The Cairns Taipans finally ended an unwanted record in Wollongong. Catch up with all the round 13 NBL action.
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The Taipans got the job done against a plucky Hawks side in Wollongong.
Earlier in the round, some electric shooting from range from Chris Goulding has led Melbourne to a win over Brisbane.
The JackJumpers bounced back from their grand final rematch loss to the Kings to defeat the Phoenix.
Earlier in the round, the Adelaide 36ers notched up another home win, this time over the Brisbane Bullets.
Catch up with all the NBL23 action.
– Matthew McInerney
Cairns has broken the Wollongong curse but not before an almighty scare by an undermanned Hawks.
The Taipans lost their previous 10 games at WIN Entertainment Centre, a run extending back to 2016, but that unwanted streak was finally snapped after the 96-89 win.
The undermanned Illawarra started hot, as Tyler Harvey and Sam Froling stepped up in the absence of key pair Michael Frazier III and Peyton Siva to take Illawarra to an early 10-point lead.
A 22-0 run in five minutes, including the first 17 points of the second term, put Cairns on top and in full control of the NBL’s regional rumble as the visitors marched to a game-high 18-point lead.
The incredible run was built on the back of brilliant, committed defence which forced turnovers through offensive fouls, a backcourt violation and poor shots, then marched down the other end and hit the mark.
But the Hawks refused to stay down, and Froling brought the home side level then Harvey put them ahead with just six minutes to play.
Taipans duo Tahjere McCall and back-up point guard Ben Ayre, who kept Cairns in the contest early, walked the tightrope with four fouls to their name by three-quarter time.
Just days after leading a miracle comeback win on New Year’s Eve, Shannon Scott topscored for the Taipans with 18 points, as six players hit double digits.
WALKING WOUNDED
Both teams carried injuries to key personnel into the regional rumble,
Keanu Pinder missed with an ankle injury, which kept him out of the New Year’s Eve game and will keep him sidelined for Thursday’s clash with the Bullets.
Michael Frazier (hamstring) and Peyton Siva (shoulder) were ruled out for the home side, but they brought back 665 games of NBL experience in veterans Kevin White and Tim Coenraad.
The Taipans suffered an early scare with Shannon Scott leaving the court within 80 seconds of the jump with a leg injury.
Though Scott, the hero of the NYE miracle, returned later in the first quarter and went on to 18 points.
Cairns has gone 2-0 without MVP candidate Pinder as they heap pressure on the top two.
AYRE’S BALL
Ben Ayre was on track for the game of his career when he checked in early.
Ayre had 15 first term points, the second highest opening quarter scoring performance of the season, as he grabbed the Taipans by the collar and dragged them back into the contest.
But the officials did a better job of slowing down Ayre than Illawarra’s defence, with the point guard picking up four quick fouls to leave him cooling his heels on the bench midway through the second.
He didn’t impact the scoreboard again.
SAM AND TY TIME
The Hawks needed captain Froling and star import Harvey to step up and boy, did they what.
They were spark at the start for the home side as they jumped out to a double-digit lead, and while they coughed up loss No.17 for the season (and eighth at home), their individual performances can’t be denied.
Froling was unbelievable.
He dominated in the paint, scoring at will and crashing the boards at both ends to. He led all scorers with a game-high 25 points (55 per cent from the field), grabbing 13 rebounds assists and dishing five assists in another complete night.
Harvey was similarly immense, with 21 points as the Hawks stars combined for more than half of the Hawks’ total offensive output.
THE HARD WAY
This Cairns team could be among the most resilient teams in recent NBL history.
Of the Snakes’ 12 wins, they have trailed by 10 points or more eight times and fought their way back to win.
It’s the difference between this Taipans and previous iterations; the deficit might blow out, but they are never out of the contest.
The Taipans are back in action on Thursday when they face the Bullets in Brisbane, while the Hawks play the 36ers in Adelaide on Friday.
