Lowery: 'Phoenix in world of Hurt'

Can the Phoenix stop Adelaide 36ers star Montrezl Harrell when he enters the Firepit on Saturday night?

According to former NBL champion, Damon Lowery, no. 

“Jordi Hunter is not gonna play more than 24 minutes a game, so they’re gonna be small. They’re gonna go with Matt Hurt. Matt Hurt cannot defend Montrezl Harrell, that’s just a fact,” Lowery said on NBL Now. 

“(It) could be a bit of a shootout between those two. Adelaide have more defensive depth that they can throw at Matt Hurt, than what the Phoenix have to throw at Montrezl Harrell.”

Both teams are in form right now with key pieces on both ends; Harrell and fellow MVP contender Kendric Davis are leading the charge for Adelaide, and Hurt and Sobey are in fine form on the other side.

Then there's the wildcards with upside. Both Jarell Martin and Derrick Walton Jr. haven't quite found their best, but the pair showed signs last week that could be about to turn. 

“You’ve got the South East Melbourne Phoenix with nine losses, you’ve got Adelaide with nine losses, so I’m keeping an eye on the loss count,” Lowery said. 

“This is when the head-butting starts, who can get those vital wins.”

One 36er in particular who’s caught the attention of Lowery is Davis, who has put together first year NBL numbers comparable with the very best NBL imports in history. 

He's averaging 23.3 points and 7.2 assists per game and looms as a huge contender to Bryce Cotton, Harrell and Hurt for the league's most prized award.

“Kendric Davis, he’s the MVP light. We know who the MVP heavyweight is, and just underneath Bryce is Kendric Davis,” Lowery said. 

“Who’s gonna guard him? Are you gonna start Angus Glover? Are you gonna start Sobey? Are you gonna start Derrick Walton Jr back in the starting lineup? Whoever it is, they’ve got their hands full. The Phoenix are playing some really good basketball.”

Phoenix head coach Josh King is adamant it won't be a one or two-man show for the 36ers.

“We’ve got to stop their whole team, we’re not just focussing on two guys. There’s three other guys on the floor with them at any time, so you’ve got other good players as well," he said.

“We know they’re (Harrell/Davis) going to take a lot of shots, they’re a big part of what they do. You just can’t let them go off.”

The open-air game between the Phoenix and 36ers tips off on Saturday night at 8pm AEDT, live on ESPN.