Wells backs in Sixers' small ball group

Adelaide 36ers coach Mike Wells was searching for something and it was going small on Sunday that sparked their fightback, led by Jason Cadee and Montrezl Harrell, and it might be something he goes to more.

Everything was going swimmingly for the Sixers coming into Round 19. They had won six of their last eight games, were still a chance to finish higher than sixth and Wells had found the eight-man rotation that was working a treat.

However, losing Jarell Martin to a calf injury threw a spanner into everything and then on Friday night in their last home game of the season, Adelaide lost to the severely shorthanded Brisbane Bullets.

The 36ers then found themselves 23 points down early in the third quarter against the South East Melbourne Phoenix and Wells was just looking for any sort of combination on Sunday.

What ended up doing the trick was playing virtually with four guards with Sunday Dech and Cadee joining two of Lat Mayen, Kendric Davis and DJ Vasiljevic, and then with Harrell holding things down inside.

The 36ers soon went on a 19-0 run and had their own five-point lead during the fourth quarter having outscored the Phoenix 45-17 from the moment they fell 23 points down.

While they suffered a second loss of the weekend to remain in sixth position, Wells liked what he found in regards to what that small line-up can do especially with Cadee's +26 in his 24 minutes.

"We did have to play some really, really unique and different line-ups that I haven’t had to play," Wells said.

"We've stayed with a big line-up the majority of the year, but with Jarell Martin being out right now that's changed that structure a little bit.

"We were searching for different answers and I can't say enough about Jason Cadee, and what he was able to help us orchestrate.

"His leadership out there and trying to get guys in the right space helped us whether it was on the offensive or defensive end, to function. For us to find that rhythm in the second half and cut a really large deficit down on the road, there's nothing but a bunch of positives in that second half."

Harrell was barely sighted in the first half on Sunday with just two points and three rebounds, but he was a dominant force in the second to appear unstoppable at times on his way to 25 points and 11 rebounds on 11/14 shooting.

Wells just felt it was as simple as getting him the ball in positions he could thrive.

"We just passed him the ball. He can do a lot of different things and there's a lot of ways we can get him the ball, but when you give it to him he's a really unique player with a really high IQ, and a really good passer," Wells said.

"He's got a one-on-one mismatch all the time which is why they try to double him or soft zone it up or bring everybody over.

"His whole time in the NBA he was more of a role player and he was a passer and guy who flashes to the second side, but his basketball IQ is elite and when we can get him positions where he can function and be a passer at times, and get him into seams or downhill, his ability to find guys on the weakside is special."

The two losses this weekend mean that the 36ers can no longer finish higher than sixth, but barring a miracle working against them, they will take part in a Play-In Game and Wells remains confident that his group can advance beyond that.

"It's really interesting the stuff and questions and everything that we get, but we had a really, really good January and I think we're trying to make sure that we have a good February," Wells said.

"The group's been on the same page and every time somebody is out of your line-up things change a little bit, but we figured some things out on the fly and we're going to take the positives from this one and move on to the next one."