– Greg Davis
Melbourne superstar Chris Goulding missed United’s Christmas Day loss through illness and he made a sloppy Brisbane feel sick to the stomach with a match-winning hot streak in the 99-86 victory over the Bullets at Nissan Arena on Sunday.
Goulding missed his first eight three-point attempts but hit four-straight triples in the third quarter as part of a personal 14-point blitz for the term when Melbourne opened up an eight-point lead over the Bullets at the last change.
Goulding was still feeling the effects of the illness after being too unwell to take on the Kings on Christmas Day but willed himself into the contest and finished with 20 points.
His heroics allowed United to take one step further along the play-offs tightrope with the eighth-placed Melbourne (10-12) needing to win their remaining six games to be in the hunt for a finals berth.
Melbourne play their next five games on the road with Tasmania, New Zealand (twice), Brisbane and Adelaide all waiting for United.
Brisbane (5-14) scored the first six points of the last quarter to get within a bucket of the visitors but United went on a 13-0 run to put the game on ice.
Ultimately the 19 turnovers, 20 offensive boards to Melbourne and the defensive breakdowns cost the Bullets dearly.
Centre Gorjok Gak was outstanding for the home side with 18 points and 13 rebounds for Brisbane in the absence of Aron Baynes (sore back).
The sides were locked together at 43-all at halftime with Gak the only player in double figures with 14 points – to go with seven rebounds – while Melbourne created extra scoring opportunities with their 10 offensive boards.
A 10-2 run from Brisbane late in the second quarter reeled in United who led 22-20 at quarter-time and got out to a six-point buffer.
Brisbane lost Aron Baynes to back soreness on gameday but Gorjok Gak spectacularly filled the void to continue his streak of breakout performances. Baynes has been troubled by back issues all season with Brisbane’s ridiculous travel schedule – ten of their first 15 games being away games – would not have helped the 36-year-old who is coming off a career-threatening injury. Gak started in the middle for Brisbane and gave the home side a legitimate spark with his athleticism, aggression and strong finishing around the basket.
Melbourne United head coach Dean Vickerman called a timeout after just 34 seconds when he was clearly unimpressed by his side’s ordinary defensive transition when Brisbane’s Gorjok Gak strolled in for a two-handed dunk. It was way too easy for Gak and Vickerman was happy to burn a timeout to reinforce to his squad that it should never happen again.
Bullets head coach Greg Vanderjagt spent his NBL career in the paint with Townsville and Gold Coast as a centre and he has put his mark on Brisbane’s offence. The Bullets had just six three-point attempts at halftime compared to Melbourne’s 17. The Bullets have established more of an interior game with their attack on the rim a feature of their new gameplan.
Isaac Humphries was benched after picking up his fourth foul and a technical very early in the second half. Humphries was called for a charge on Gorjok Gak and threw the ball towards the officials in frustration. Technically, yes, it was a tech. But in terms of feel for the game, it was a very soft call. Players aren’t robots. The referees imposed themselves on the contest after the break and it was not for the better.
– Jarrod Lawler
The JackJumpers remain in the top six after bringing in the New Year with a bang with a dominant 99-74 victory over South East Melbourne in Hobart on Sunday afternoon.
After a 20-point loss to the Kings on Friday the Jackies responded in sizzling fashion against the Phoenix as Isaac White and Milton Doyle scorched the visitors to register a massive 25-point win despite best efforts of Phoenix duo Allan Williams and Mitch Creek.
The crucial result was set up on the back of a scintillating 32-18 first quarter led by White who caught fire from deep on his way to a new NBL career high as Tassie blew the visitors out of the water.
The 24- year old Jackies guard was white-hot in the opening term as he hit three triples-and converted a four-point play- on his way to 10 first quarter points as he and Doyle combined for 17 in the term to lay the foundations for the monster win.
White continued to sizzle in the second period with another eight points to finish the half with 18 points- beating his previous NBL high of 16 while playing for Illawarra in 2021.
