Heartland Hustle: Christmas Eve Special between Phoenix and 36ers

The Phoenix head to the City of Churches to take on the 36ers in a Christmas Eve showdown.

It’s been a busy holiday period for the Phoenix who played in Gippsland Sunday before a late schedule change saw them travel to Brisbane to play the Bullets.

They managed one short sharp training session before flying out to Adelaide Friday afternoon.

The Phoenix go into the game tonight battered and bruised, missing starters Gary Browne, Ryan Broekhoff and Alan Williams to injury as well as Chinese superstar Zhou Qi who flew home earlier this week due to family reasons. Tonight’s game will be the club’s third game in just six days, but Phoenix will not take a backwards step as the team’s next man up mentality comes into play.

The 36ers are coming into the game with back-to-back wins, after managing to beat the JackJumpers five days ago. The big question around the 36ers roster is whether or not they choose to roll out newly signed former NBA player and Sydney Kings championship combo guard Ian Clark.

(Phoenix will meet the 36ers for the second time in a fortnight on Christmas Eve.)

Key Details
ADELAIDE 36ERS v SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX 
Where: Adelaide Entertainment Centre
When: Saturday, December 24 at 5:30pm AEDT
Watch on ESPN via Kayo or Foxtel 

The Line Up

Phoenix

Phoenix will go into tonight’s game missing key players Gary Browne (calf), Ryan Broekhoff (hip), Alan Williams (ankle) and Zhou Qi (family reasons).

Owen Foxwell (DP), Anzac Rissetto (DP) and Tohi Smith-Milner (NRP) come in to replace Brown, Broekhoff and Zhou, while the club has sought special dispensation from the league to take the court with just 10 players for tonight’s game, after being unable to replace the injured Williams.

36ers

36ers forward Anthony Drimc will miss tonight's game due to illness and will be replaced by Nick Marshall.

The 36ers roster may be bolstered by the addition of new import and ex-Sydney Kings championship player Ian Clark, otherwise they have a fully healthy roster going into tonight.

The Key Match Up

Mitch Creek v Robert Franks

Mitch Creek has been in arguably career-best form of late, scoring a combined 75 points over the last two games. He will need to keep the ball rolling tonight if the Phoenix are to stay on the winner’s list. 

Creek drew the praise of head coach Simon Mitchell on Wednesday against the Bullets, never giving up on defensive plays late in the game, despite the scoreboard being well in our favour. Defending Adelaide’s bigs, including Robert Franks, will be a huge factor in the game with no Williams or Zhou on the floor.

Franks continues to put together a solid season for the 36ers and will try to take advantage of his athleticism and height in the frontcourt with the absence of Williams and Zhou. The match-up with Creek will be a big factor in tonight’s clash.

(Phoenix will be without key centre, Alan Williams due to an ankle injury sustained in Wednesday night's win over Brisbane.)

The History

Regular Season Head-to-Head: 
South East Melbourne Phoenix 7-6 Adelaide 36ers 

Last time out – Rd 10, NBL23
Phoenix 102–84 36ers 

Phoenix
Creek 24p
 Kell 20p
 Williams 18p

36ers
 Franks 18p
 Marshall 15p
 Johnson 10p

The Difference Makers

Trey Kell

Kell had a stand-out game on Wednesday with 17 points and ten rebounds and has been in great form. With no Browne or Broekhoff, Kell has had to step up to cover both roles at various times during games. His ability to lock down defensively and also be a key playmaker with ball in hand makes him crucial to the team’s chances for success.

Mitch McCarron

While McCarron has had a few quiet games, his influence is still huge in finding the space to help his teammates. Phoenix will need to lock down the NBL veteran to minimise his impact.

(Kell was a stand-out on Wednesday night and will once again need to step-up in the absence of key starters.)

Quotes

"Adelaide is a team that we saw the other night against Brisbane that once they get free flowing in the open court they are very dangerous. We played them a week and a half ago maybe and we were able to slow them down, the intent will be to slow them down in transition." - Simon Mitchell

Phoenix Media (24/12/22)