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Jock Landale's First start for the Phoenix Suns

 Jock Landale Gets a start for the Phoenix Suns vs the Sacramento Kings

With the starters out to rest as the preseason closes out for the Phoenix Suns, the bench got some extra minutes moving into the starting lineup. 

Jock Landale made the most of the opportunity and put up a solid stat line of 17 points, 8 Rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 Blocks. 

With the increased playing time and role in the game, Jock showed his ability to knock down the open 3, find a deep seal and finish in the paint. One of the biggest takeaways for the Suns was his ability to play both sides of the ball, with the three steals and three blocks! Which lead to transition baskets. Jock also made the right passes and never looked to force the action, just letting the game come to him. 

He also put the clamps on Domantas Sabonis on multiple occasions, keeping him to 9 points and 10 rebounds. You could see his enthusiasm for the defensive end, getting fired up after making a defensive stop when Sabonis tried to go one on with him inside the pain. 

Check out his Highlights below: 

Adelaide 36ers vs Tasmania Jackjumpers

When I saw Daniel Johnson starting back from Injury I was worried for my Tassie pick.
But I was still pretty confident, Rashad Kelly and Milton Doyle are two of the best imports in the league. I hate the disrespect the media gives the JackJumpers. They have probably the best coach in the competition now that Rob Beveridge and Brian Goorjian have left, and he picks strong teams with less money. Kelly and Doyle look to be two of the best value picks in the league.

1st quarter

Josh Magette drops a 3 to get he Jackjumpers (JJ's) going. 

And then a Milton Doyle 3, then a steal and another 3 by Magette and its a Time out from Adelaide. Dream start for the JJs  0-9 8:42.

Adelaide get things going as Craig Randall forces it inside for a nice floater and rights the ship for the first Adelaide bucket.  

Doyle has a big block on Cleveland and it looks like Tassie didn’t like being such heavy underdogs.
Milton Doyle just keeps hitting shots and Tassie are rolling 4-18. 5:22 1st Quarter.

 Kelly gets in on the action as he just forces his way to the rim, and goes through Franks 6-20 

Josh Magette puts up one of his long bombs and he finally gets one to go but the turns around and drops another on!!! With a Step back near the half way line 6-27 2:45!

Randall has a nice soft floater inside to finally keep the offence going for Adelaide! Tassie still played very good D as he gets to go having to take it one one against the defender.

But Milton Doyle pulls out a 360 spin on the spot and hits the J To close the quarter 10-32!

Josh Magette had  14 points 4/5 from 3 in the first Quarter!
8 offensive rebounds from the JJ's

2nd Quarter

Antonius Cleveland gets scoring started for Adelaide and hopefully its a better start this quarter for the 36er.
And Tassie starts cold, as they can’t hit multiple wide open 3s to start!

The 36ers play some much better Defence to open the quarter and Randall starts dropping shots as he drops a bomb 19-34 7:40.

Sunday Dech is also great addition. He is such an underrated player, he hits shots and plays great D.
Adelaide are rolling as they launch their comback 23-34. Tassie struggling to get it up the floor let alone near the basketball. 36ers start playing lock down D. 

Fabian Krslovic pushes it o the rim to steady the ship again for the JJ’s and Get the And one.

But Josh Magette is still on fire to hold a firm lead 25-50 at the midway point of the quarter.

Robert Franks has a strong play inside as he just dominates Jack McVeigh and lays it in then, drops the ball on McVeigh on the ground! Statement play by Franks 27-40. The refs give a Tech to Franks and one shot for McVeigh. Soft. Let them play.
 
Isaac White contributes some good minutes for the JJs to keep their offence going with 5 quick points.

Anthony Drmic and Mitch Mccarron get a block each the Mccarron pushes it in transition and throws the no look pass to Drmic! Great play to close the half 37-51.

3rd quarter  

 Josh Magette gets a steal and fast break layup to open scoring for the JJs. 

And then a Doyle drive extends the lead 37-56 with another good start to the half for the JJ's.
Franks open scoring for 36ers with a jam in an open lane 7:30

Then a Antonius Cleveland steal and monster jam in transition may just lift the 36ers. 41-57

36ers getting o boards and were staying in it 44-58 with 4:15 in the quarter.

The game started getting heated between Mccarron and Magette. A foul on Magette and its a coaches challenge. I love it. bu its unsunccessfull as Maggette did the initial foul and Mccarron gets away with the retaliation push. Good officiating! You ll never hear me say that again.

Adelaide are a fast break quick offence team. Jack jumpers have the opposite idntity as a team. They slow it down, move it through hands and find shots. Then they slow them down on D!

