THE second match of last night’s National Basketball League (NBL) opening night saw the Perth Wildcats emerge triumphant in their clash over the Adelaide 36ers at RAC Arena in front of over 11,000 fans. The Wildcats were able to win every quarter on their way to their first victory of the year, in what proved to be a convincing victory for last year’s runners up. In this article, we take a look at some of the crucial team and player statistics from the match that likely had an effect on the result of the match.

TEAM STATS

Surprisingly, the Adelaide 36ers were able to win a number of the key statistical categories despite the final result of the match indicating otherwise. The defeated side were able to shoot more accurately from the free throw line, pull down more rebounds and dish out more assists than their opponents, but still ended up falling by 12 points. The most crucial area proved to be the accuracy from behind the arc, an area in which the Wildcats ended up succeeding in throughout the match. The Wildcats have a number of talented shooters, including Victor Law and Bryce Cotton, both of whom were able to chip in with some nice shots from deep in the victory. This is evident of the direction of the league, and Perth were able to prove that this is a vital area in determining the likelihood of claiming the win in a match.

TOP POINTS SCORERS

The Wildcats were well-led by their new recruit in Law, who was damaging across all four quarters of the match and was able to produce a stunning offensive display. The forward finished with a game-high 37 points as he tormented Adelaide defenders by making 13 of his 29 shots from the field. Reigning League MVP Cotton was also solid in his return from injury, pouring in 16 points, but there were signs of rust as he struggled with inaccuracy for much of the match. 36er Johnson fought all day on his way to 22 points, including 6-7 when inside the three-point line. The main thing to take out of these statistics is the threat the Wildcats now pose with the deadly scoring combination of Law and Cotton, and will likely be right in finals contention once again this year.