Wells pleased with hard-fought road win over Breakers
Adelaide 36ers Head Coach Mike Wells described the victory against New Zealand as an “ugly win” but was satisfied with his team's resilience during the game on Thursday night.
Bryce Cotton led the Sixers with 23 points, adding five assists and two crucial steals. The team held off a strong late push by the Breakers to secure an 83-79 win at Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch, marking their first triumph at this venue in three attempts.
The Sixers entered the match with three wins in their last four games against New Zealand, despite the Breakers having won the last five encounters between the teams. The game saw several momentum shifts, but ultimately, Adelaide emerged victorious.
“I thought that was a really, really hard fought NBL game. On the road, you've got to kind of bite and scrap and do a whole bunch of things, and sometimes it's not perfect and it's not pretty, but we got the win.”
“We gave up 33 points in the second quarter, and they scored 32 for the whole second half. That's what we've been preaching about.”
Wells praised the team's defense, especially their transition defense in the fourth quarter, and highlighted strong performances from several players.
“I thought our transition defence was outstanding, particularly in the fourth (and) I thought that we had some really good efforts and big games from a lot of different guys.”
He acknowledged room for improvement towards the end but credited the Breakers for their fight and determination.
“Of course, we want to clean it up a little bit at the end so it could be a little bit easier, but, you know, you give them credit, they fought, they scrapped, they fought, and we hung in there, and we got to win.”
Author's summary: Mike Wells expressed satisfaction with Adelaide 36ers' gritty 83-79 road win against the Breakers, highlighting strong defense and team effort despite challenges.