RD 7 GAME PREVIEW V ADELAIDE 36ERS

GAME PREVIEW –

Round 6 – Adelaide 36ers v Tasmania JackJumpers

Saturday 11 November, 5.30pm tip-off

Adelaide Entertainment Centre

Watch LIVE on ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel

State of Play

Early signs pointed to Adelaide having a season to forget with little cohesion and four losses to start the year. But the addition of former King DJ Vasiljevic has brought together the 36ers systems and with it some wins. Still plenty of work to do with 2 wins from the first 8 games but the home team will be confident on their home floor. They will want to get off to a good start having lost the first half in each of its last seven games.

Tasmania got back on the winner’s list with a dog fight win over Brisbane in Launceston. Aggression on the defensive boards was evidently back and their defensive systems seemed to kick back into gear to hold off a fast-finishing Bullets outfit last week. The visitors have won four of its last five games against Adelaide and will be looking to keep that record in tact to celebrate Clint Steindl’s 300^th NBL Game on Saturday.

The JackJumpers will also be buoyed by the return of marquee centre Will Magnay but will have to integrate him in quickly and seamlessly to continue their successful start to the season. It will also be the first time Anthony Drmic has returned to Adelaide Entertainment Centre to face his former side.

Heading into Round 7, Tasmania ranks 1st in the league for offensive rating this season (119.0) while Adelaide ranks 9th in the league for offensive rating this season (106.7).

Last time they met  

NBL24 Preseason Blitz, Sunday 29 October 2023 – Gold Coast Convention Centre

TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 86 (Doyle 19, McVeigh 13, Deng 11)

ADELAIDE 36ERS 82 (Smith-Milner 21, McCarron 16, Dech 14)

The Tasmania JackJumpers secured three wins from three games in the NBL Blitz with a come-from-behind victory over the Adelaide 36ers back in September.

A scrappy start set the tone in the first quarter with multiple turnovers and open looks but shots not falling.

The 36ers came into the game 0-2 and had a hot start as they took a nine-point lead at quarter time.

The second quarter saw an improved effort from the JackJumpers but Adelaide held the lead with an 11 points.

Tohi Smith-Milner had 12 points at the main break on his way to 21 for the game.

The JackJumpers had 33 points in the third quarter led by NBL23 club MVP Milton Doyle, outscoring the 36ers by 15 points to wrestle back a 3-point lead.

Tasmania held on in the fourth quarter to secure a 4 point win and remain undefeated in the NBL Blitz.

Doyle led the way with 19 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals, while Jack McVeigh found range finishing with 13 points. Majok Deng found his rhythm with 11 points in just 12 minutes on the floor. Anthony Drmic in his first outing against his former team added 11 points and 7 rebounds.

SRT Logistics Coaches’ take

Head Coach Scott Roth said “Yeah, they're good. They're big. They’ve got great guards. They can score, they're good talented and athletic and we'll have our hands full with them. Every team in this league, you'll get beat if you don't show up”.

Ins & outs 

Tasmania JackJumpers: Will Magnay will suit up for his first game in NBL24 after recovering from a foot injury that has kept him sidelined for the first 6 rounds of the season.

Adelaide 36ers: TBC

Opponents on the Radar 

Former Kings heartbreaker DJ Vasiljevic has joined the 36ers and has hit 3+ three-pointers in four consecutive appearances - longest active streak of any player in the league.