New coach Joe Connelly couldn’t inspire the Sydney Kings to an away victory over the Cairns Taipans, although the scoreline which ended in an 18 point loss made it look a lot worse than it actually was at the Cairns Convention Centre.
Both teams were fairly evenly matched, believe it or not and it was just a couple of streaks by the Taipans that pulled them away from the Kings. One of those was early in the first quarter though, and the Kings never fully recovered.
Torrey Craig was named man of the match in a stellar performance that brought 18 points and 9 rebounds. He was aggressive on defence, picking good shots and rebounded better than anyone else on the court, coming agonisingly close to a double-double.
In saying that though, he was backed up superbly by Markel Starks, who was the catalyst of some of Cairns big drives away from the Kings. Alex Loughton had his best game of the season as well, taking extremely good options with the ball in hand.
The Kings were forced to hang on a number of times throughout the game, as the Taipans dominated momentum. The Kings never really got the momentum of the game, the best they were able to do really was level it and hold the Taipans lead.
At times they brought it back, like in the second quarter when they outscored the Taipans, however the first and fourth quarter were dominated by the Taipans. It didn’t help the Kings cause of course, that Josh Childress was injured for all of the second half.
Right from the start it was clear that, in front of a large home crowd the Taipans had come to play. They flew out of the gates and held a double digit lead for most of the first quarter, with the Kings going into the first break 12 points down.
For the rest of the game, the lead hung around the double digits margin. Julian Kazzouh did his best to keep the Kings in the game and was given plenty of support from bench players Angus Brandt, Rhys Carter and Jeromie Hill.
However, it was a scoring outburst at the end of the second quarter from Marcus Thornton that brought the Kings to their closest position for the night, as they went into half time five points behind.
The third quarter was evenly matched, as the Taipans only fractionally pulled away before the last quarter was as one sided as they come, enabling the Taipans to run away with the game. Tom Garlepp, however rose to the fore for the Kings and he will be looking to build on that.
The Kings now go on a stretch of playing four games in the space of eight days across rounds 10 and 11.
They start against the Breakers away from home, before a home game against Perth in what will be the last ever game at the ‘Kingdome’. They then have two away games in a row against Melbourne United and the Illawarra Hawks in what will be an incredibly challenging streak.
The Taipans meanwhile, have a double header against the Hawks next round.
In Cairns though, it was the Taipans far too good for the Kings.
Final Score:
Cairns Taipans – 101
Sydney Kings – 83
It will be desperation stakes when the Cairns Taipans host the Sydney Kings, complete with a new coach, at the Cairns Convention Centre. Both teams have struggled throughout the first half of the season, making this an important game. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:15pm (AEDT).
To say that both of these sides have struggled this year is an understatement.
The Taipans were expecting another big year after finishing runners-up last season. However, it has almost been all downhill, and they enter this game with a record of four wins and eight losses, leaving them a long way out of the play-off picture.
The Kings reached breaking point during the week, with coach Damian Cotter being replaced by Joe Connelly. While some may feel it was a harsh decision, the Sydney side have an atrocious record, and are in last place at the midway point of the season, having only won three from their 12 games.
While their superstar import Josh Childress has spent a majority of the season on the sidelines, they haven’t been good enough even when Childress has been on court.
They have placed such a heavy reliance in offence on their three-point shooting, and while it has been fantastic to watch when it has worked, it hasn’t worked often enough. Their defence has been soft and unable to prevent big scores, while their inside shooting has been limited to Julian Kazzouh, who has been fantastic but can’t do it all on his own.
The Taipans sit in a similar boat coming into this game, in that their game is just not firing and looks one dimensional. Their is lacking, with a simple gameplan entailing a lot of driving to the paint and either dishing back outside or taking the shot. While the likes of Mark Worthington and Matt Burston have been fantastic, players like Markel Starks need to stand up.
When these teams met back in Round 1, in Sydney, the Kings were able to get their season off to a flying start, taking the win.
Prediction
A new coach can do wonders for a team and their motivation levels. Expect Josh Childress to have a big game, and the Kings to get the job done away from home in a close one.
Kings by 7.
