Phoenix Peaking at the Business End Behind Scintillating Sykes

On the back of a dominant week from Keifer Sykes, South East Melbourne Phoenix appear to be peaking at the right time of the gruelling 2021 NBL season.

The Phoenix entered Round 18 in a concerning slump, having lost five of their previous six games.

But a masterclass stretch from the fit-again Sykes, averaging 21 points and 3.6 assists over the round, led the team to three statement wins and catapulted them back to third position on the table.

The American guard was in scintillating form to start the season, prompting coach Simon Mitchell to dub him as the best defensive player in the league after Round 4, before missing a chunk of time with leg and back complaints.

Last week was a brutal reminder to the league of his ability to lead the team and close out games, transforming the Phoenix from a middle-table squad to a contender once more.

“We missed him for a long time and it took him a little while to get his mojo back,” Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell said following the win over Melbourne United on Sunday where Sykes scored 26 points.

“If you remember, this is what he was doing before he got hurt.

“He showed excellent composure on both sides of the ball; spread the floor; played the gaps; made great decisions and closed the game out. It was a wonderful performance.”

Given the array of injuries the team has dealt with in recent times, Round 18 was the first consistent block of games where the majority of the squad got the opportunity to play together and build on-court chemistry.

(Sykes is one of the more vocal leaders in the locker room)

Sykes noted post-game how significant their scope for improvement is as he continues to build rhythm alongside the likes of Ryan Broekhoff and Izayah Le’afa, who weren’t part of the rotation during his early-season dominance.

“I’m having a lot of fun…it just feels so good to be back,” Sykes said.

“The crazy thing is we’re still getting better. I’m just so tired of hearing people saying how we’re inconsistent or how bad we are when we’re really good, we’re actually really good and we’re only going to continue to get better.

“Those teams at the top of the ladder know we’re no pushover and that we have high-level players.”

Rebounding numbers weren’t pretty viewing for the Phoenix in their form slump but a noticeable spike in crashing the boards last week would’ve pleased Simon Mitchell and his crew.

The Phoenix outrebounded the Taipans on Friday by 11 and United on Sunday by 2.

Mitch Creek hauled in eight rebounds in the Throwdown IX win along with his eight assists and 14 points.

Coach Mitchell was proud of his team post-game and pointed to Creek as a big factor in the win.

“It was a pleasing game – our best performance in a long while,” he said.

“He’s (Creek) back. He’s in a good place right now, he’s in a good frame of mind.

“I thought he was outstanding…he made plays for his teammates and provided an energy. He’s a leader of this ball club.”

The Phoenix next play on Saturday night against the Bullets in Brisbane before hosting Cairns next Saturday (May 29) at John Cain Arena.

TICKETS VS CAIRNS

Sam Bunn for Phoenix Media (18/05/2021)