Expert
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Adelaide 36ers vs Cairns Taipans |
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2016/17 NBL Season, 21 October 2016 |
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Titanium Security Arena, Adelaide | ||
Adelaide 36ers | Cairns Taipans | |
83 | SCORE | 67 |
29 | Q1 | 16 |
17 | Q2 | 16 |
18 | Q3 | 20 |
19 | Q4 | 15 |
The Adelaide 36ers were dealt a crushing blow with Mitch Creek ruled out for eight weeks, but will be looking to get back-to-back wins on the board when they host the struggling Cairns Taipans. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:30pm (AEDT).
It was a tale of contrasting fortunes for the 36ers in Round 2, as they lost their first match (and their captain) against Melbourne United before turning it around for an overtime win on the road against the Brisbane Bullets.
After the high of Round 1, when they defeated Melbourne on the road, they were sent spiralling downhill with a double-digit loss to the NBL glamour club.
That down didn’t last too long though, with Jerome Randle putting on a show for the second time this season and inspiring the club to an overtime win against the Brisbane Bullets, despite always looking to be behind in the contest.
As is going to be the case for Adelaide more often than not this season, Randle will be the key, but others – in particular, Nathan Sobey and Brendan Teys – are starting to show their worth while imports Terrance Ferguson and Eric Jacobsen are doing the same.
For Cairns, it has been an extremely difficult start to the year, one they have spent on the road struggling to gain any real sense of momentum despite playing some fantastic basketball.
Coming into Round 3, they are the only team to have not won a game, but then again they are also the only team who hasn’t played two matches in a round or had a home fixture yet.
In Round 1, without their key centre Nate Jawai on the floor, they took it right to the Perth Wildcats, eventually going down in overtime before not being able to keep up with the Sydney Kings down the stretch last weekend.
Jawai being back gives them plenty of size inside, and with their frontcourt imports, Fuquan Edwin and Nnanna Egwu, firing, they have been strong defensively.
Unfortunately, their offence is lacking a little bit of creativity and spark which is an issue that Travis Trice was supposed – but hasn’t been able – to fix.
That has put a lot of extra pressure on the likes of Cameron Gliddon and Jarrad Weeks, who have done a solid job but not enough to get the Taipans over the line.
Prediction
Adelaide, despite being at home, have plenty of cards stacked against them. They have been inconsistent, and don’t expect that to improve without Creek on the floor. Cairns took Perth to the wire, and with Nate Jawai working his way back into form, they should get their first win of the season here.
Taipans by 5.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of this Round 3 NBL fixture from 7:30pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to get involved by adding a comment in the section below.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde