Mitch Creek has celebrated his three hundredth NBL recreation milestone with a 27-point haul to guide South East Melbourne to a record-setting 112-78 win over the struggling Illawarra Hawks.
The house aspect dominated Sunday’s match-up at John Cain Arena to set a membership file for the biggest successful margin within the 34-point victory – overtaking the earlier excessive mark of 32 factors towards the Hawks two seasons in the past.
Averaging a career-best 22.3 factors per recreation to guide the league in scoring, Creek maintained his current sizzling type with one other high-energy efficiency because the Phoenix chalked up back-to-back wins to enhance to 7-5 for the season.
The former Adelaide 36ers ahead with enjoying expertise within the NBA and Europe, turned the marquee participant for the Phoenix once they entered the competitors in 2019 and has entrenched himself as a fan favorite over 102 video games with the franchise.
“Obviously, Creeky’s 300th – we had to get up for it. He means so much to this club, to this league and to the guys in the locker room,” teammate Ryan Broekhoff mentioned in regards to the 30-year-old Creek.
“We love him, we cherish him and it was all about doing our best and putting in a good effort for him on his big day.”
All 5 starters for the Phoenix scored in double figures with Trey Kell III (24 factors), Alan Williams (21 factors, 12 rebounds), Broekhoff (15 factors) and Gary Browne (11 factors, eight assists) every enjoying pivotal roles within the win.
“We’ve got so many different options that it produces open shots for guys and look, some nights you don’t make it but tonight was a night that it felt like everything was dropping and it was a fun night,” Broekhoff mentioned in regards to the Phoenix line-up.
Anchored to the underside of the desk with a 1-9 file, Illawarra have been hoping to duplicate their round-two efficiency towards the Phoenix the place they claimed their solely victory of the season to date.
The guests made a promising begin with former Perth import Michael Frazier II marking his Hawks debut with a few early baskets however Broekhoff responded with a three-pointer and Creek added 10 factors as South East Melbourne closed the primary time period forward 27-17.
Williams stored the scoreboard ticking over for the Phoenix within the second quarter with a 10-point burst whereas Broekhoff joined Creek on 13 factors apiece within the opening half with a late three-pointer to increase the house staff’s benefit to 54-38.
Illawarra battled laborious to remain within the battle after halftime.
Peyton Siva and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk mixed to deliver the margin right down to 9 factors early within the third quarter however South East Melbourne’s multitude of scorers took management of the sport to construct an unassailable 84-58 edge with 1 / 4 to play.
