Preview: Brisbane vs Adelaide - Round 19, NBL24

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Brisbane and Adelaide's Round 19 clash is looming as a must-win for both teams.

Friday, February 9 at 7:30pm AEDT | Nissan Arena

Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo - International viewership details
Box scores: Download the free NBL App

Liam Santamaria believes the Brisbane Bullets will turn into a “Tasmania-type” team in the final rounds of the season, and has backed them to improve on the defensive side of the ball against Adelaide.

Peter Hooley has labelled the Bullets’ loss to Illawarra as “concerning”, and believes this game is a “must-win” for the sixth-placed side.

Jason Cadee says the main area of improvement for the 36ers next season is to ensure the club has three imports, and that he hopes a large portion of the current playing group is retained to allow for some consistency in the club.

Brisbane
76-89 loss to Illawarra
77-93 loss to Melbourne
102-84 win over Cairns

Adelaide
86-109 loss to Tasmania
85-78 win over Sydney
88-71 win over Cairns

Aron Baynes
When the chips are down, a team needs to look to its leaders. The Brisbane Bullets have plenty of high-level, veteran experience on their roster with the likes of Mitch Norton, Nathan Sobey and Casey Prather, but is it time for Aron Baynes to put the team on his back for a potential last hurrah?

Baynes has slowly been finding himself becoming less and less influential in Brisbane’s rotation as the season has progressed. The emergence of Tyrell Harrison as a starting calibre center has sent him to the second unit, and the presence of Josh Bannan and Casey Prather at the four has restricted any possible influence in his secondary position.

Baynes has played fewer than 15 minutes in five of his last six appearances, however his 15-point, eight rebound performance in just 14 minutes against Cairns was a reminder of just how good he can be.

There are few players with the pedigree of Aron Baynes in the NBL, and he might be 37 years of age, but that type of class is permanent.

“It’s been such a rollercoaster season from the Bullets, because when they’ve been playing well and been up and about we’ve seen them in the top four and thinking this team is starting to put it all together, but that game against Illawarra was a little bit concerning.” - Peter Hooley on NBL Now.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Aron Baynes with the DAGGER ?<br><br>Catch the fourth quarter live and free on ESPN2 via Kayo Freebies | 10 Peach & 10 Play ? <a href="https://t.co/yJCASf7orw">pic.twitter.com/yJCASf7orw</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1748962369886097782?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Jason Cadee
The pair of DNPs Jason Cadee registered earlier this season were the first of his long and storied career in the NBL, and the veteran guard has not only worked himself back into Adelaide’s rotation during its revival, he’s re-established himself as a crucial piece of the puzzle.

Cadee, Sunday Dech and Mitch McCarron were all thought to be on the chopping block following the departure of CJ Bruton, and while the rotation has been drastically different under Scott Ninnis, the 36ers have found themselves looking in Cadee’s direction when they need some poise and calmness on the offensive end.

The former Best Sixth Man has found a niche of around 17 minutes per game over the last few weeks, however he only played eight minutes and failed to score in Adelaide’s season-defining defeat to Tasmania in Round 18.

There’s a minor trend emerging through Adelaide’s victories since Round 14 that the less Cadee plays, the smaller the winning margin has been.

The 36ers have to win here to maintain any chance of making the top six, and Cadee could play a big part in any success or failure they encounter on Friday night.

“They were the first two DNPs of my career, I’d never had to go through that, there was a lot of different things going on at that time throughout the club but for me it was a tough period. It never took away from how I was here on the floor or how I was with my teammates.” – Jason Cadee mid-week.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jason Cadee had him looking the wrong way! ? <br><br>Cadee threads the needle to Isaac Humphries behind the backs of the SEM Phoenix defence!<br><br>Watch the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL</a> live on ESPN! ? <a href="https://t.co/qRLn1rkILa">pic.twitter.com/qRLn1rkILa</a></p>— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ/status/1747562865236844615?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Justin Schueller vs Scott Ninnis
This game may be fixtured during Round 18, but in reality, it may as well be a Play-In clash. Although the Bullets have more room for error than the 36ers heading into the new round, this game is just about do-or-die.

For Adelaide, the equation is simple. Win the remaining two games of the season and hope other results fall your way. For Brisbane, it’s even simpler. Win your remaining games of the season, your destiny is currently in your hands.

A loss for Adelaide would all but spell curtains on an NBL24 campaign which has seen the 36ers become one of the fairytale stories of the league, and a loss for Brisbane could put an end to a season that has promised so much as various times of the campaign.

Justin Schueller is sage in the knowledge that he’ll be coaching the Bullets next season, but how will the rookie head coach handle what is one of the most high-pressure situations he has faced during his tenure?

Scott Ninnis is reportedly firming as the favourite to take the reins at Adelaide during NBL25, but with no announcement made, it’s a decision the powers at be within the 36ers are likely still mulling over, and a strong finish to the campaign – Finals secured or not – would be a huge green mark next to his name.

Here we have two coaches under immense pressure to win out for the rest of the season, and that starts with this clash. It’s impossible for both teams to win, so who will fly, and who will falter?

Adelaide has lost 17 of its last 21 away games, and the home team has won the last five contests between the Bullets and 36ers. Can Adelaide flip its recent road form and take a huge win out of Queensland?