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Perth Wildcats 79
Adelaide 36ers 66
A fierce rivalry continued tonight at Adelaide Arena as the Adelaide 36ers hosted the Perth Wildcats, but ultimately failed to defend their home court, going down by 13 points after a spirited last quarter effort from the Wildcats.
The 36ers stormed out of the blocks in the first quarter in front of their home crowd and the energy provided by the fans was electric. They managed to jump out to a lead of 7 points early leading 18-11 but were reigned in by a determined Wildcats team to hold a lead of just 2 points at quarter time.
The quality of play would then drop off as both teams missed plenty of opportunities in the second quarter. In what was a low scoring quarter, the 36ers just edged out the Wildcats 15-13 to take a 4 point lead in to half time.
The third quarter was much the same with plenty of missed chances from both teams but the game was extremely physical, players needed to be separated and the home town crowd voicing there displeasure at the calls from the referees. Perth won the quarter by just 4 points to level the scores at three quarter time 53-53.
Perth took control of the game in the last by hitting big three’s and winning lots of offensive rebounds, ending the game with 18 which also led to more than 20 second chance points. The last quarter effort that won them the game was led by Jermaine Beal, Jesse Wagstaff and Nathan Jawai.
Beal in particular had some huge plays down the stretch, leading to a brilliant win for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats have further reason to be ecstatic with the win due to missing captain Damian Martin (calf) and now will face off with the New Zealand Breakers at home next Friday night at 9.30pm (AEDT). Meanwhile, the 36ers couldn’t replicate their form from Wednesday night’s win and will have to travel to face a fired up Melbourne United at Hisense arena also on Friday night.
The Adelaide 36ers host the Perth Wildcats at Adelaide Arena, with both teams looking to start their 2015-16 NBL seasons strongly. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary of the clash from 7:30pm (AEDT).
Both teams made the semi-finals last year, with Adelaide losing to eventual champions New Zealand Breakers, and Perth succumbing to the Cairns Taipans.
Recent history between these two teams suggests a tight contest. Of the last five games, Perth have won three to Adelaide’s two, and adding to the closeness, Perth have won the last two by a combined total of just 11 points.
At the 2015 NBL Blitz Adelaide lost two of their three games, although they were missing crucial players Ebi Ere and Kenyon McNeail.
Perth meanwhile finished third at the Blitz, winning two of their three games, despite missing captain Damian Martin and having Jermaine Beal on restricted minutes. They also now welcome big recruit Nathan Jawai to propel them towards a championship run.
Key playmakers for the 36ers, other than Ere, are McNeail and power forward Anthony Petrie, who signed a three-year deal with the team. Petrie provides flexibility down low and is a great team player who has established himself as one of the best big men in the game.
McNeail is a fine passer and natural shooter, who will give the 36ers a real threat from beyond the arc.
For Perth, apart from Jawai, who has been playing around Europe since 2010, Martin led the NBL in steals last season and provides relentless defensive pressure, while Jermaine Beal averaged 16.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists a game in an MVP season for Perth in 2014-15.
One of the biggest questions for the Wildcats this season though is assessing what sort of impact Jawai will have.
Prediction
Perth Wildcats to get home in a close, physical contest by three points.
Join The Roar for live coverage of this first-round match from 7:30pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to leave a comment if you’re following along.
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