Summer Shootout: Sparks to fly again?

The heated rivalry between Adelaide and Melbourne is set to go to another level, after United nominated the 36ers as their Summer Shootout opponent.

It means the clash between the clubs on January 4 – their first meeting since the fiery events last Sunday – will have added spice with Melbourne looking to run up the score and establish an early advantage in the Shootout.

“For me, it’s one of my former teams … I kinda know the rims a little bit, I’m hoping they will be friendly for us. We got guys that can light it up and get hot, so hoping it will be the game we can do it,” Melbourne star Ian Clark said.

“It’s always fun to silence the crowd, but the mindset is still to just win the game.” 

United will enter the Shootout as one of the favourites, with Dean Vickerman’s squad ranking second in the league in both offensive rating and points per game. Contrastingly, the 36ers allow 94.4 points per game, the most of any club.

The Summer Shootout is an innovative new concept where each club has nominated an away game in January, where it believes it will score the most points. The away team that scores the most points in the 10 Summer Shootout games will take home $50,000.

The 10 Summer Shootout games are: 

The fan who chooses the club that scores the highest points in their Summer Shootout game and correctly predicts their score will be in the running to win $100,000. Fans can enter the competition on the free NBL app and NBL website.

Brisbane Bullets v Sydney Kings, Saturday January 4, Brisbane Entertainment Centre

The high-powered Kings have nominated the Bullets and Brian Goorjian will be hoping his offensively stacked roster will click on all cylinders. 

The individual scoring talents of Jaylen Adams, Cam Oliver, Xavier Cooks and Kouat Noi can’t be understated, making Sydney a dangerous unit to take out the Shootout. 

“I’m already the father of the Gold Coast Rollers … why not be the father of South East Queensland,” Noi said.  

Brisbane has been nominated twice as a Shootout opponent and Justin Schueller will no doubt be counting on his side to lock in defensively and avoid getting embarrassed at home. 

Tasmania JackJumpers v Adelaide 36ers, Friday January 10, MyState Bank Arena 

On paper, the 36ers selecting the JackJumpers as their opponent seems strange. 

Tasmania is the defending champion, is undefeated at MyState Bank Arena this season, and rank second in defensive rating and third in points allowed. Hard-nosed, grit-and-grind defence are hallmarks of Scott Roth teams, and they will be extra determined to ‘defend the island’ during the Shootout. NBL analyst Peter Hooley called the selection a “shock”.  

However, Adelaide is welcoming the challenge of battling the best, believing it will push them to the limit and potentially earn them 50k in the process. 

“The reason why we chose them is because it gives us a test to actually put towards our offence against a top-rated team in the NBL as far as the defensive rankings. It is definitely going to test our offence in a variety of ways,” 36ers star Montrezl Harrell said. 

Tasmania JackJumpers v Perth Wildcats, Sunday January 12, MyState Bank Arena

If one team nominating the Jackies seemed bizarre – two doing it might be seen as madness. 

However, the Wildcats are following suit with the Sixers, setting their club a challenge against one of the most ferocious defensive squads in the competition. 

“We chose a really strong team on purpose. We felt a lot of other teams would have chosen easier opponents and we wanted to do the opposite of that. We also wanted to challenge our guys and in doing that we want to give them the full amount of money the club receives if we win it,” Perth owner Mark Arena said. 

Perth scored 88 against Tasmania in early November, a mark that would seem unlikely to win the Shootout. However, with four-time MVP Bryce Cotton playing, anything is possible for the Cats.

Brisbane Bullets v Cairns Taipans, Friday January 17, Brisbane Entertainment Centre

The two Queensland rivals don’t necessarily need any extra juice injected into an already bitter feud, but things will go up a notch after the Taipans nominated the Bullets. 

“You know you can’t have a Summer Shootout without the Sunshine Showdown,” Taipan Pedro Bradshaw said. 

