The Perth Wildcats have bounced back from three consecutive losses to win against the New Zealand Breakers in only the second game played at Perth Arena.
After a close first quarter, the home side skipped away from the Breakers to triumph 89-64 in front of 11, 086 fans at the new stadium.
Kevin Lisch (18 points, 6 rebounds) was again the linchpin for the Wildcats, the league MVP continuing his excellent season, while Shawn Redhage (20 pints, 5 assists) emerged from a quiet run to star for the home side.
Perth captain Brad Robbins (11 points, 5 assists) was also influential.
Redhage turned back the clock, emphasising his return to form with a dunk in the fourth quarter that ignited the crowd.
“I hadn’t been happy with the way I was playing. I’ve played in this league long enough to know that you just keep working. Bevo has been good supporting and encouraging me, and I was able to get a couple shots down early tonight that helped,” Redhage said.
“There was a lot of pressure. We were disappointed with the way we played for three games, we thought the effort was there but the execution wasn’t at times.”
“(Perth Arena) felt a little bit more like home and it helps when you are making shots as well. There were a lot of spectacular performances from guys and that’s how we have to play.”
The Wildcats, coming off their disappointing lost to Adelaide in the first ever NBL game at Perth Arena, were desperate and switched on in defence all night, causing a number of turnovers and forcing possession of the loose basketball.
The home team also dominated the boards, winning the rebound count 41-23. Lisch (6), Greg Hire (6), Jeremiah Trueman (5) and Damien Martin (5) were all contributors.
But it was the execution and freedom of scoring that was missing from recent efforts that would have pleased the coaching staff the most.
The Wildcats shot 55 percent to the Breakers 37 from the field, outscoring the visitors 61-37 after quarter time.
Cedric Jackson (15), Will Hudson (12) and Corey Webster (11) contributed for the Breakers, but too few of the stars of the championship side were able to make a difference.
CJ Bruton (6), Thomas Abercrombie (7) and Mika Vukona (4) all had quiet nights.
Breakers coach Andreas Lemanis lamented his team’s lack of desperation.
“They played with a greater desperation and like a team that really needed to win that game … We didn’t match that desperation,” Lemanis said.
“To get smashed on the boards as we did is an indicator of those effort levels, and that’s a good sign that we weren’t prepared to play as hard as they were.”
The teams traded baskets early, but the Wildcats came out with a burst of scoring in the second quarter to take a 45-35 lead at half time.
Robbins had nine points for the half, while Redhage and Lisch were also in the game early.
Perth continued the trend after the break, extending the lead to 64-43 at three quarter time.
The Breakers, who hardly looked able to score for most of the night, hit out early in the final quarter, going on a 9-3 run, but the home team steadied to take the game away from the Kiwis and finish 25 points clear.
Perth Wildcats 89 (Redhage 20, Lisch 18, Robbins 11)
New Zealand Breakers 64 (Jackson 15, Hudson 12, Webster 11)
Build your own ultimate team! Pick your key players and take a shot at big cash prizes every day with Draftstars. For great odds on NBA games every day head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
The Lakers’ decision to fire coach Darvin Ham just days after their first-round exit is merely the beginning of what will be a flurry…
If people can lose their job, and clubs can face massive payouts, due to the behaviour of coaches, it will drastically change the way sporting teams in Australia will be run.
A Serbian, a Canadian, a Slovenian and a Greek fellow walked into a bar … Well, they’ve actually walked into the NBA and now…
Nikola Jokic has scored 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead defending NBA champions Denver past LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers…
There will undoubtedly be upset results here and there in the NBA playoffs but there’s an overwhelming sense of fait accompli that Boston will…
LeBron James is going back to the Olympics for the first time in 12 years. Steph Curry is headed to the games for the…