Tassie miss two free throws: Code word is FEED. Go get the free cheeseburgers South Australia. And they’re still down 14, 44-58 with 4 min left in the quarter. 

Craig Randall dropped a bomb from way out and the lead was down to 11 for the JJ's.
But a Kelly mid range jumper closes the quarter and Adelaide are right back in it, down 13 headed into the final quarter.

4th Quarter:

Turnover from both teams to open the quarter, both teams upped the defence again.

Jack white opened scoring with a pair of free throws and then a 3 ball for the JJ's.
And for the 36ers Drmc drives to the basket for the and 1 one play. 56-71
O board and Adelaide hanging around. 60-71 8:00  and Mccarron had a no look behind the head pass to franks under the basket for easy layup, Time out JJ’s!

Jarred Weeks drops a Jumper and 36ers can’t get within 10! as the lead is back out to 13. and it really breaks the run for the 36ers.

And then the JackJumpers get a couple of steals and the lead is back out to 20.! Tassie were not gonna fold. 60-80 6:20.

Weeks Drops back to back 3s! 65-88 He was killing it 4;45 left in the game That’s the final knock out punch. It was game over from here.

In one worrying note Milton Doyle takes a seat with 3:30 and a bit of a limp! Game 2 in the round he might be a bit sore. 

The game was over but both teams closed it out with a couple of nice highlights. Kelly had a Monster Jam with the and one in transition.
And in the last play of the game Kai Sotto found good post position and had a nice over the head lay in as the game closed out 72-97.

Game over the JackJumpers walking away with the W 72-97. 

Gotta say I called it in this one. I hope some people cleaned up on those odds. Great play by The Jackjumpers, they threw the big punch in the 1st quarter and took some good fight back, but were too good in the end.

NBL23 Round 3 Tips

 

NBL23 round 3

Date.

Time.

Home Team

Away Team

Venue

Thu 13 Oct

19:30 AEDT

Adelaide 36ers

Tasmania JackJumpers

Adelaide Entertainment Centre

Fri 14 Oct

19:30 AEDT

Sydney Kings

Cairns Taipans

Qudos Bank Arena

Fri 14 Oct

21:30 AEDT

Perth Wildcats

Melbourne United

RAC Arena

Sat 15 Oct

17:30 AEDT

Adelaide 36ers

Illawarra Hawks

Adelaide 36ers

Sat 15 Oct

20:00 AEDT

SE Melbourne Phoenix

NZ Breakers

John Cain Arena

Sun 16 Oct

14:00 AEDT

Melbourne United

Tasmania JackJumpers

John Cain Arena

Sun 16 Oct

16:00 AEDT

Brisbane Bullets

Sydney Kings

Nissan Arena

Mon 17 Oct

19:30 AEDT

Illawarra Hawks

NZ Breakers

WIN Entertainment Centre

Last week I went six from eight in my tips after a rough week one. Let's hope I can keep a good run going. Early season is always the most difficult especially with all these rotation changes from injuries and players coming back/going down. It has been hard for teams to really find form and create an offensive and defensive game plan. Now with Adelaide coming back, it will great to see where they sit after that amazing shooting display in the states.

Game 1: 

Adelaide 36er vs Tasmania JackJumpers

After the 36ers took down the Phoenix Suns in the NBA preseason, Adelaide should be an easy pick against the middling Tasmania Jackjumpers. However I'm going against the trend and tipping Tasmania to get the win here. The 36ers may still be without Daniel Johnson who was a key figure in the Suns win and was injured near half time, and if the JackJumpers can play lock down D on Craig Randall then I can see them walking away the winner. However if the 36ers play like they did against the Suns no one in this league can beat them. That shooting display will be tough to replicate, especially if they are without the inside presence of DJ. Watch out for Rashad Kelly to have a big game. 

Tasmania by 6

Game 2: 

Sydney Kings Vs Cairns Taipans

Sydney should roll through Cairns to continue their unbeaten start to the season. Cairns would have to be shooting the lights out to walk away with this win. However after the thrashing the Wildcats gave Cairns last week at home, I cant seem them getting the upset here. 

Sydney by 18

Game 3:

Perth Wildcats vs Melbourne United

Melbourne united easily handled the Perth wildcats in the preseason Blitz but as we have seen, those games have counted for nothing with teams resting players and no one able to hit a shot during the Blitz. 

From the current form of both teams you gotta go with Perth at home. I feel Melbourne could play well and still probably lose. 

Perth by 6. 

