Someone forgot to tell Adelaide and Illawarra this was the first official game of the pre-season, because the grand finalists and NBL25 champions fought out a rip-snorter that was decided with the final shot of the game.
Veteran NBL champion Milton Doyle showed why the Hawks made the move to give him a third lifeline in the Australian league, capping off a best-on-court performance by beating the buzzer with a clutch three-pointer that sealed a 100-99 win.
In a high quality Code Sports NBL Blitz affair, the Sixers and Hawks punched and counterpunched all the way down to the wire, before Adelaide’s ex-NBA sharpshooter John Jenkins threatened to rip it away with four final-quarter triples.
But the Hawks found a way through Doyle take the chocolates in a game that will be hard to top for best of the Code Sports NBL Blitz.
MILT MAGIC
After a couple of up-and-down seasons, NBL options looked to be drying up for 32-year-old Doyle.
But Justin Tatum and the Hawks saw him as the perfect partner for newly naturalised Australian Tyler Harvey in their back-court and Doyle’s provided some early reward.
He’s always had the clutch gene — and proved it again with that massive triple at the horn — but it was Doyle’s composure and consistency throughout that would have pleased the Hawks’ faithful.
He led the Hawks’ scoring and the steal and behind-the-back, no-look dime to Will Hickey on the run early in the second quarter was of particular delight.
WHY SIXERS STUCK WITH JENKINS
Largely invisible with just the four points and six empty efforts from deep through three quarters, Jenkins came to life in the fourth.
Four flicks of the wrist and Jenkins went whack, whack, whack, whack to bury the Hawks and turn a quiet night into a 16-point effort.
Some raised eyebrows at the Sixers’ decision to bring back the 35-year-old but master coach Trevor Gleeson clearly saw something he liked and the way he was used against the Hawks bodes well for the season proper.
WELCOME BACK, BEN
When the backboard at Canberra’s AIS Arena came crashing down on him 12 months ago at last year’s NBL Blitz, Ben Griscti was left with a broken neck and feared he’d never walk again.
Flash forward to Thursday night and the 24-year-old was finally back in an Adelaide 36ers jersey and on the court, in the feel-good story of the Code Sports NBL Blitz.
At 211cm, Griscti has one serious weapon — his ability to shoot the three ball — and his first significant play in his return game was a pick and pop trey that touched nothing but net.
GIVING THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT
The ball movement from both these teams was very crisp for a first pre-season salvo at the Blitz.
It pinged all over the floor, there was great execution from both teams and it translated to combined 48 assists to just 17 turnovers.
More of that, please.
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