VMT MATCH PREVIEW: Phoenix Refreshed to Go for Second Half of the Season

Key Details

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX 6-6 (5th) vs NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 4-7 (8th)
Where: The Fire Pit at John Cain Arena
When: Saturday, December 2 at 5:30pm AEDT
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The Phoenix will return to the Fire Pit post-FIBA break chasing their first victory in almost a month, coming up against Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand.

Mike Kelly’s side will look to avenge their most recent defeat, suffering a road loss despite leading Adelaide by a game-high 18 points at half-time.  

Gorjok Gak will again miss another game as he closes in on his return to the side from a calf injury and will be replaced by Daniel Johnson.

The last time the two sides met was only five games ago, the Phoenix prevailing in a tight contest despite having a 16-point buffer in the second half.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wolf Creek on fire! ???<br><br>? Watch on ESPN ?? Kayo | Foxtel <a href="https://t.co/7V1BjzUZqY">pic.twitter.com/7V1BjzUZqY</a></p>&mdash; South East Melbourne Phoenix (@SEMelbPhoenix) <a href="https://twitter.com/SEMelbPhoenix/status/1718174971191841090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Breakers will be without import Zylan Cheatham as he continues his comeback from a foot injury and will also be missing local Will McDowell-White with a fibula injury.

The visiting side will be coming to Melbourne after a 13-point win over the Adelaide 36ers on Thursday night.

Teams

Phoenix

Gorjok Gak will miss the game as he continues rehab for his calf injury. Daniel Johnson will be his nominated replacement player.

Breakers

The Breakers will be without import Zylan Cheatham as he continues to recover from a foot injury, and Will McDowell-White will miss due to a fibula injury.

Keep an Eye On

Alan Williams

In talks for MVP in NBL24 Alan ‘Big Sauce’ Williams is having a season like no other with only eight games under his belt. He is where he is meant to be, leading the league in rebounds, averaging 10.1 boards per game. Williams is a key cog in Mike Kelly’s side, both in offense and defence.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright

The point guard was instrumental in the Breakers’ fightback the last time the two sides met with a game-high 31 points. Standing at 180cm and currently leading the league with 20.5 points per game, he will surely be a focus for the Phoenix.

History

Regular Season Head-to-Head
Phoenix 10-5 Breakers

Last time out – Rd 5, NBL24
Phoenix 103-100 Breakers

Phoenix

Williams 21p
Creek 20p
Browne 18p

Breakers

Jackson-Cartwright 33p
Delany 21p
McDowell-White 14p

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