Stat Chat (Round 6, NBL25)

Statistics ... whether you love them or hate them, stats play a huge part in sport.

Whether it's when recruiting a player, how teams prepare, how a starting five is set up, or just about any facet of the game, numbers are crunched and relied upon as fact. 

This year, 2018 NBL Champion and expert commentator Pete Hooley will once again be our resident stats man on NBL.com.au and the NBL App, to provide a rundown of all the key numbers heading into a new round of games.  

Keep an eye out after every round for the latest edition of 'Stat Chat'.

What’s hot: 5
Pick whatever stat you want to describe Montrezl Harrell’s game against Cairns ... because he absolutely obliterated the Taipans all over the floor. Harrell’s 5 blocks set the tone on the defensive end, but his 36 points and 16 rebounds proved he’s one of the best injury replacement pickups we have ever seen.

What’s not: 23
Mentioned here last week that Adelaide are a team that like to shoot a lot of threes and when they aren’t hitting them, how do they get enough production. In the first half against Cairns, they shot just 23 per cent from deep and went into half time down double-digits to an undermanned Taipans. 

What’s hot: 20
It’s been a while since Mitch Norton has led his team in scoring, but it’s what was needed on Saturday night as the Bullets struggled to score the ball. Norton has made his career on the defensive end, but lifted when his team needed him too and dropped 20 points on the night.

What’s not: 9
Nine points in the opening quarter isn’t going to put you in a position to win a game, that’s just obvious. This league is too tough to get off to a start like that and expect to claw your way back and win the ball game. Brisbane had as many made field goals (4) as turnovers in the first 10 minutes against Tasmania. 

What’s hot: 11
Cairns went into Adelaide and sent a major scare to them by half-time, when they got out to a 16-point lead. That offensive onslaught was due to the Taipans hitting an astonishing 11 threes in the first half and they looked well poised to steal a game on the road.

What’s not: 1
It was a tough weekend overall for Cairns, but their first quarter against United about summed it all up. The Taipans had 1 more turnover in that 10 minute span than field goals made. They were 2-21 from the field and had 3 turnovers, which allowed Melbourne to get on top early. 

What’s hot: 23
The Hawks bounced back from Thursday’s defeat to beat the Phoenix on Saturday night and it was a team effort from Justin Tatum’s men. Anytime you can get 23 assists in a game, good things tend to happen and Illawarra was back to its brilliant best.

What’s not: -10.5
Once again the Hawks have had some serious struggles on the rebounding front, losing both across the weekend by an average of 10.5. This is usually an area that Illawarra dominates against its opponents and it’s now become a concerning trend for Tatum and the team. 

What’s hot: 81.7
Melbourne United continue to flex their muscles defensively and put the clamps on Cairns to end their round with two wins. They're currently the best defensive team in the league by both rating and points allowed, only giving up 81.7 per game to their opponents.

What’s not: 6
As good as they are defensively, Melbourne has shown a unique ability to protect the three-point-line in games. United successfully did that against Cairns, but it nearly cost them a win in Illawarra, where the Hawks hit 6 threes in the final quarter to close the gap.

What’s hot: 4
The exciting Next Star, Karim Lopez, was simply outstanding in the big win against Sydney. Lopez became just the fourth Next Star to record at least 10 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks in a game. He joins NBA players Ariel Hukporti, Bobi Klintman and Alex Sarr in elite company.

What’s not: 26
The Breakers opened the round in a disappointing fashion with a 26-point loss to the Phoenix in front of their home crowd. Their shooting clips weren’t horrific, but the Wildcats looked like a team struggling to be on the same page offensively, and in the end they fell apart. 

What’s hot: 34
There was a lot of pressure on Keanu Pinder to step up in the absence of their four-time MVP, Bryce Cotton, and he did just that. Pinder was outstanding with 34 points and 13 rebounds and was unstoppable against the Kings in this game.

What’s not: 15
Perth tried to limit the negative impact of not having Cotton available, by launching away from three and hoping to get hot. The Wildcats tried this and struggled, shooting just 15 per cent from deep but continued to blaze away.

What’s hot: 1
The Phoenix went over to New Zealand and dominated the Breakers from the opening tip. The box score tells all you need to know, with South East Melbourne only losing one statistic battle across the entire game and that was the 7 steals that the Breakers had. It was a great performance from a team that has struggled to find an identity thus far this season.

What’s not: 10
The Hawks managed to light up the second and third quarters against the Phoenix, where they hit 10 threes from 13 attempts. Considering they only hit one other three for the rest of the game, it essentially ended the Phoenix's hopes of going 3-0 under Sam Mackinnon. 

What’s hot: 6
A lone positive for Sydney out of this game is the fact that Izayah Le’Afa found some touch from deep Round 6, knocking down 6 threes to lead the team with 23 points. It’s been a rough start to the season for the new recruit as he tries to find his spot in the rotation.

What’s not: 1
One of the most concerning stats out of the round for Sydney was that from both losses, they only had one starter total reach double-figures in scoring. They continue to try and tinkle with their rotation and right now it’s costing them wins and chemistry. 

What’s hot: 87
Tasmania finally had a breakthrough offensive performance, and it translated to a much needed win for the reigning champions. The JackJumpers had four players in double-figures and there was a clear intent of them putting heat on the rim and making things happen.

What’s not: 10
The Bullets had multiple chances to try and steal this game from Tasmania, including 10 extra field goal attempts with only 3 more offensive rebounds. Tasmania prides itself on getting stops and in the end the JackJumpers just did enough in this game to get a win.