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Perth Wildcats vs Adelaide 36ers |
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|---|---|---|
2016/17 NBL Season, 14 January 2017 |
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| Perth Arena, Perth, WA | ||
| Perth Wildcats | Adelaide 36ers | |
| 66 | SCORE | 66 |
| 24 | Q1 | 17 |
| 20 | Q2 | 24 |
| 22 | Q3 | 25 |
| 0 | Q4 | 0 |
One of the NBL’s biggest rivalries heats up in Round 15 when the Perth Wildcats attempt to close the gap to league leaders the Adelaide 36ers in a top of the table, battle of the west clash. Join The Roar for live scores of the match from 9:30pm (AEDT).
A battle of the NBL’s two western teams always brings with it a bit of extra feeling, but with the two sides sitting at the top of the ladder and this being Perth’s first game back at home after a long road trip, it should have something even more.
When Perth set out on their five-game road trip a month ago, they were a very different team to what we have before us know.
Sitting near the bottom of the table, they were coming off a horrendous 15-point loss at the hands of the Brisbane Bullets and their season looked dead and buried.
Instead, the Perth-based club who haven’t missed the NBL playoffs in 30 years, have turned it around winning three straight with thanks going to the returning Damian Martin and replacement import Bryce Cotton.
Cotton has been absolutely fantastic on court with his offence, while the ususal defensive ways of Martin have risen to the fore. It’s taken pressure off Casey Prather, who is playing out of his skin and returned the Wildcats all the way to second on the table with absolutely no breathing room from the chasing pack.
The 36ers, on the other hand, have been the league’s best team since the mid-way point of the season, the club going on a massive streak and picking up victories in 11 of their last 12 after only winning three of their first nine.
That’s an incredibly impressive record, but even more worrying for other clubs is that their offence only appears to be getting better.
The Adelaide-based club have now put up 100+ points in three straight games, including 117 and 113 last week against the Illawarra Hawks and New Zealand Breakers respectively.
After beating Melbourne United in convincing fashion to get Round 15 underway thanks to 32 points from Nathan Sobey, the 36ers are now just a single win away from realistically securing their place in the playoffs.
In the season series between the sides, the 36ers currently have won two of the three games and hold a slender three-point for and against advantage.
If the Wildcats win by more than three and the teams were to finish with the same end of season record, then they would take the higher spot so there is more than just the win riding on this one.
Prediction
There is no denying exactly how good the 36ers form has been, but playing at the Perth Arena with Damian Martin back in the Wildcats side is a different challenge – one it’s hard to see them passing.
Wildcats by 5.
Be sure to join The Roar for live scores of this rivalry game from 9:30pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to add your own comments throughout the course of the coverage.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde