Vasiljevic says 36ers ready for Tassie clash

Adelaide 36ers captain DJ Vasiljevic said his side is prepared for Friday night’s road battle against Tasmania JackJumpers at MyState Bank Arena.

Coming off two impressive victories last round, Vasiljevic said the defending NBL champions will be the next test for the reinvigorated roster.

“They won eight straight games, but they have dropped two now, one at home and one away,” Vasiljevic said.

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“They will come out hungry, we picked them for the Shootout, so they’ll know that as well.

“Playing in Tassie there is always a bit of hostility, but we look forward to another great match up with them.”

Adelaide has chosen the JackJumpers as the club’s Summer Shootout team, with the 36ers looking to score the most points on the road in this game, and Vasiljevic knows the offense will come from tough defense.

“Last two games we have held two great teams to low scores, in the 80s and 90s,” Vasiljevic said.

“Defence fuels our offense, we want to play fast and when the play fast, we are hard to beat.”

The captain said the team meeting before the win in Sydney has been a turning point in the NBL25 campaign, but his side must continue to build on last round’s performances.

“We had that meeting, we established roles, held each other accountable and Mike (Wells, head coach) has gone shorter with the rotations and told us to play our game more freely,” Vasiljevic said.

“At the end of the day, we just want to win.”

TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS vs ADELAIDE 36ERS
MyState Bank Arena, Friday 7pm ACDT
Live on ESPN via Kayo Sports

OVERALL
Played 11, Adelaide 3, Tasmania 8

LIKELY STARTERS
JackJumpers: Sean Macdonald, Anthony Drmic, Milton Doyle, Reuben Te Rangi, Fabian Krslovic.
36ers: Kendric Davis, DJ Vasiljevic, Lat Mayen, Montrezl Harrell, Isaac Humphries.

LAST FIVE MATCHES
Nov 30, 2024 – JackJumpers 77 def 36ers 73 at AEC
Oct 20, 2024 – 36ers 77 def JackJumpers 73 at AEC
Feb 4, 2024 – JackJumpers 109 def 36ers 86 at MyState Bank Arena
Dec 2, 2023 – JackJumpers 94 def 36ers 59 at MyState Bank Arena
Nov 11, 2023 – JackJumpers 82 def 36ers 72 at AEC