Perth Wildcats vs SEM Phoenix: Saturday Preview

Game Details
Perth Wildcats vs South East Melbourne Phoenix
5.00pm WST 26 February @ John Cain Arena
Watch LIVE on ESPN – available via Kayo or Foxtel

Context
Second spot on the NBL standings is up for grabs for the winner of this game, while the defeated team could drop out of the top four. The Perth Wildcats are coming off back-to-back losses for the first time this season, while the Phoenix have three wins from the last five games, with one of the losses coming in their clash with the Wildcats three weeks ago. Perth are eight games into a run of 14-consecutive away games, with their record on the road currently at .500. South East Melbourne have spent equal amount of time at home as on the road for a season record of 9-5.

What the coach had to say
Scott Morrison on first double-header round in a month
“I’m looking forward to the quick turnaround between games coming up over this next little stretch because they’ve been long weeks getting ready. You can only practice so much, you can only watch so much film and then you’re kind of just waiting and overthinking things, so I’m excited for the quick turnarounds.”

Scott Morrison on bouncing back from consecutive losses
“We had good success against them (South East Melbourne) last time. I’m sure they’ll make some adjustments to their game plan, and we’ll have to attack and adjust accordingly on our front. I think the guys know the games are important, they know you can’t drop too many in a row in this league and still compete for top spots. I think we have six road games left, right now we’re four and four, and we definitely have a goal of being over .500 by the end of that, so we have to clean things up.”

Roster Availability 
Todd Blanchfield returns for tomorrow’s game after recovering from shoulder soreness, while Mitch Clarke has also been added to the Wildcats line-up. Luke Travers’ availability is subject to a game day fitness test on a minor ankle sprain, while Kyle Zunic comes out of the team with Australian Boomers commitments.

Opponents to watch out for
Mitch Creek remains the biggest threat on the Phoenix roster, averaging 20.9 points per game. However, after a hot-shooting start to the year from distance, his three-point percentage has dropped to 16.7% over the last six games.
Cam Gliddon, averaging 4.7 points per game on the season, scored 20 points on 100% shooting in the Phoenix last outing.
Ryan Broekhoff has led South East Melbourne in rebounding in their last six games.

Last time they met
The two teams met just three weeks ago, with the Wildcats comfortably winning 101-79, despite trailing by 12 at quarter time. The damage was done in the second quarter as the Wildcats outscored the Phoenix 33-11. Luke Travers led the Wildcats in scoring for the first time with 24 points.

Fun Facts and Stats
Bryce Cotton is coming off back-to-back 30-plus point games for the first time in his NBL career. He has also had only one turnover in his last three games.
So far this season, if the Wildcats hold teams to 83 points or less, they’ve won on every occasion.

History
Perth and South East Melbourne have met nine times, with the Wildcats winning seven. The Phoenix have not beaten the Wildcats at John Cain Arena.

Milestones
Todd Blanchfield will play his 50th Wildcats game.