After a stunning weekend on the road with wins in Perth and Brisbane, the JackJumpers look to do it all again the weekend in Round 18. It begins with a road gmae Friday against the 36ers in Adelaide before returning home to host the Sydney Kings who are aiming for their tenth straight win.
Tasmania’s record is 12-10 and sit two wins outside of the top four. But with only six games remaining in the regular season, each game is almost an elimination final.
Adelaide (7-13) v Tasmania (12-10) @ Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Friday 7.30pm AEDT
Previous match ups
Adelaide 83 @ Tasmania 80, 9 December 2021
Adelaide 71 @ Tasmania 76, 28 January 2022
This will be the first trip to Adelaide this season for the JackJumpers, who have matched up fairly well with the 36ers so far this season.
They have split the two games in Hobart, with Adelaide winning by 3 points in Round 2 then Tasmania winning by 5 points in Round 9.
This will be Jack McVeigh’s first visit back to Adelaide. He played three seasons off the bench for the 36ers, but since moving to Tasmania he has started all 22 games for the JackJumpers this season.
Despite their lackluster season so far Adelaide have played much better basketball in recent weeks. Including a huge upset win last weekend over the SE Melbourne Phoenix at home. Despite bing out of contention for the post season, they can continue to have a big say on who makes the finals on Friday night.
Embed from Getty ImagesKeys to the game
Tasmania’s defense has caused all sorts of problems for the 36ers this season. This will be the key again tonight. Across the two games they have played, they have forced Adelaide into 21 turnovers per game.
This was best illustrated in January when the JackJumpers beat Adelaide by five points despite shooting 35% from the field. They did this through having an extra an 20 field goal attempts on the back of forcing 24 36er turnovers.
Tasmania (12-10) v Sydney (14 -7) @ MyState Bank Arena, Sunday 1pm AEDT
Previous matchups
Tasmania 71 @ Sydney 83 , 22 December 2021
Sydney 70 @ Tasmania 77, 4 February 2022
On Sunday Tasmania complete Round 18 hosting the NBL’s hottest team the Sydney Kings. Despite starting the season 5-7 the Kings have gone on to win 9 straight games leading into this match.
Tasmania has matched the Kings quite well across both game so far. The JackJumpers held a double digit lead in their December clash in Sydney before being run down 29-9 in the final quarter. Then in their February game in Hobart, the JackJumpers held the Kings to their lowest score of the season to win by 7. That game was the last time the kings lost in 2022 and will be keen to make up for it on Sunday.
Embed from Getty ImagesKeys to the game
Once again its Tasmania’s defence which will need to be at its best in this match. Jarell Martin and Xavier Cooks have both been a handfuls around the rim for the JackJumpers. Martin put up 24 points and 11 boards against Tassie on December 22, while Cooks had 18 points and 15 rebounds on February 2. Will Magnay played in both of those games, so with him still out with injury it will be up to the other Tassie bigs to keep them out of the paint at both ends of the floor.
But the Kings bigs aren’t even the biggest problem, they will need to find a way to stop Jaylen Adams. the 25 year old point guard is averaging 20 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds so far, and is making his case for MVP honors. In his only game against Tassie he was relatively well held by Matt Kenyon and Sam McDaniel, restricting him on 6 of 19 shooting from the field. However, he still managed go to 11/12 from the line for 24 points along with 5 steals, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
One again it will be Keyon and McDaniel who will look to get the ball out of his hands, disrupt his game and limit his impact on game.
Finally, the crowd. Its been 3 weeks since MyState Bank Arena has hosted the JackJumpers, the venue quickly become one of the loudest and best atmosphere’s in the NBL. Despite their 14-7 record, the Kings are 5-4 when they play outside of Sydney. A loud sell out crowd might just give Tassie a slight advantage in a close game.
