, this is the perfect window for Nick to get some more minutes and he did a really nice job.

"He did a nice job on both sides of the floor and brough really good energy, and I was excited for him."

Hamilton has been outstanding all season long for the JackJumpers in his first opportunity to play in the NBL and he put up a stunning effort on Thursday night to end up with 36 points with eight rebounds and five assists.

He did that on shooting 16/23 from the field and 4/7 from three-point range, but didn’t get to the foul line once which bemused Roth who was also happy for him to defer to his teammates like Ben Ayre for what would have been the tying shot late.

"I thought he made some great decisions down the end there when they double teamed him and he swung the ball to the right people," Roth said.

"To get 36 points and not go to the foul line in 33 minutes, I don’t think I've ever seen that in all my professional career of a guy that puts up that kind of numbers.

"I thought he was good across the board and he definitely has the capability to do what he did today."

It might not quite have been a win for the JackJumpers against the Phoenix on Thursday night at The Silverdome, but there was plenty for Roth to like in the one-point defeat.

They put up their highest ever score in Launceston with the 102 points on the back of shooting 53 per cent from the field to go with 9/20 from behind the three-point line and 21/26 at the foul line.

On top of what Hamilton and Stoddart produced, Majok Deng also had 17 points and six rebounds, Josh Bannan 15 points and 10 boards, Ben Ayre eight points and five rebounds, Tyger Campbell eight points and three assists, and Will Magnay eight points and two rebounds.

It was the whole team effort that Roth appreciated even if they did end up with a third successive defeat.

"We got good efforts across the board and it was a team effort, and I thought Bannan was very consistent in his minutes and just across the board I thought our guys in general were better in a lot of different areas that we continue to talk about," Roth said.

"We can build on that and we finally shot the three ball in this building with some good numbers which is obviously helpful and it was good for the fans at least to see a game where there was some scoring, and that was up and down and close."

The JackJumpers took a different approach to Thursday's game in Launceston electing to take the bus up in the morning from Hobart and then coming back immediately following the game.

As a result, the team had the chance on Friday to freshen up at home in preparation for Saturday's clash back at MyState Bank Arena against the Bullets with Roth left in no doubt about his team's character and being ready to go once more.

"We will get some rest tomorrow and our guys are quite positive even though you're obviously disappointed to lose games, and you don't play maybe the way you want to," Roth said.

"So you reflect on that stuff but our guys are just good dudes who show up and work, and there's no bitching or moaning or pointing fingers.

"We have great, great people in this organisation and great players who have a great, high character and they're quite humble about how they go about their business.

"Our guys are very much about doing the right thing on and off the floor, and we've got wonderful guys in that locker room who want to compete and get better, and you just can't get too high or too low with how the season goes. We'll just keep trying to grind away."