Game in Focus: Play-In Game

When: Sunday, February 16 - 2.30pm AEDT
Where: John Cain Arena
Watch: Live on ESPN and Channel 10 | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: It’s the final game of the Play-In Tournament and it sees the Phoenix host the 36ers, with a Playoff spot against the Hawks on the line. Adelaide kept its season alive with a big win over Sydney on Thursday night, holding off a Kings unit that refused to go away. The 36ers were in the box seat at half time, before Sydney came out firing in the third quarter to take the lead. In the fourth quarter, it was the 36ers who came up with big plays from Kendric Davis and Montrezl Harrell to secure the win.

The Phoenix will be looking to start the same against Adelaide as they did back in Round 19, where they found themselves out by 20 points early in the third quarter. The 36ers did fight back in that game but eventually the home team did enough to win by six points.

This matchup will come down to who can hold their composure in a game where that is vital in order to win. The 36ers already managed to avoid elimination once, so they understand what it is like to play with those nerves. However, the Phoenix will have all the pressure on them, as they are in front of their home crowd and have been the better team for more of the regular season.

Players to watch: There will be a big task thrown to Owen Foxwell and Angus Glover in this game, as they try to slow down Davis, who was simply brilliant down the stretch against Sydney. The Phoenix guards must learn from their mistakes on Tuesday night and adjust to the officiating, because Davis is a mastermind at drawing fouls. Conversely, it will be Nathan Sobey who Josh King turns to once again to control things offensively for his team. Sobey has played brilliantly in the last few weeks but will have to keep his emotions in check in this do-or-die game.

In the frontcourt, it is Harrell who will matchup with Matt Hurt in a battle that is worth the price of admission alone. What makes this contest so enticing is that both players are vastly different competitors in the way they go about it on the floor. Harrell uses his strength and power to get to his spots on the floor to dominate, whereas Hurt can score in a variety of ways both inside and out.

The stat: Adelaide is the lowest rebounding team in the league (38.84).

Missing in action: Derrick Walton Jr is out (hamstring).