Game 4: 

Adelaide 36ers Vs Illawarra Hawks

Adelaide at home against the Hawks will be another game where their form from Friday should really be the tell for this tip. The Hawks lost an import in Justin Simon going down with a torn meniscus and that is a big hole to fill. From an in the dark tip, Ill take Adelaide to win it, finding form after a game one upset from Tassie. 

36ers by 5. 

Game 5: 

SE Melbourne Phoenix Vs New Zealand Breakers

The Phoenix should have some returning players this week, with Ryan Broekoff and Zhou Qi coming back into the lineup. Playing at home I think it will be closer then the bookies are predicting, with a couple of unpracticed players in the starting lineup for Phoenix. I would not be surprised for the Breakers to pull off the upset but Ill stick with the Home team.  

Phoenix to win by 3

Game 6: 

Melbourne united vs Tasmania Jack Jumpers

Melbourne will need to put up a big game at home after a rocky start to the season. Tasmania are solid team but playing In Melbroune with a hungry Melbourne team with some imports potentially playing for their year. Ive got Melbourne to take the home the W. 

Melbourne by 8

Game 7: 

Sydney Kings vs Brisbane Bullets

This is a must win for Brisbane who have had possibly the toughest start to the season going 0-3 taking on the Perth Wildcats, Sydney Kings and a tough overtime loss to the Tasmania Jackjumpers all in away games. Brisbane Coach James Duncan's job could be on the chopping block if this losing streak continues. but playing against the in form and number one team Sydney Kings it will certainly be a tough night for the hot and cold Bullets. 

The smart money will still be on the Kings but ill pick the Bullets to take the home upset and get the win. They have had a long road trip and should be pumped to play at home. Tyler Johnson found form in Tassie and caddie kicked his game into gear against Perth. If Sobey can get hot and they look to use the post, Brisbane should find form. 

Brisbane to win by 6

Game 8: 

Illawarra Hawks Vs New Zealand Breakers

So early in the season these middling teams are the hardest to pick. I think with the Hawks losing Justin Simon and the Breakers losing Tom Abercrombie both have injured players however I feel Simon is the bigger loss for the team. Also the breakers are used to playing away games after playing all last year in Australia. Ill go the breakers to get the win after a tough loss to the Phoenix. 

New Zealand by 5

Jack White first bucket in the NBA and Jock Landale Alley oop

Jack white made his NBA preseason Debut

Jack White made his NBA preseason debut today for the Denver Nuggets today when they took on Jock Landale and the Phoenix Suns. 

 

Jack White finished with 1 rebound and 2 points in 5 minutes of action. He bricked his first two free throws but followed it immediately up with this nice play.

Jock Landale put together a good showing for the Phoenix suns and in 21 minutes finished with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist. Here's a nice steal by Jock which leads to a fast break and he gets the alleyoop finish! 

The Denver Nuggets went on to win in an exciting finish as both benches battled it out with Phoenix walking away the Victor  107-105

NBL23 Round 2 team take-aways

Key takeaways from Round 2 NBL23

With round two finished, here are some key takeaways from each team going into Round 3. 

After writing off my Blitz impressions on each team I had a better week of Picks going 6/8 for the round and only missing the Brisbane VS Tasmania game and Perth vs Cairns picks. 

Sydney Kings

What can be said about the Sydney Kings other than they are looking like the out and out favourites this year! With two players as possible MVP candidates in Xavier Cooks and Derrick Walton Jnr. Just look at the that dunk! Both players displayed their ability to just take over for Sydney, and took turns on offence to shut out the Brisbane bullets in the fourth quarter and then just roll over Melbourne United. Xavier Cooks is playing the best I have seen through his career. He is attacking the basket and taking over games for large portions. Derrick Walton Jnr looks like he can do it all for Sydney, with stellar playmaking skills and getting open shots to all their players, to attacking the basket and dropping shots. He is looking like the best new player of the season. Then when you have DJ Vasiljvic open to bomb from outside and Justin Simon attacking the rim, the Sydney Kings will be tough to beat. If one player is having an off night, as with DJ being streaky to start the season, they have plenty of weapons to keep their offence ticking. 

Cairns Taipans

Cairns as it looked in preseason would be a streaky hot shooting team. If they're hitting their shots they will get some good wins against good teams, but if their shots are off they are ugly to watch as seen when Perth rolled them. They will be a hard pick all season until we see how consistent they can be from deep. After shooting the lights out against Tasmania DJ Hogg went cold and could not hit a shot against Perth as the Wildcats absolutely rolled them. More shots do not always mean more buckets. 