Meanwhile the smooth moving Doyle continued his stellar season to finish with 25 points to go along with seven assists and a whopping seven steals.
After White and Doyle set the scene for the big win a number of teammates joined in on the avalanche with Rashard Kelly (12 points, eight rebounds) and Josh Magette (14 points, three steals) both starring while on the other end Phoenix struggled to get production out of anyone but star duo Creek (18 points, eight rebounds, four assists) and Williams (21 points, 11 rebounds).
Remarkably the pair scored the visitors first 29 points as no other teammate managed to trouble the scorers until Junior Madut hit a triple with 5:50 left in the second term.
William and Creek scored 31 of South East’s 43 first half points but it was all to no avail as the JJs held a convincing 57-43 lead which would not be challenged as Tassie stormed home to their 11th win of the season.
The 99 point total was the second highest output for the Jackies this season.
In true JackJumpers style, both teams shot at 47 per cent in the first half but Tasmania‘s pressing defence forced the visitors into 15 turnovers which allowed the Jackies to take 14 more shots in the half to hold the comfortable lead.
At 11-9 and clinging to the sixth and final playoff spot with eight games remaining, the JackJumpers will continue their postseason push on Saturday when they host Melbourne United at MyState Bank Arena.
Meanwhile Phoenix will travel to Sydney to take on the Kings on Wednesday.
– Matt Cleary
Sydney Kings coach Chase Buford was sensationally banned from overseeing his side‘s grand final rematch with Tasmania JackJumpers on Friday night after an angry door-kick triggered a one-match suspension.
On Friday, an NBL integrity officer found that Buford had kicked a door at Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium on December 18 following the Kings‘ one-point, double-overtime loss to the Phoenix.
The NBL said in a statement that the Kings “were invited to make a submission” about Buford‘s suspension, adding that the NBL ”was satisfied a breach had occurred which subsequently triggered Buford’s suspended sentence.”
The original ban came about because of an incident before last season‘s finals series when Buford inferred that referee Chris Reid was biased against his team.
None of it appeared to matter to the Kings who, with assistant coach Kevin Lisch stalking the sideline, rolled over the JackJumpers 97-77 in front of a bumper crowd of 12,467 at Qudos Bank Arena.
Lisch paid tribute to his fellow coaches and said that it was a “fun game to watch”.
“You put in 99 per cent of the work before the game and the guys have done that … and the way they competed, especially after that first quarter when our defence wasn’t great, the fight and willingness to play for each other was really good to see,” Lisch said.
Captain Xavier Cooks admitted that Buford‘s dismissal was a distraction
“It was a bit of a hurdle when we heard about it this morning. Chase has a really big role in this team. He calls plays from the sidelines.
“I‘m not going to lie, we were a little bit worried about how that role was going to feel, how everyone’s nerves were going to feel.
“But Kevin did a great job of coming into the locker room and saying, ‘Yo, next man up mentality’. And he did a great job of settling the ship,”
Tasmania JackJumpers head coach Scott Roth said Buford‘s dismissal made no difference to his team’s preparation – “my cigars still tasted the same” – and paid tribute to Lisch.
“Congratulations to Kevin on his debut as a head coach. It was a good job on their part, the whole mindset of those guys was fantastic and they got after us with an old-fashioned butt-whipping. Much more aggressive. We had our butts handed to us,” Roth said.
Coming off a 21-point hiding to Melbourne United on Christmas Day and a tough first period in which they trailed by one point, the Kings dominated the visitors for the final three quarters, with Cooks – a favourite for league MVP – having a big game again with 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Dejan Vasiljevic (13 points, seven rebounds) and Derrick Walton Jnr (three rebounds, seven assists) also played big minutes with big impact.
In the second quarter, Roth was demonstrative on the sideline, waving his arms and chastising referees. The referees responded by issuing him a warning of his own.
