Preview: Tasmania vs New Zealand - Round 13, NBL24

Sunday, December 31, 2023

The Breakers are surging up the NBL ladder, but can the JackJumpers stop them in their tracks?

Monday, January 1 at 4pm AEDT | MyState Bank Arena

Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo | Sky Sport in NZ - International viewership details
Box scores: Download the free NBL App

Majok Deng will miss at least four weeks with an ankle injury for the JackJumpers, while a calf contusion has placed Will Magnay under doubt as to whether he’ll play this game.

New Zealand welcomed Zylan Cheatham back to the court after the import forward registered a pair of DNPs, following his return to the active roster from a foot injury.

The Breakers have won their last three games to move them into the top six on win percentage. They have won one less game than seventh-placed Cairns, but have contested three fewer clashes than the Taipans.

Tasmania has been shifted outside of the top two following Perth’s run of form.

Formguides

Tasmania
77-85 loss to South East Melbourne
100-89 win over Illawarra
82-90 loss to Sydney

New Zealand
81-71 win over Brisbane
109-101 win over Sydney
111-82 win over Cairns

Marcus Lee
With Will Magnay under an injury cloud at the time of writing and Majok Deng set to miss up to four weeks with an ankle injury, the pressure is on import center Marcus Lee to step up and perform.

The JackJumpers have been a middle of the road rebounding team in NBL24, but they were absolutely dominated on the boards in their Christmas Day loss to South East Melbourne – so much so, Scott Roth said his team absolutely did not deserve to win the clash against the Phoenix.

Tasmania lost the rebound count by 15 boards on the night and gave up 24 rebounds on the offensive end. In a game that was decided by 15 points, those Phoenix o-boards helped account for a crucial 22 second-chance points.

The pressure has been on Marcus Lee at various points this season. He’s found himself in foul trouble, or he’s found himself behind a returning Magnay in the pecking order.

Lee makes his money in rebounds and defensive stops, and for a team looking to bounce back from a poor game in both of those areas, it’s time for him to shine.

“We were horrendous with our foul discipline, and add in 24 offensive rebounds and that’s a recipe for disaster. They outworked us in a lot of different areas, out-scrapped us, and we were just lucky to be hanging around to be quite honest.” - Scott Roth following the loss to South East Melbourne.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">ICYMI: Milton Doyle's lob to a huge one-handed jam by Marcus Lee set the tone for Tasmania's big win against Adelaide. <br><br>Milton Doyle finished the game with a smooth 20 pts and 6 assists. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL</a> <a href="https://t.co/i3fbcGSHZ2">pic.twitter.com/i3fbcGSHZ2</a></p>— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ/status/1730917450013917218?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Zylan Cheatham
It took a little bit of time for him to get back up and running in his return game against Brisbane, but Zylan Cheatham reminded everyone why he was seen as an early-season MVP candidate when the game was on the line against Brisbane.

Cheatham ended the game with 11 points, but was absolutely crucial to the Breakers’ 12-0 run to round out the game, and threw down a pair of typical monster dunks NBL onlookers have come to expect from him.

Head coach Mody Maor said he was expecting no issues in Cheatham and Anthony Lamb playing together, and the pair showed great signs of being one of the NBL’s best import duos in the remainder of the season.

The Breakers are mounting a serious push up the ladder, and if Cheatham can continue to build on his strong fourth quarter against the Bullets, don’t just have them in the Finals race, keep them in the title race.

“What I liked was the level of focus he (Cheatham) played with in the fourth quarter. He didn’t play great at the beginning, it took him time to get into rhythm. He got every cover right, he was big on the boards, he was great on offence, but he was very impactful in all the places where sometimes it takes a bit of rhythm to catch and he didn’t miss a beat.” – Mody Maor following the win over Brisbane.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Welcome back Zylan Cheatham ?<br><br>Catch the action live on ESPN via Kayo | Sky Sport 2 in NZ ? <a href="https://t.co/XtECqtHtXQ">pic.twitter.com/XtECqtHtXQ</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1739954038236496197?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Milton Doyle vs Will McDowell-White
Milton Doyle and Will McDowell-White were two of the best players in NBL23, and while Doyle started this season like an MVP candidate, he’s struggled for form in recent weeks.

McDowell-White is also still searching for his best basketball having returned from his leg injury, and is slowly beginning to work out his backcourt partnership with fellow hyphenated superstar Parker Jackson-Cartwright.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Milton Doyle is getting hot like Christmas dinner ?? <br><br>Watch the NBL on Christmas Day Live on ESPN via Kayo ? <a href="https://t.co/R4VKZUcXd6">pic.twitter.com/R4VKZUcXd6</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1739186042094174221?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

While Doyle is a slightly more versatile backcourt option due to his strong ability to play an off-ball role, the presence of Jordon Crawford and Jackson-Cartwright for either team means Doyle and McDowell-White will likely cover each other on the defensive end due to their added size.

Doyle’s defence is an often-overlooked part of his elite and well-rounded game, while McDowell-White – for all the praise that was placed on him last year – has also been consistently underrated on the defensive end.

Both players can prove decisive influences on the offensive end of the court, but given the likelihood they’ll be matching up together on the defensive end – it could be their defence that wins games.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Will McDowell White in his bag ?<br><br>? Sky Sport 2 and Sky Open<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UNBREAKABLE?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UNBREAKABLE</a> <a href="https://t.co/J3kxF1rfIk">pic.twitter.com/J3kxF1rfIk</a></p>— BNZ Breakers (@NZBreakers) <a href="https://twitter.com/NZBreakers/status/1739942680258548045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Breakers have lost their last eight games at MyState Bank Arena, and have won just one of 12 contests they've played at the venue. That win came in Round 10 of NBL22 as the home team against the Illawarra Hawks. Yannick Wetzell top scored with 22 points in the win.

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Yannick Wetzell.