Melbourne United

A well rested united squad were steamrolled by the Sydney Kings this week with 4/5 starters only putting in single digit scoring each. Melbourne were looking the goods in preseason and maybe it was just a rough night but it has not made me confident about this Melbourne squad. They won they're first game in overtime against the breakers but until we see more games they are looking shaky. They're results this week will really show where they stand on the board playing Tasmania and Perth. Their imports more then any other I think will be on the chopping block with the salary Melbourne have at their disposal. 

Brisbane Bullets

Brisbane have started the season 0-3 in the season and the team must be disappointed. They have at times looked like a playoff team and at others a cellar dweller. The Bullets have had a tough start playing good teams away from home, with their easiest game against the Tasmania Jackjumpers who themselves started 0-3 and were hungry for a win playing at home. They really look like they need to establish they're play style with what everyone thought would be heavy post play team is barely seen. Tyler Johnson has been hot and cold with pushing his play in the game. At times he will force his will and attack the basket and others not barely be seen on the court. 

Brisbane did get Jason Cadee going against the Sydney Kings and he really balled out for awhile after 0 points in game 1. Brisbane really need Sobey and Cadee shooting well to play well as a team. They can not solely rely on Baynes and Johnson to carry them against these stacked rosters in Sydney, Perth etc. And they need to go inside more often. Find Baynes and Froling for more post touches and watch the offence develop as the double team comes and they find the open shooter. They played well like this in the preseason but its barely been seen so far in regular season. Why? I don't know, maybe its too easily predicted and with Fiba defence the help is to quick to find the open shooter. Will we see a coach change sooner then we see an import sent home this year? 

Tasmania JackJumpers

Tasmania look like a solid team. After going to the finals last year they could not be expected to start at the top, but as last year, I think they will have a strong 2nd half of the season with the coach and play style they utilise. Which is heavy on the defensive end and this will become stronger as the season progresses and the team learns all of Scott Roths defensive rotations. As the team really starts to gel and the imports find their time to take over they should be a solid team that can stand toe to toe with any team out there. That said it might be a slower start to the season. I do like their imports and McVeigh can shoot from anywhere but if they are having an off night the Jackjumpers will certainly have some tough losses. 

Melbourne Phoenix 

Melbourne got its first win of the season off an amazing display from Kyle Adnam but I cant see him shooting that well every night. They then went on to drop their next two games against the New Zealand Breakers and Cairns Taipans. I was not confident with the Phoenix going into the season but mostly due to missing players from injury which have still not returned. Apparently that may change this week with the possibility of Ryan Broekhoff and ZouQi returning to the line up in the next game and Gary Brown possibly the week after. Im still not very high on them at least until Brown is back and we see how they play as a team with the new starters onto the team. 

New Zealand Breakers 

The Breakers are looking solid but like Tasmania may get better as the season progresses. They look to still be establishing their play style and with some young players they may need some time to find the their feet before putting up some big wins. William McDowell White will be a great floor general when he can find where his team-mates want the ball. 

Adelaide 36ers

Adelaide did what no other NBL squad has been able to in history by taking down the Phoenix Suns! they put on an absolute shooting clinic to take an unprecedented win. However they did turn around and get absolutely rolled by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Was it just a hot shooting night or are Adelaide about to return and roll through to the top of the NBL. Im not sure but Craig Randall looks like he can put up big numbers on any night. They may not start as well as others are expecting until Daniel Johnson returns to the lineup, but when fully healthy I can see them going toe to toe with Sydney. This is CJ's team and they look good!

Perth Wildcats

The Wildcats are looking stronger and stronger with every game they play. Bryce Cotton is balling out night in and night out, but their role players are stepping up to contribute everywhere, and put them in the top 2 to start the season. Luke Travers is playing excellent D and is everywhere, while Todd Blantchfield was absolutely on fire in this 350th game of this career. Brady Manek and Teshawn Thomas are contributing both inside and from the perimeter. The Wildcats look to have a well rounded team that has been made for Bryce Cotton to continue to be the MVP calibre player he is. At this stage in the season its a two horse race with Sydney and Perth the standout teams. Thomas did go down with an ankle injury but missing him and Corey Webster did not hamper their ability to beat down the Cairns Taipans. They may have some difficulty to overcome losing them and I will be interested to hear when they are back. Against stronger defensive teams they may struggle until they both return to the lineup. 

Illawarra Hawks

The Hawks have a had a tough start to the season matching up against some strong teams with their only win against the SE Melbourne Phoenix. The Hawks are looking a little shaky without Brian Goojian at the helm and after losing Justin Robinson with a torn meniscus the Hawks may have a tough run the next few games until they find a replacement. Tyler Harvey will have to be playing his best to keep them in the hunt this week. 