Roth called a timeout – the Kings went ahead by six points and something had to be done. Soon enough the gap was eight.
A beautiful bouncing assist by Vasiljevic led to a monster dunk by Jaylin Galloway. Roth continued his histrionics, the referees warned him again. JackJumpers assistant coach Jacob Chance played peacemaker to ensure Roth remained on court.
Buford will return for the Kings‘ next home game against the Phoenix on Wednesday.
– Jason Phelan
It wasn’t easy, but Adelaide welcomed new import Ian Clark into the fold with a fourth home win in a row, the surging Sixers coming from behind to score a stunning three-point victory against Brisbane on Thursday night.
The Sixers inflicted a 31-point beat down on the flailing Bullets at the same venue just 13 days earlier, but the visitors led by four points heading into the last quarter.
The Bullets scored the first two points of a frenetic final term, but the Sixers went on an 11-0 run to take the lead and hold on for an 87-84 win in front of a record sellout crowd of 9,263 fans at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
Brisbane just kept coming in a brave display.
There were just three points in it with 5.4 seconds left when Tanner Krebs caused a turnover and was fouled by Anthony Drmic.
He made it a one-point game with 5.2 seconds remaining when Robert Franks was fouled and calmed frayed nerves when he iced his free throws, Tanner Johnson missing a triple that would have sent it into overtime with 1.8 seconds left.
Without ill skipper Mitch McCarron, Adelaide’s offence was humming in a 54-point first half, but the home side scored a season-low eight points in the third quarter.
Franks led the way with 18 points, Antonius Cleveland next best with 13, while Drmic registered a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Nathan Sobey had a game-high 24 points on 8-from-16 shooting, including three three-pointers, but ruined his good night with a technical foul with a minute remaining before fouling out three seconds later.
HOME, SWEET HOME
The Entertainment Centre has gone from a house of horrors for Adelaide to home, sweet home in the space of 13 days.
The Sixers were 2-4 on their home court when they hosted the Bullets on December 17, but have made every post a winner since in a packed Christmas schedule.
After an underwhelming 6-8 first half of the season, Bruton’s side is a perfect four wins from four games after the coach wiped the slate clean and declared the final 14 games before playoffs a ‘new season’.
BULLETS BETTER
The Bullets were in turmoil when they were thumped by Adelaide in Round 11, but there were promising signs for the storied franchise.
The stability the players crave came with interim coach Greg Vanderjagt appointed for the rest of the season and they’re healthier.
Tyler Johnson, Tyrell Harrison and Krebs didn’t play in the rout by Adelaide, but all were present on Thursday night.
After the Bullets snapped a five-game losing streak with an overtime win against Perth, Vanderjagt said that his team is a very different beast when closer to full strength and he wasn’t wrong.
Sobey was on fire early with a game-high 10 points in the first quarter, with Johnson joining the party to have 10 by halftime.
The Bullets went on a 9-0 run to start the second half and led at three-quarter time after Sobey got hot again.
ALL EYES ON IAN
Clark entered the game with just over six minutes remaining in the first quarter and he quickly made his presence felt when he went the length of the court and drove hard to the basket.
The NBA and NBL championship winner‘s first points as a 36er came after he landed his lay-up and converted the foul shot after wearing one on the nose from Nathan Sobey.
Clark missed his first three-point attempt in the first quarter but drained two in the second, with his first stopping a 10-0 Brisbane rally that put the visitors up by seven points.
The 31-year-old had an equal team-high nine points at halftime to help the Sixers edge back in front 54-51.
He didn’t add to his tally in the second half, but played just under 20 minutes in a promising start for his new club.
The Sixers will now hit the road for a New Year’s Eve clash against the Taipans in Cairns, while the Bullets are back in action on New Year’s Day when they host Melbourne United at Nissan Arena.
Originally published as NBL23: Cairns Taipans defeat Hawks in Wollongong for the first time since 2016
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