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LET'S be blunt. Phoenix are in phree-fall and looking more than a little vulnerable in their quest for an NBL Phinal Phour spot and unless the reasons are quickly addressed, expect more pain in the South East lane.

Their meek capitulation against well-established crosstown rival Melbourne continues a recent trend which threatens to see them idle during the playoffs this season.

While South East had injured players such as Dane Pineau and Adam Gibson in the wings, it unearthed quality players and had Mitch Creek playing out of his skull.

Then, when it signed Ryan Broekhoff and the club was sitting in third spot, it looked a team capable of contending with the "big two", Perth and Melbourne. 

The injury-absence of Keifer Sykes, the role confusion of players such as the back-up point men, Kyle Adnam, Izayah Mauriohooho-Le Afa and Adam Gibson, the continued erratic play of Cam Gliddon and Reuben Te Rangi - which has dogged their entire NBL careers - and the recent disappearance of Creek as an offensive force has left the Phoenix floundering.

Coach Simon Mitchell is having his struggles finding lineups that work but subbing out Te Rangi in the first quarter against United when he had 10 points, smacked of coaching-to-a-plan and not on instinct.

Broekhoff's additional in-out destabilisation of continuity and Pineau's inability make it back to be a force mean the Phoenix now are at 14-14 and in the pack with Sydney (14-14), Illawarra (13-14) Brisbane (12-14) and Adelaide (13-16).

Unless the trend changes sharply, there's no guarantee they make it out alive.

 

 

 

  ROUND 17 - GAME BY GAME

 

 

THEY started like a house on fire, then quickly burned out after a season best 31-point opening period in which Izayah Mauriohooho-Le Afa led South East against Melbourne.

From the time Keifer Sykes laid in the game's opening basket, this looked like the former South East Melbourne team - you know, the one we suspected could challenge for the championship - but it soon unravelled as Scotty Hopson put the Phoenix to the sword in the second quarter.

By halftime United was in front, aided by a sneaky Dave Barlow putback off a free throw just before the interval.

Then when Jock Landale began to truly exert himself (27 points at 76 per cent, 2-of-3 threes, 11 rebounds, three blocks), Melbourne steadily pulled away .

SEM genuinely resembled a rabble as United went 27-12 in the third to lead by as many as 22 and on their way to another Throwdown hoedown.

MELBOURNE UNITED 93 (Landale 27, Hopson 15, Lual-Acuil 12, Goulding 11; Landale 11 rebs; Baba 3 assts) d SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX 82 (Mauriohooho-Le Afa 19, Te Rangi 17, Adnam 14, Moore 11; Wetzell 9 rebs; Sykes 5 assts) at the Fire Pit, John Cain Arena. Crowd: 3,899

* * *

UNDERMANNED but never overwhelmed, Cairns did its best to hang tough with Brisbane but ultimately did not have sufficient talent to overhaul the finals wannabes.

Nate Jawai was proving more than a handful in the paint for the Bullets' rich big-man stocks and Majok Deng delivered an 18 point (on 8-of-13 shooting), nine boards, five assists, two steals and a block performance which was high among his all-around best.

The Bullets were trying to integrate new import BJ Johnson into the side but his 0-of-8 didn't do much to help on this occasion, guards Nathan Sobey and Jason Cadee showing the way to victory.

Sobey had 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists, and Cadee compiled his 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, with 4-of-7 threes.

The Taipans went down fighting, but it is difficult to see where their next win may come from.

BRISBANE BULLETS 96 (Sobey 25, Cadee 21, Drmic 14, Patterson 12; Harrision 9 rebs; Sobey 5 assts) d CAIRNS TAIPANS 87 (Jawai 20, Deng 18, King 13, Jois 12; Deng 9 rebs; Machado 7 assts) at The SnagPit, Cairns Pop-Up Arena. Crowd: 1,903

* * *

TRAILING by 16 in the third period on the road in Sydney, Adelaide really shouldn't have found a way out of the quagmire but it did, tying the game at 58-58 with a quarter to play on Tony Crocker's step-back 3-pointer.

The Kings still held the upper hand until Isaac Humphries tied the game at 81-81, Casper Ware missing a three and Daniel Kickert blowing an easier chance closer to the rim as time expired.

Sydney jumped out 83-81 before Sunday Dech pulled out a 3-pointer for the lead, leading to Daniel Johnson striking three - three! - triples in the overtime to pace a 13-0 run that sealed it.

NBA-bound tyro Josh Giddey collected his third triple-double en route to a key road win.

ADELAIDE 36ERS 97 (Johnson 20, Paul 19, Crocker 12, Pinder, Giddey, Humphries 11; Giddey 12 rebs; Giddey 12 assts) d SYDNEY KINGS 88 (Martin 25, Ware 17, Hunter, Vodanovich 13, Bruce 12; Hunter 8 rebs; Ware 9 assts) in Overtime (81-81) at The Kingdome, Qudos Bank Arena. Crowd: 4,063

* * * 

BRYCE Cotton opened as though he had some sort of point to prove - which he doesn't, ever - and John Mooney enjoyed a great offensive game, with a particularly powerful one-hand catch-and-dunk that should dominate highlight reels.

Down Corey Webster and Zach Randolph, New Zealand still had Finn Delany taking it to the Wildcats and Tai Webster also battling gamely as Perth exploited the Breakers' defensive strategy on the pick-and-roll.

Both Webster and Delany fouled out and Tom Abercrombie appeared to strain a hamstring late in the game, none of which was good news for the Breakers, in either the short or long term.

Todd Blanchfield's 5-of-8 threes also was eye-catching as the Wildcats prepared for the run to their 11th championship and inaugural threepeat.

PERTH WILDCATS 98 (Cotton 32, Mooney 27, Blanchfield 18, Norton 10; Wagstaff, Mooney 8 rebs; Cotton 10 assts) d NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 84 (Delany 21, T.Webster 20, Abercrombie 12, Bach 11; T.Webster 7 rebs; McDowell-White 9 assts) at The Jungle, RAC Arena. Crowd: 10,518

* * *

ROUND 17 (What We Learnt)

*South East Melbourne will have some difficult off-season calls to make on players as right now, Izayah Mauriohooho-Le Afa is the pick of their point guards;

*Melbourne United hardly runs a play to create an open shot for Chris Goulding;

*SEM Phoenix hardly runs a play to create an open shot for Mitch Creek;

*Warhorse Nathan Jawai still can get the job done in the paint and may be a key Cairns signing for next season with Cam Oliver now down to suit for four NBA games with Houston Rockets;

*Trust Mirko Djeric to make a clock-beating shot from centre;

*Shaun Bruce isn't a fan of getting a whack to the head - are any of us? - even if it was "friendly fire";

*The Perth crowd will boo anyone, this round it being NZ's Finn Delany for the heinous crime of disagreeing with what replays showed clearly was not a foul - his third - guarding Bryce Cotton;

*Trevor Gleeson is a lot more amenable post-game when he's beaten Dan Shamir's Breakers than when he loses to them.

QUOTE of the WEEK

"Obviously really pleasing second and third quarter. I thought our defence through that period really got to a high level of communication and trust in each other and that transferred into us making some pretty good decisions at the other end."

- United coach Dean Vickerman on his side's 28-16 and 27-12 second and third quarters after giving up 31 Phoenix points in the first.

TOMORROW: Our Team of the Week