Pelicans Rookie Aussie, Dyson Daniels injured in preseason game

 Dyson Daniels rolled ankle against San Antonio Spurs preseason

Dyson Daniels rolled his ankle early in the preseason match against the San Antonio Spurs. The New Orleans Pelicans went on to win the game but Daniels was forced to leave the game early after only 20 seconds of court time.

The team has "no updates right now" from Pelicans Coach willie Green after the game. 

Daniels rolled the same ankle in his first summer league game in Las Vegas earlier in the year and was out for the rest of summer league. This new injury could put him out for the rest of Preseason and possible part of the start of the season. 

In his first two preseason games Daniels was averaging, 10.5 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists and 1 block, and was having a strong presence on defence and as a playmaker off the bench. 

Lets hope its a quick recovery and not an ongoing issue with the same ankle being injured. The Pelicans will face the Miami Heat on Wednesday as their preseason preparation continues. 

Dante Exum had a big game in the Euro league first round for Partizan Belgrade

Dante Exum on fire for Partizan Belgrade!

Dante Exum started his Partizan Belgrade tenure with a big first game! He finished with 22 points and 4 assists in a loss for Partizan but Exum came out firing dropping 11 in the first quarter. He is playing the point guard position for Partizan which I believe is the best spot for him, as he knows how to keep the ball moving and has the speed to attack the rim and make assists when he sees the opening. Now that he has a more consistent three ball he is looking great out there.

Exum had all his skills on display, splashing threes and attacking the rack putting Europe's biggest centre on a poster. Its quite unbelievable he isn't back on an NBA roster with his raw athleticism and high basketball IQ. I'm still a big fan and hopefully we can see him back in the NBA soon. Until then I'll try to post some highlights when i can.

Check out his highlights from game 1:

Brisbane Bullets vs Sydney Kings round 2 game review NBL23

 Brisbane Bullets vs Sydney Kings round 2 game review NBL23

 

I picked Sydney to get the win at home this week and in an exciting game with two of the two top teams in my opinion if was a fun watch. 

1st Quarter 

Tim Soares opens the scoring with a 3 pointer to get the game started. 

For Brisbane they go early to an Aron Baynes post up with a missed shot inside, but its great to see them go for a Baynes post play early in the game. Sobey made a midrange fade away J to open Brisbanes scoring but Sydney make another 3 from Derrick walton Jnr and they are off to a good shooting start.

Baynes imposes his size inside as he blocks a pass from Cooks to then drop the nice up and under layup on the other side to tie the score.

The big Banger then shows what he can do from outside as he drops the 3 ball and he is everywhere for Brisbane as they take the lead 8-11 at the 6:45 mark. 

Walton Jnr dropped a nice bank shot, to take the lead back but Nathan Sobey brings it back for Brisbane  with a 3 and Sydney call a time out 12-14.

Tyler Johnson decides to impose his will on the game and finally makes an impact with a floater inside to take the lead back 14-16, as had been a bit of a non factor for Brisbane so far.  

Johnson then keeps driving to the bucket and makes 3 buckets in a row as he looks to get going offensively, but Kuot Noi drops a 3 and stops the run 16-20 with 3min left in the quarter.

Xavier Cooks made a couple of strong drives and looks to get aggressive before a 3 ball from DJ Vasiljevic closes the quarter with Sydney taking the lead 24-23.

2nd Quarter

Sydney made a steal and Derrick Walton jnr drops a nice high layup off the glass in transition to open the scoring for Sydney in the quarter, 26-23

An Aron Baynes Mid range bank shot J ,opens scoring for the Bullets to keep it close. 

Baynes was playing some good d inside and pulling down rebounds imposing his size in the paint!
Nathan Sobey made an inside bucket to get the lead back 30-31 with 5:45 in 2nd, 30-31 but hunter quickly takes it back off a dime from Walton Jnr.

Brisbane have a few defensive breakdowns and missed shots as Sydney start to pull away and with 3:15 left in the quarter. Xavier Cooks then shows his foot work with this great little fake, and up and under layup 40-31. Cooks really does have all the tools to be a great player in the league or the NBA.

Harry Froling dribbles the whole court and lays it in off a great screen inside by Baynes to stop the run with two min left in the half. Tyler Johnson then goes down hard hitting this head off some shoulder contact and has a split and bleeding mouth, but no foul call as the refs are letting them play. Then Baynes drops a 3 to bring the lead back down to 42-36, here comes Brisbane!
A Cooks drive closes the half to hold a good lead for Sydney 46-39.

