By Jasper Bruce
The Cairns Taipans have stunned the Sydney Kings with a 83-78 win that snaps the reigning champions’ unbeaten start to the NBL season and gets their own campaign back on track.
After a comprehensive loss to championship fancies Perth last week, the Taipans tightened their act up at both ends at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on Friday night to hand coach Adam Forde his first win from four outings against his old side.
For the first time this season, the Kings struggled to find their rhythm in offence and turned the ball over far too frequently, especially in the first half. Sydney were left to rue poor shooting from the free-throw line (14 from 25) with key man Xavier Cooks again struggling from the stripe (two from six).
Cooks and Derrick Walton Jr have been two of the NBL’s standout players in the opening weeks but neither were at their electric best, thwarted by the physical Taipan defence.
Another King tipped for a big season, Dejan Vasiljevic, led the way for the home side and was the only Sydney player in double figures for points at the last change. Vasiljevic was especially dangerous from three, netting nine of his 20 points from beyond the arc, to keep the home side in the game.
A close contest swung to the Taipans after the first change. Coach Forde was tech fouled for questioning the match officials just after quarter time, but the incident sparked an 18-3 run that helped the visitors snatch back the lead.
The Taipans’ Keanu Pinder drives for the hoop against the Kings.Credit:Getty
During a timeout later in the quarter, Forde told the referees they were having a “rough night” but that did not stop fouls continuing to be called against Cairns, who gifted the Kings easy chances from the stripe.
But the Taipans had no shortage of their own scorers, even with Tahjere McCall (hip injury) sidelined. Keanu Pinder (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Shannon Scott (16 points, five assists) stood tallest.
The Kings took a one-point lead into the main change but the Taipans came out hot as the sides traded blows.
Cooks and Walton exchanged words with Ben Ayre when he fouled the latter late in the third quarter, with the referees running in to separate the sides as tempers frayed.
The Taipans’ passion led them to again reach five fouls in the final quarter, Pinder fouling out of the contest in the final minutes, much to the delight of the Kings home crowd.
But it was the Taipans who had the last laugh, clinching a five-point win with a tenacious team performance on the road.
