NBL: Tasmania JackJumpers fade out against Jarell Martin, Sydney Kings

Steindl's lone arm was a feeble resistance to the gravitas of Martin (24 points), who made his crashing dunk seem inevitable from the moment he entered the paint.

That dunk, dripping with a casual swagger, seemed to be a reminder for the Sydney Kings that they were the side to be feared rather than the team from the Apple Isle.

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It sparked a 33-13 scoring spree for the Sydney Kings as they overturned a nine-point deficit heading into the final term to record a 83-71 win over the Tasmania JackJumpers.

The JackJumpers will head back to Hobart to face the New Zealand Breakers with a four-game losing streak and two double-digit losses in a row.

It seems like a horror stat line but the scoreboard does take away from the fact Tasmania were, despite the end result, better.

"It's obviously frustrating, I thought we played very well for three quarters, kind of what I envisioned us to be," JackJumpers' coach Scott Roth said post-game.

"It got away from us in the fourth quarter and there are lessons to be learned there. There are positives and we can build on those, get back to Tassie and get back to work."

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For the best part of three quarters, the JackJumpers walked into The Jungle and rarely took a misstep against a Kings side which is tipped for higher honours.

They hustled the home side with a scrappy defence and chased second-chance points as Steindl (15 points) and Josh Magette (13 points, four assists) marshalled the visitors to a healthy lead at half-time and into the final term.

The JackJumpers racked up a 10-0 scoring run in the second-term which built the foundations of the lead as they showed a glimpse of attacking potential.

When the Kings found their range around the perimeter in the fourth, the JackJumpers' shooting woes returned as Sydney enjoyed an 11-0 scoring run to start the final term while Tasmania missed all of their second-half three-point attempts.

The JackJumpers finished the game with another disappointing shooting night, recording 27-70 shooting from the floor and 8-29 from beyond the arc.

If there is something that Tasmania lacks, it can be seen in Sydney's dynamic duo of Martin and Xavier Cooks.

Even without Jaylen Adams and RJ Hunter, the Kings' pair were able to create plays when the offence seemed covered to ensure Sydney's score kept ticking over as they surged.

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It was a factor Sydney coach Chase Buford alluded to in his post-match interview.

"We kept plugging away and tried new things and we got some sets in the fourth quarter, got some better looks and the guys made some great individual plays on their own," he said.

"I told Jarell earlier today,' we need you to be aggressive, to make things happen."

Without the out-and-out dynamism of a Martin or Cooks, who play both ends of the floor, the JackJumpers need to ensure they are unrelenting for four terms.

As the JackJumpers return to Hobart for a Boxing Day clash, their team ethos will once again be tested as they look to turn fade outs into a thing of the past.

The NBL have locked in fixtures for the new year with round seven to nine officially revealed earlier this week.

It will be welcome news for the JackJumpers' fanbase with the Tasmanian side set to play five games at MyState Bank Arena in January.

The JackJumpers will face-off against the Breakers on January 14 and will also welcome finals aspirants the Perth Wildcats and Sydney Kings on January 23 and 28 respectively.

Those games come in addition to a New Years Day fixture against Melbourne United and a January 8 game against the Kings in front of a home crowd.

"These updates to the schedule will likely have some impacts on our opponents and possibly game times later in the season and we hope to have more confirmation on our February and March schedule soon," Brookhouse said.

"After playing in front of a record crowd against the Wildcats last week, we're looking forward to turning the tables in front of a packed JackJumpers home crowd at MyState Bank Arena when we host them in January."

Brookhouse said he hoped that the February and March fixtures would be locked in by the league in the coming weeks.

The New Zealand Breakers are next up on the JackJumpers agenda with a Boxing Day clash as the travellers look to score their first win of the season.

The Breakers have been on the road since the season began due to the border situation with COVID-19 and most likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future although the venue for their January 30 clash against the JackJumpers is unconfirmed.

The club has posted their worst start to a season in club history with an 0-5 ledger as they deal with constant travel and injuries to key players like captain Tom Abercrombie.

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On their day, like when they took the Illawarra Hawks to a double-overtime heartbreaking 97-96 loss, they can be a handful but they can put in a flat performance like their recent loss to Melbourne United

Injury replacement player Chasson Randle will cover for injured import Peyton Siva and could be named for a debut against the JackJumpers on Boxing Day.

Randle suited up for the Orlando Magic last season 20 minutes per game in 41 NBA games, and should ease the scoring load on Yannick Wetzell and Hugo Besson going forward.

"We believe he's going to come in and be one of the best imports in our league," Breakers owner Matt Walsh said when Randle was announced.

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