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The Perth Wildcats and Adelaide 36ers continue their rivalry as they go head-to-head at the Perth Arena. Join The Roar for live scores and updates from 9:25pm (AEFT).
The Wildcats are playing their second game of the week, after coming off a disappointing 99-78 loss to the New Zealand Breakers on Wednesday night. Jermaine Beal top scored for Perth with 23 points, while Matt Knight pulled down 12 rebounds.
For the 36ers, this is their first game since last Friday, when they held off the Cairns Taipans for an 88-83 win. Jerome Randle was on fire that night, scoring 28 big points on 10 from 20 shooting from the field.
The two sides have met twice this season – in Round 7, the Wildcats won 94-88 in Adelaide, while all the way back in Round 1 the score was 79-66, once again in favour of the Wildcats. Tonight marks the two teams’ first meeting in Perth this season.
Adelaide are again without key big man Matt Hodgson, who is recovering from a knee injury suffered at training last week. Hodgson missed the 36ers’ win against the Taipans and according to the 36ers official website, the St Mary’s alum won’t be back until late December.
For Perth, skipper Damian Martin had his reconstructed jaw and teeth hit by New Zealand Breakers point guard Cedric Jackson on Wednesday night, putting his availability up in the air.
This contest features two of the NBL’s most talented imports, with Adelaide dynamo Randle squaring off against Perth’s proficient guard Beal – a mouthwatering match-up for any basketball fan. Randle is averaging 22.3 points and 4.6 assists per game this season, while Beal is averaging a hair under 16 points (15.93) and 4.07 assists.
The game result will hinge on which team’s shooting guard dictates the scoring and tempo.
Prediction
The Wildcats controlled the first two meetings between the teams this season, and there is no reason to think things will be different tonight.
While Adelaide were impressive in Cairns last week, the loss of Hodgson may be too big to overcome against Perth’s intimating front line of Matt Knight and Nathan Jawai.
Perth will find peace playing in front of their home court and will bounce back after Wednesday night’s embarrassment.
Wildcats by 8.
Join The Roar from 9:25pm (AEDT) for live scores and game updates, and be sure to voice your opinion on the game if you’re watching.
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