Basketball On The Internet.

IT'S amazing how important warhorse forward Anthony Petrie remains to Adelaide's NBL fortunes.

At a time when his career should be on he wane, he instead is playing some of his most influential basketball, not always reflected in the stats line but definitely on the hardwood.

Last night's early drive through the key for a two-handed slam dunk said volumes about how his 36ers were going to go about overcoming the horrors of their late game collapse against the Crocodiles in Townsville 48 hours earlier.

Whenever he was on the floor, Adelaide was the better team.

JUST PEACHY: Anthony Petrie here against Sydney and still getting it done.

When he was off, nursing an injured Achilles, Townsville again showed its heart and spirit to lead by 10 at one stage, all of Shawn Dennis' hardy crew making important cameos.

In the end though, 22 fouls to 11 and therefore 30 free throws for the Sixers to eight by the Crocs, was a telling stat.

Dennis didn't shy away from it either, unhappy about his team's tendency to reach.

"Ultimately if you do that, you force another human being into make a decision on it," Dennis said.

The other "human beings", by the way, didn't exactly have corker games for that matter, some very wayward and ponderous calling marring an otherwise tense battle.

Today: IT'S farewell to the Sydney Entertainment Centre which is sure to make it an emotional experience for the players and fans. Don't doubt that will effect the Kings in their last game at the venue (See: "Farewell to an iconic Venue" by Matt McQuade elsewhere at the blog) but when the dust settles, it IS the new NBL-leading Wildcats which Sydney is hosting. There may be some rough moments for Perth but with first place now theirs, the Wildcats won't be any more sweet than usual, It means the Kings will leave their spiritual home with heads bowed.

Last night: ADELAIDE 36ERS 76 (Randle 19, Johnson 10, Hodgson, Creek 9; Johnson 10 rebs; Randle 7 assts) d TOWNSVILLE CROCODILES 66 (Jett 15, Samhan 11, Maynard 10; Samhan 11 rebs; Samhan, Jett 4 assts) at Titanium Security Arena.