It has been a disjointed campaign for Adam Forde’s squad, who have battled a slew of injuries to key players. However, if the microwave Rob Edwards, and star guard Taran Armstrong, are playing, the plucky Taipans are capable of posting a high score. 

South East Melbourne Phoenix v New Zealand Breakers, Saturday January 18, State Basketball Centre

Earlier in the season, the Phoenix looked to be a wise choice as a Shootout opponent. However, the team that was once 0-5 and last in the defensive metrics, is not the same team the Breakers will run into come January 18.  

South East Melbourne has risen to fourth in defensive rating, just 0.1 points off equal-second. For New Zealand to have any chance of running up the score against them in the furnace of the State Basketball Centre, Parker Jackson-Cartwright will need to perform at his elite standards.

PJC has been outstanding and is an MVP frontrunner, posting 18.6 points and 7.4 assists per game. He is the primary source of the Breakers’ offensive attack and their Shootout hopes hinge on him.

“Having PJC and the ability to create against the South East Melbourne guards is a significant advantage,” 1990 NBL MVP Derek Rucker said. 

Cairns Taipans v Illawarra Hawks, Thursday January 23, Cairns Convention Centre

Justin Tatum’s high-flying Hawks were always going to be Summer Shootout favourites, no matter their opponent. 

Illawarra possesses the league’s most potent offensive attack, ranking first in both points per game and offensive rating. The likes of Tyler Harvey and Trey Kell can explode on any given night, while Hyunjung Lee can get hot in a hurry.  

Facing a Taipans team who ranks last in defensive rating, it would be a surprise if the Hawks don’t enter the Shootout as the majority pick to bank the $50,000.  

However, Rucker believes Cairns will be a different looking team come January and it is “really difficult” to score 100 points in FNQ, so expect an entertainment battle. 

South East Melbourne Phoenix v Tasmania JackJumpers, Saturday January 25, State Basketball Centre

Being the underdogs and having their backs against the wall is nothing new to the JackJumpers and that is exactly the predicament they face in the Summer Shootout. 

Offence has been a struggle for the defending champions. Tasmania is last in key offensive measures and are posting just 78.9 points per game. Imports Milton Doyle and Jordon Crawford haven’t fired consistently or efficiently, while the loss of Jack McVeigh has been immense.

However, when everyone says the JackJumpers can’t do something is usually when they do it – and prove everyone wrong, so you can’t completely write them off. 

“They (Phoenix) recently got a win against us at home in front of our fans in Launceston, so we need some payback for that … we’re going to look to put on a show and get a lot of points,” Tasmania forward Fabijan Krslovic said. 

Adelaide 36ers v Brisbane Bullets, Friday January 31, Adelaide Entertainment Centre

James Batemon holds the key to Brisbane’s Shootout hopes. The sparkplug etched his name in the history books on Sunday, scoring 51-points, a record in the modern 40-minute era.

While nobody will be anticipating another half century, Batemon is the Bullets’ barometer. In wins he is posting 28.3 points per game while in losses that number dips dramatically to 7.7.  

If he gets going against an Adelaide team prone to leaking points, then Brisbane has a major chance to claim the Shootout on its final day.  

Hooley added he likes the pick and noted “there might be a target score in mind” considering it is the Shootout’s final day.  

Perth Wildcats v South East Melbourne Phoenix, Friday January 31, RAC Arena 

The Shootout will end out west, where the Phoenix will look to pounce on a Wildcats defence that is vulnerable to giving up big performances.

Chris Goulding (46) and Batemon (51) have had historic scoring efforts against Perth, who have struggled to contain opponents who get hot, which bodes well for Matt Hurt. The South East Melbourne scoring machine averages 19.5 points and just put up 27 against the Wildcats, so a big game from him could lead to a Phoenix scoring outburst. 

The Wildcats also allow the second most points, so expect the Shootout to come down to the very last game.  

“They play a fast-paced game, we play a fast-paced game … we are looking forward to going over there, taking the points and taking the money,” Phoenix guard Angus Glover said.