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Wildcats veteran Jesse Wagstaff has avoided a two-game ban and will suit up Saturday’s trip to Tasmania.
He was initially suspended for “unduly rough play” for a hard screen in last Friday’s home loss to Melbourne United but he challenged the verdict instead of accepting a one-game discount.
He flattened United’s Lachie Barker in the first half with a heavy screen and opinion was divided on whether it warranted a suspension.
It’s not the first time Wagstaff has been accused of a cheap shot – he’s been getting away with physical defensive tactics for years, particularly in Perth where refs seem to be spooked by the intimidating crowds, and has a bad reputation among other teams for occasionally pushing the boundaries of fair play.
Is @PerthWildcats Captain Jesse Wagstaff in trouble for this contact? Game review panel has asked for a please explain! @NBL #NBL #wildcats #wagstaff pic.twitter.com/Z2UlpvtI4P
His availability is a boost for Perth for their trip to Hobart to face the JackJumpers, last season’s surprise runners-up who have won their past three matches after an 0-3 start to their second NBL campaign.
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Here’s all the pre- and post-game talking points for this weekend’s Round 4 fixtures.
NZ Breakers 77 South East Melbourne 99 at The Trusts Arena, 5.30pm AEDT
The Breakers were coming off impressive road wins over the Phoenix and Hawks without Barry Brown jnr (hamstring) to be in third spot but the bubble burst after conceding 38 points in the first quarter. The Phoenix are finally at full strength and imports Alan Williams (16) and Zhou Qi (10) dominated the paint, allowing Kyle Adnam (17) and Mitch Creek (15) to cash in on the back of that.
After a poor start to the year, South East Melbourne are now up to 2-3 and can start hitting their straps.
Melbourne 77 Cairns 81 at John Cain Arena, 7.30pm AEDT
Keanu Pinder is making a strong case to win NBL Most Improved Player for the second straight season – he’s leading the team superbly and was at it again with 26 points and 10 rebounds. The Taipans trailled by 14 but stormed home and held their nerve down the stretch when three-point bombs from Xavier Rathan Mayes and Rayjon Tucker threatened to stop them in their tracks.
Star import Shannon Scott earned plenty of praise from Cairns coach Adam Forde. “He’s a seasoned veteran, he’s a point guard. We don’t offer out free rides because we like people or they’ve got a nice smile. Do your job, and he’s doing his job the way he should.
“Massive props to Shannon for being the ultimate professional that he is.”
Just throw it up, KP will find it ????
Taipans steal the lead heading into the fourth quarter! pic.twitter.com/HxrbwHHyRC
Before the game, Melbourne coach Dean Vickerman admitted he’s had some “honest conversations” with import Jordan Caroline after his modest output in the first month. He was better in this outing, particularly on defence, but he should be nervous about his long-term future at the club.
You don’t need to read between the lines too much on this quote to see the writing is on the wall if he doesn’t improve rapidly: “While you’ve got a guy on your roster you try to get the absolute best out of him”.
Sydney 92 Adelaide 88 at Qudos Bank Arena, 7.30pm AEDT
The Kings are starting to show signs of concern after dropping their first loss of the season to Cairns last week and now going down at home again, to the 36ers this time, to be 4-2.
Their big-talking owner Paul Smith was up to his usual antics on Sydney radio station 2KY again during the week claiming the Adelaide 36ers had been talking themselves up like they were the Golden State Warriors after their NBA pre-season win over Phoenix and sarcastically added that they were really scared by them. Strange dude. Safe to say that gibber has come back to bite him.
Sixers imports Robert Franks, Antonius Cleveland and Craig Randall II came up big for the visitors, combining for 52 points. Randall led the way with 24 points, hitting six threes. Shooting from beyond the arc was decisive with Adelaide hitting a respectable 14/35 but Sydney were ice cold with 6/28.
Randall with the BIG triple down the stretch to extend Adelaide’s lead to 4
Catch the #NBL23 action live on ESPN via Kayo Sports and Foxtel pic.twitter.com/lOiQ3OnRZU
South East Melbourne vs Brisbane at John Cain Arena, 5.30pm AEDT
A quick turnaround for the Phoenix after flying home from Auckland. Both teams are under the pump after poor starts to their season. Bullets coach James Duncan, after his team went 0-4 following their home loss to Sydney, said “we did a poor, like D-minus, job of executing the game plan”. It’s early in the season to be calling out the players but they need to respond quickly.
Tasmania vs Perth at MyState Bank Arena, 8pm AEDT
Just when you thought the bubble had burst from the JackJumpers’ first season fairytale when they started the season with three straight losses, they’ve racked up a hat-trick of wins to show they again won’t be pushovers.
Perth import TaShawn Thomas will return after a two-game absence with an ankle injury to start at centre with Majok Majok going back to the bench.
(Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Cairns vs NZ Breakers at Cairns Convention Centre, 2pm AEDT
This is just the second home match for the Snakes in their first six games so if they can emerge with a 4-2 or a 5-1 record from that road stretch, they will be well set up to stay in the playoff equation as the season progresses.
Melbourne vs Sydney at John Cain Arena, 4pm AEDT
With Jo Lual-Acuil plying his trade in China and Matthew Dellavedova and Jack White on the biggest stage in the NBA, United are struggling to put the ball in the basket, second-last in offensive output in the league.
Sydney’s defence, led by Xavier Cooks and Justin Simon, won’t give them much room to move.
Illawarra vs Brisbane at WIN Entertainment Centre, 7.30pm AEDT
Tyler Harvey’s shooting woes continued, hitting 5/15 in his 12-point haul which was a mediocre high score for the Hawks in their loss to the Breakers in Wollongong on Monday.
They have signed former Breakers point guard Peyton Siva to replace import Justin Robinson after his season-ending knee injury. They’ll need more than his arrival to turn their fortunes around.
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