3rd Quarter

 
Xavier Cooks foul shots open the scoring for Sydney going 1/2 with a banked free throw! off a hard foul from Baynes
Tanner Krebs made a 3 to open scoring for Brisbane off an Aron Baynes post up, with the ball finding the open shooter 47-42.

Suarez blows back to back plays for Sydney and they miss the opportunity to really push the lead, with an air ball and then off an insane Simons pass he missed the catch and Brisbane catch a break.

But Simon then got a steal and big dunk and Brisbane call a Timout, as the wheels were starting to fall off down 56-45.
Jason Cadee makes his first bucket of the season off a great cut in the out of bounds play out of the timeout, and Can he get going!? Brisbane need a hot shooting Caddee and Sobey to really unlock their potential.

Sydney’s guards are so impressive! They get people great shots as Kuot Noi drops a 3 off a great drive from Walton Jnr and its 12 point lead 59-47

But a fouled three point attempt on Jason Caddee and tech on the Sydney Coach for being too animated on the call gets 4 free throws for Cadee. Just what Brisbane need to get Caddee going!.

Sydney’s coach Chase Buford continues to ague on the sideline after getting the tech. 

Chase Buford released a statement recently regarding his animated coaching style and passion for the game and his team, which was great to see and very important discussion point for mental health in sports, but has it put a target on his back? The tech was for being too animated and walking away, not for saying anything! And also his reactions became a talking point for the commentators. The media release was great for society but might be hard for himself.

Sydney's intensity on D is upped and Brisbane can't even get the ball up the court with multiple turnovers.

Brisbane have Froling and Baynes on the court and they still aren't looking to push the ball inside the paint!? But a Caddee 3 saves them and then he drops a shot inside to get them back to only a 5 point deficit with 1:30 left in the quarter.

Sydney keep missing foul shots and Jason Cadee is doing everything! Making plays and dropping shots. Those four free throws really got him going! Caddee makes a great play to find an open Baynes who drops the bomb and the Bullets are only down 3, until Nathan Sobey closes the quarter with another 3 ball off a Devondrick Walker assist coming off a Baynes screen tie-ing it up going into the final break.


Great game so far, with physical play, techs and come backs!

4th Quarter 

Xavier Cooks drives to the basket and lays it in with a soft finger roll to open the quarter and taking back the lead 69-67.

Cooks follows it up with a big block on Baynes and then drops a tasty dish to a wide open Hunter as Cooks is taking over! He trash talks Baynes after who throws out an air ball 3!
Cooks then shows his touch with a soft floater over Baynes, as he has his own 7-0 run and pushes the lead for Sydney 74-67. 

Sobey finally gets Brisbane going, with a layup off a nice Baynes screen inside the paint.
Brisbane decide to bench Baynes and go small to stop cooks! 8min left in 4th qaurter. But cooks needs a breather and asks to be checked out just before he drives to the cup and drops the lay in! 

Cooks is even better then I realised as he often has a shooting drought but his ability to get to the basket and soft touch is amazing. But he will need to be able to hit shots to take his game to the nba level.

DJ Mitchell drops a 3 and Brisbane are still in it down only 3 point game 76-73. 6:30 left in the game.
Cooks comes off for a rest and its Walton Jnr's turn to take over for Sydney as he made it a 5 point lead with a nice drive to the cup.
But Dj Mitchell finds form dropping another outside shot to keep it close.
Walton Jnr can do everything as drops a bomb 3 with a hand in the face! 85-81 with only 4:00 left and Brisbane go back to Baynes on the court. But Walton Jnr picks him up off a screen and absolutely cooks him! Driving to the basket and pushing the lead further. Walton puts it all on display hitting shots and finding open team mates to push the Sydney lead out to 10.

Justin Simon grabs the offensive board and attacks Baynes under the hoop with a tough wrap around, up an under the hoop shot, making the basket and getting the and one, as Sydney were rolling and have so many weapons 

With 2:00 left in the game and Sydney up 96-81 its over, as Brisbane empties the bench. Huge Close out quarter from Sydney to shut the door on the Bullets.  

Sydney close it out for the win 100-90

One good take away for Brisbane is they got Caddee going. He had a donut in game one and this was important to have a run of shots dropping. If they can get Sobey 100% healthy and his shot dropping the bullets should be good! Could be slow start for the Bullets though.
Tyler Johnson is not a star player who will carry a team. He’s an all around solid guard at the NBA level, but not a star as that’s never been he’s role. Its a lot to ask to become one this late in your career, similar to Dellavedova with Melbourne.

Great exciting game all around though.

