'Nix didn't do enough to win': King

“If you’d told me before the game that we were going to have 21 offensive rebounds, I’d tell you we’d have a pretty good chance to win the game… I think the game was on our terms. We just didn’t do enough to get the win,” King said post-match.

The Phoenix led by as much as six during the contest and trailed by only two points with less than two minutes remaining.

Nathan Sobey’s 23 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists —alongside three other double-digit scorers — kept South East Melbourne in the fight. But inefficiency in front of the rim, coupled with early foul trouble for Owen Foxwell and John Brown III, proved costly.

“Those are two of our better defenders that were out for a lot of the first half. If we took out their two best offensive players, what would that do?”

Shooting just 40 per cent from the field and 28 per cent from deep, the Phoenix struggled to string together enough consistent scoring runs to keep Adelaide at bay.

“We just didn’t make enough shots.”

King also appeared curious about the outcome of his challenge on a block/charge call. However, when asked if he would send visionto the NBL in protest, the Phoenix coach gave a firm response.

“I don’t send stuff to the NBL. I’m not one of those guys. I haven’t sent an edit all year long, and I hope somebody can fact-check me on that. Why would I do that?

“Once the game’s over, it’s over.”

The Phoenix gets another chance against the 36ers on Saturday at John Cain Arena in Game 2 of the Semi-Finals in a do-or-die gamefor the Heartland. Tickets still available via Ticketek.