Preview: Round 19 vs Adelaide 36ers | Adelaide Convention Centre

 When: 7.30pm (AEST), Monday 11 April 2022
Where: Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Broadcast: ESPN; Kayo

Who won last time?
Brisbane 92 (Cadee 26, Franks 17, Patterson 14) d Adelaide 91 (Johnson 28, Dech 14, Harris 12, Withers 12) – Round 18, Nissan Arena, Brisbane

In a fun game of hoops, veterans Daniel Johnson and Jason Cadee got hot early, then  some emerging players made statements - Taane Samuel, Tom Digbeu, Hyrum Harris and Tad Dufelmeier, – as both teams went back and forth. Ultimately a pair of Cadee threes were a major factor in  deciding the ultimate outcome.

Who’s in form?
Robert Franks – Robo has impressed all season long for the Bullets, with the US import continually putting together strong performance night in and out. Franks is averaging 18 points and 8.7 rebounds and has a league high 11 double-doubles across the season.

Tom Digbeu – Don’t stop the count, because Digbeu is making a run up the NBA draft board with 40 points at 56 per cent, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in his past 70 minutes. The young Spaniard is looking on another level with his long-stepping athleticism, getting to the rack at will an ability to rebound and spark transition scores.

Hyrum Harris – Adelaide head coach, CJ Bruton likened Harris to the legendary Mika Vukona and he hasn’t disappointed. In three games as a starter the Kiwi has averaged 11ppg at 54 per cent, 6 rebounds and 3.7 assists, while providing defensive aggression the 36ers have lacked at the four-spot.

STATS LEADERS

BULLETS
Points: Robert Franks 18ppg (#5 in the NBL)
Rebounds: 8.68 rpg (#4 in the NBL)
Assists: Jason Cadee, 4.88apg (#7 in the NBL)

36ERS

Points: Daniel Johnson 16.48 ppg (#8 in the NBL)

Rebounds: Cameron Bairstow, 8rpg (#7 in the NBL)
Assists: Mitch McCarron, 5.23apg (#5 in the NBL) 

Who’s matching up?
Daniel Johnson v Robert Franks – Last time the two teams met, Franks had 17 points on 7/9 and 12 boards in that game. The return to the centre spot has treated DJ well, averaging 23.3ppg at 58 per cent, 8.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in three games starting alongside Hyrum Harris. These two will be an exciting match-up with both players having the ability to really get hot.

Who’s talking the talk?
CJ Bruton has proven to be a master of staying positive during his first testing season as Adelaide coach, but watching Jason Cadee drop five trifectas in five minutes in Round 18 was almost too much to bear.

“We went over the scout beforehand and the boys know who Jason Cadee is and what he’s capable of doing,” Bruton said.

“I know he didn’t shoot the ball well against the Hawks but coming home, he used to play for the 36ers, he knows how to play this game.”

Brisbane had a tough night against the Hawks on Saturday night in their last home game, beaten by 31 as 12 Bullets got some time on the floor.

“Obviously we’re trying to find some kind of spark with this group and push us in the right direction, and also other players that haven't had the opportunity throughout the season, we wanted to take a look at them and see what they had to offer,” Hostplus Head Coach James Duncan said.

One positive was the 10-point, 4-rebound performance of Chinese big, Chuanxing Liu in just 12 minutes, along with some really effective screens.

“He’s worked hard, he’s been in the weight room, he’s doing all the necessary things that we would want as a professional basketball player, it’s just sometimes with the match-ups throughout the course of the season it was pretty difficult for him,” Duncan said.

“Tonight we just wanted to give him a crack and see what he could do. For his minutes he was out there he was able to help us. There was a couple of times his man was left open, but he worked and played hard for us and that was one of the main things we wanted.”

Kiwi Taane Samuel has also showed some promise in the past two games, a key factor in the win over Adelaide with his physicality, the Bullets +7 in his 11 minutes.

“Taane’s anther talented young man who’s capable of doing things but is also learning to be a pro, not just on the court but off the court,” Duncan said.

“Everybody was able to see what he’s capable of, now we move onto next week and now there's a little bit more expectation and maybe a little bit more hunger by him to get another opportunity like that.

“When he stepped on the floor and started to perform well you could see with the bench, they were all up and about. They're pretty excited for him.”