Key Players

Sydney Kings

Xavier Cooks: 23 points, 11 rebounds

Derrick Walton Jnr: 21 points, 8 assists

Justin Simon: 14 points,

Brisbane Bullets

Tyler Johnson: 13 points, 2 assists

Aron Baynes: 16 points, 9 rebounds 

Jason Cadee: 16 points, 4 assists

 

Aussies in NBA preseason 5 & 6/10/22 AEST

 Aussie's in the NBA preseason

We have had several Aussies suit up for their prospective NBA teams already in the NBA preseason. And the the young players were those I was excited to see take their shot at a bigger role on their team, or even how they played. Dyson Daniels missed nearly all of the summer league after being drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans and Jock Landale was traded to the Phoenix suns. Josh Giddey has started hot but lets break down some of the action. 

Jock Landale - Phoenix suns

The phoenix suns were blown away by the hot shooting Adelaide 36ers which you can read about in my game review. But they suited up against the Los Angeles Lakers today and Jock Landale played a bigger role this time out. The whole bench unit played better this game, and the ball moved through hands a lot better with Cameron Payne not in the lineup. The Suns walked away with the win after trailing for the majority of the game.

Jock Landale had some great plays through the game but really came to the show in the last quarter, dropping two 3's and grabbing some offensive boards.

 

He finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in 23 minutes. 

Good all round game from Jock. Hopefully we will get to see him get real minutes with the Suns when they start the regular season.

Torrey Craig also played but only for 15 minutes and pulled down 7 rebounds with 6 points. 

Dyson Daniels - New Orleans Pelicans

Dyson Daniels suited up for the first time in an NBA preseason for the New Orleans Pelicans against the Chicago Bulls, and he just looks so comfortable as an NBA player. He is tall (grew two more inches last year), athletic and looks strong for his age. When he moves on defense he seems to be everywhere, stopping his player, but also being great as the help defender getting some big Blocks against the Chicago Bulls. 

Late in the game Dyson had a few big plays getting steals, dropping a 3 ball and securing the game at the foul line to push the lead out to 4 points, dropping both foul shots with 11 seconds left in the game, and the Pelicans walked away with a win against the Bulls. 

Daniels made some strong drives to the bucket through the game, but looked to struggle with finishing his shot close to the rim. With some more experience under him and if he increases his shooting percentage at the rim, and three point line he will be absolutely deadly. An all around solid player who can play lock down D, make the right pass and get to the rim whenever he wants. The only thing missing is the experience and finishing which will come in time. A great pickup for New Orleans in the draft! He could see some good minutes in the season with his strong defense that the Pelicans really needed last season. 

Look at these plays to close out the game. That's a winner! I'm very excited to see the player he develops into, throughout the season and beyond.

 Daniels finished with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 Blocks.  

 

Josh Giddey - Oklahoma City Thunder played against Josh Green Dallas Mavericks

Josh Giddey looks to have bulked up in the offseason and is looking strong to start the new NBA season. His floater and shot are both looking better and in his first two preseason games, is putting up some good numbers. 

In his first game that was not televised against Denver Giddey put up: 14 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists. 

In his second game against the Dallas Mavericks where he only played 17 minutes, mostly in the first half, he had 13 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Shooting 60% from the field. 

Giddey was throwing some insane passes to find open team mates as usual, but some tough shooting kept his assist numbers lower in this game. 

Josh Green had some great plays and looked aggressive from the tip. He looks to enjoy playing against Giddey. Green made a couple of great plays and is just a solid piece to have on your team. He doesn't try to do too much, but can do a little of everything, and with the speed and size he still looks to have a lot potential in his game. 

They might have a bit of a rivalry building after Green beat Giddey out of the last spot on the Boomers squad before the last Olympics. Thunder Vs Mavericks games will definitely be good entertainment for the aussies watching.

Josh Green in 22 minutes finished with 9 points, 4 assists and 2 steals 

 

 

Nbl23 Round 2 tips

 NBL23 Round 2

Date.

Time.

Home Team.

Away Team.

Location

Thu 6 Oct

19:30 AEDT

Illawarra Hawks.

SE Melbourne Phoenix

WIN Entertainment Centre

Fri 7 Oct

17:30 AEDT

NZ Breakers.

Tasmania JackJumpers

Spark Arena

Fri 7 Oct

19:30 AEDT

Sydney Kings.

Brisbane Bullets.

Qudos Bank Arena

Sat 8 Oct

17:30 AEDT

SE Melbourne Phoenix

Cairns Taipans.

John Cain Arena

Sat 8 Oct

20:00 AEDT

Perth Wildcats

Illawarra Hawks.

