Tight NBL threatens coaches hairlines

The unpredictable nature of this season's NBL has been underlined with the top two teams both losing to sides in the lower half of the ladder

Resurgent Melbourne United have found a new hero, but coach Dean Demopoulos is worried the topsy- turvy nature of the competition could result in premature hair loss for NBL coaches.

Last week's ladder counted for nothing as the top two clubs were beaten by the bottom two.

Bottom of the table United scored a 95-92 home win over ladder leaders Sydney Kings courtesy of a last-gasp three-pointer from new import Casper Ware.

The second-placed Brisbane Bullets crashed 101-83 at home to second-from-bottom Adelaide 36ers.

"(Sydney coach) Andrew (Gaze) and I have grey hair. We may have none by the end of the season," Demopoulos quipped.

"It's that kind of league.. It's not going to get any easier, it's going to get harder for everyone."

Former Philadelphia 76ers NBA guard Ware scored 28 points in just his second game for United after replacing former NBL MVP Cedric Jackson..

A match-high 29 from Brad Newley wasn't enough for Sydney, who had drawn level inside the last 10 seconds after Kevin Lisch made three free-throws when fouled.

Ware made just four of 13 three-pointer attempts and Melbourne 8 of 28 as a team, but Sydney's defence was deficient in other areas, according to Gaze..

'We might have been too three-point conscious and how we play the pick and roll needs to be better, they got to to the basket way too easily," Gaze said.

"We've got to acknowledge that our opponents are really really good, they are an outstanding team.

"It (their ladder position) is a a bit misleading because of some of their injuries.

"Casper is very very good."

Adelaide's upset win over Brisbane was built on a massive 36-18 quarter-time advantage.

Guard Jerome Randle scored 22 as Adelaide ended a four-match losing skid and snapped Brisbane's three- match win streak.

Adelaide coach Joey Wright said his team had been fired up by the Twitter comments of Brisbane big man Daniel Kickert.

After being cited by the 36ers for headbutting following their clash the previous week, Kickert tweeted he was looking forward to the rematch with the "Adelaide Thirty Snitches #dibberdobberswearnappies."

"I don't think we did anything to deserve that kind of attention, i think it definitely fired them up", Wright said,

Kickert was fined $1000 for the head butt and $500 for his tweet,, while Wright was pinged $500 for tweeting "I'm looking forward to playing the Brisbane B ches as well, see you Thursday.".

Bullets coach Andrej Lemanis lamented his team's early lack of defensive intensity and apologised to guard Adam Gibson on behalf of the side for not doing justice to the veteran in his 350th NBL game.


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Source: AAP



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Tight NBL threatens coaches hairlines | SBS News