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No Josh Childress, no problems for the Sydney Kings. They have have well and truly dominated the Cairns Taipans tonight in their first game of the season at the Qantas Credit Union Arena, taking the win by 24 points.
Sydney Kings 87
Cairns Taipans 63
Jason Cadee, inserted into the lineup for the injured Childress, put in a great performance finshing with 19 points. He set the tone early, helping the Kings jump out to a 14 point lead at quarter time.
Cairns never recovered. Unable to get anything going all night, shooting an abysmal 4-26 from behind the 3 point line, the Taipans had no answers for a dominant Kings team. Fatigue might have played a role, with only 1 day rest from their opening match, but take nothing away from the Kings, they were dominant right from the start.
Jullian Kazzouh was a monster in his return to the NBL, with 22 points 9 rebounds and 5 big blocks. Mark Worthington battled hard for the Taipans but had little help from his teammates.
With no Childress, and a quite game from Marcus Thornton, there’s still plenty of upside for this Sydney team. They’ve put their name alongside Melbourne United for Championship favouritism at this early stage of the season.
As for Cairns, they’ll hoping this wasn’t a true reflection of their skill level, pointing to Thursday nights performance as proof.
It was a great night for Kings fans and with the return of Josh Childress it might be one of many great nights for the Sydney Kings this season.
Both teams will now look forward to round two. Both teams will host the Townsville Crocodiles, while the Kings also host the Illawarra Hawks in a two game round for them.
The Sydney Kings open their NBL season against the Cairns Taipans at the Qantas Credit Union Arena in Sydney with what should be an interesting game. Join The Roar from 5:15pm (AEDT) for live scores and coverage.
The Sydney Kings face a tough test in their opener, coming up against a Cairns team with a win already under their belt.
The Taipans looked very impressive in their victory over the Illawarra Hawks on Thursday night. Led by the usual suspects in Cameron Gliddon, Stephen Weigh and Alex Loughton, they were too good for a freshly assembled Illawarra Hawks outfit.
The addition of Mark Worthington to an already dangerous side looked great on paper and played out the same way. Playing mostly as a power forward, it allowed the Taipans to put five players out on the floor, all capable of knocking down the three ball. That same line-up will be asking serious questions of the Sydney Kings defensive unit.
The Kings also look dangerous on paper, with a starting five as good as any in the league. Adding star big man Julian Khazzouh, NBA hopeful Marcus Thornton, and the sharp-shooting Steve Markovic to a line-up already featuring Josh Childress, the Kings have the pieces to contend for a championship. However, there are questions marks with the depth of this Kings’ side, especially in the front court.
In a league loaded with talent, most teams have starter level players coming off the bench, the jury’s still out whether the Kings have enough in this department.
We’ll have a better idea after tonight.
The Taipans will be hoping to curtail the influence of Josh Childress, who torched them for 27 points last time they met. They’ll also be hoping for a greater output from import Markel Starks.
While the point guard looked good at times against the Hawks, he only made one basket for the night. He’s a better player than that, expect a more aggressive game from the Georgetown product this time around.
As for Sydney’s other star import, Marcus Thornton, he’ll be looking to put on a show and earn himself an NBA gig next year. Some have hailed him the Steph Curry of the NBL; will we see a barrage of 3-pointers tonight?
Tune in to find out.
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