RAC Arena

Sun 9 Oct

14:00 AEDT

Tasmania JackJumpers

Brisbane Bullets

MyState Bank Arena

Sun 9 Oct

16:00 AEDT

Melbourne United.

Sydney Kings

John Cain Arena

Mon 10 Oct

19:30 AEDT

Cairns Taipans.

Perth Wildcats

Cairns Convention Centre

I missed some picks in round 1 but I think the NBL blitz may have given a bad reference for how players will perform this season. No one could hit a shot at the Blitz and if that was due to the rims, the heat or the giant fans in the arena in Darwin I don't know, but players who looked average there are looking like stars on their home courts. I think you can throw an analysis made at the blitz out the window going into the season. 

Illawarra Hawks vs SE Melb Phoenix Thursday 6th Oct

The SE Melb phoenix had a great start getting a solid win over the 2nd place Tasmania Jackjumpers in round one, off the back of some phenomenal basketball from Kyle Adnam who dropped a 30 piece in the opening game! 

I can not see Adnam following up that performance against the Illawarra Hawks, who suffered a tough loss to the Sydney Kings in Round 1. Mitch Creek played his all round solid game but never looked to take over as he often does. I think he is still not 100% healthy but still a good player. The Hawks looked to struggle to get their offence going at times against the Kings but I think they will turn that around and watch out for Tyler Harvey to have a big game after a quieter round 1. I am excited to see if Kyle Adnam can back up his shooting from game 1, hopefully his shoulder didn't carry any injury through to this week. 

I've got Hawks by 6. 

New Zealand Breakers vs Tasmania Jackjumpers Friday 7th Oct

New Zealand went down to Melbourne United by 4 points in round 1 but are looking pretty strong despite that. While the Jackjumpers suffered back to back losses in Round 1 to the SE Melb Phoenix and the Cairns Taipans. I think New Zealand should get the win in their home court but Tasmania will want to at least see it competitive after the big loss to Cairns. (22 points)

New Zealand 8 points

Sydney Kings vs Brisbane Bullets Friday 7th Oct

Sydney had a good win against the Illawarra Hawks with their new imports really stepping up to make some statement plays. I think this will be a good close game and tough to pick. Watch out for Xavier Cooks to start to find his feet and attack more often. He Started to look comfortable getting to the basket with ease late in the game in round 1. Brisbane need to find Baynes more often inside to utilise him more on offence and he needs to stay out of foul trouble for Brisbane to pull off a win. Cooks may attack him early to create that foul trouble for Baynes which will spell trouble for Brisbane. With Sobey still no where near 100% I don't think Brisbane have the fire power to keep up with Sydney. 

Sydney by 5. 

SE Melbourne Phoenix vs Cairns Taipans Saturday  8th Oct

Cairns Taipans had a big win over the Tasmania Jackjumpers who had a very competitive match against the Phoenix. I wasn't impressed with Cairns after the Blitz but I think round 1 has shown shooting was not realistic at the Blitz and Cairns could surprise people with the amount of shooting they have. 

Along with the Phoenix playing two games this round and Creek still not 100% I've got Cairns to take the home win. 

Cairns by 11

Perth Wildcats Vs Illawarra Hawks Sat 8th Oct

Second game in two days for the hawks against a well rested and at Home Perth wildcats team is a tough ask for the Hawks. Bryce Cotton looked his MVP best in game 1. I cant see them dropping this one. It really is amazing how consistent Cotton has been over his NBL career. As well scouted and known he is in the league and is still unstoppable! 

Perth by 12

JackJumpers vs Brisbane Bullets Sunday 9th Oct

Both teams are on their second game of the round and both will be looking for what may be their first win. Brisbane have the roster to and the power forwards to really push Tasmania inside. Hopefully Baynes will have a big game and can carry Brisbane to a win.

Brisbane by 8

Melbourne United vs Sydney Kings Sunday 9th Oct

This is a marque match up for the weekend with two teams coming off of strong wins in the first round. Very tough to call with both teams looking like they have found some very talented imports to combine with their MVP calibre local talent. If  Xavier cooks can shut down Raion Tucker and someone can slow down Chris Goulding I think Sydney should win. But with both teams being able to shoot the lights out I think whoever plays better defense will win it. Should be a barn burner of a match! 

Sydney by 2

Cairns Taipans vs Perth Wildcats Monday 10th Oct

Cairns are team that will probably win or lose big. They have selected a hot shooting team where is the shots aren’t dropping it will be a long night. Perth are well rounded and may have some troubles getting buckets if Bryce Cotton isn’t carrying the team. I should probably pic Perth for the safe bet but I’ll go Cairns to shoot the lights and get the win. 

Cairns by 4