Join The Roar for live coverage of this clash from 7:15pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to leave a comment if you’re following along with the action.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde
Scott Pryde
Expert
Match Results: New coach Joe Connelly couldn't inspire the Sydney Kings to an away victory over the Cairns Taipans, although the scoreline which ended in an 18 point loss made it look a lot worse than it actually was at the Cairns Convention Centre. Both teams were fairly evenly matched, believe it or not and it was just a couple of streaks by the Taipans that pulled them away from the Kings. One of those was early in the first quarter though, and the Kings never fully recovered. Torrey Craig was named man of the match in a stellar performance that brought 18 points and 9 rebounds. He was aggressive on defence, picking good shots and rebounded better than anyone else on the court, coming agonisingly close to a double-double. In saying that though, he was backed up superbly by Markel Starks, who was the catalyst of some of Cairns big drives away from the Kings. Alex Loughton had his best game of the season as well, taking extremely good options with the ball in hand. The Kings were forced to hang on a number of times throughout the game, as the Taipans dominated momentum. The Kings never really got the momentum of the game, the best they were able to do really was level it and hold the Taipans lead. At times they brought it back, like in the second quarter when they outscored the Taipans, however the first and fourth quarter were dominated by the Taipans. It didn't help the Kings cause of course, that Josh Childress was injured for all of the second half. Right from the start it was clear that, in front of a large home crowd the Taipans had come to play. They flew out of the gates and held a double digit lead for most of the first quarter, with the Kings going into the first break 12 points down. For the rest of the game, the lead hung around the double digits margin. Julian Kazzouh did his best to keep the Kings in the game and was given plenty of support from bench players Angus Brandt, Rhys Carter and Jeromie Hill. However, it was a scoring outburst at the end of the second quarter from Marcus Thornton that brought the Kings to their closest position for the night, as they went into half time five points behind. The third quarter was evenly matched, as the Taipans only fractionally pulled away before the last quarter was as one sided as they come, enabling the Taipans to run away with the game. Tom Garlepp, however rose to the fore for the Kings and he will be looking to build on that. The Kings now go on a stretch of playing four games in the space of eight days across rounds 10 and 11. They start against the Breakers away from home, before a home game against Perth in what will be the last ever game at the 'Kingdome'. They then have two away games in a row against Melbourne United and the Illawarra Hawks in what will be an incredibly challenging streak. The Taipans meanwhile, have a double header against the Hawks next round. In Cairns though, it was the Taipans far too good for the Kings. Final Score: Cairns Taipans - 101 Sydney Kings - 83
Scott Pryde
Expert
STATS LEADERS: Cairns Taipans Points: Torrey Craig (20), Markel Starks (18), Alex Loughton (12), Cameron Gliddon, Cameron Tragardh (11) Rebounds: Torrey Craig (9), Matt Burston (6), Mark Worthington (5), Stephen Weigh, Alex Loughton (4) Assists: Markel Starks (5), Alex Loughton (4) Blocks: Torrey Craig, Cameron Tragardh (1) Steals: Torrey Craig, Matt Burston (3), Markel Starks (2) Sydney Kings Points: Angus Brandt, Tom Garlepp (16), Julian Kazzouh (14), Marcus Thornton (11), Jason Cadee (10) Rebounds: Juluan Kazzouh (7), Angus Brandt, Marcus Thornton, Jeromie Hill (4) Assists: Josh Childress (5), Marcus Thornton, Jeromie Hill (3) Blocks: Julian Kazzouh, Tom Garlepp (1) Steals: Tom Garlepp (2)
Scott Pryde
Expert
STATS: Field Goals: Taipans (37/78 @ 47%), Kings (31/69 @ 44%) Three Pointers: Taipans (7/24 @ 29%), Kings (13/31 # 41%) Free Throws: Taipans (20/24 @ 83%), Kings (8/14 @ 57%) Rebounds: Taipans (36), Kings (34) Assists: Taipans (16), Kings (17) Steals: Taipans (11), Kings (2) Blocks: Taipans (2), Kings (2) Turnovers: Taipans (9), Kings (20) Points in the paint: Taipans (52), Kings (24) Second Chance Points: Taipans (17), Kings (8) Points off turnovers: Taipans (20), Kings (5)
Scott Pryde
Expert
SCORING BREAKDOWN: 1st Quarter: Taipans 33 - Kings 21 2nd Quarter: Taipans 18 - Kings 23 3rd Quarter: Taipans 21 - Kings 19 4th Quarter: Taipans 29 - Kings 20 OVERALL: Cairns Taipans 101 Sydney Kings 83
Scott Pryde
Expert
While I compile the stats and match report, I strongly suggest you check out tonight's other game. It's the Perth Wildcats and Adelaide 36ers at the Perth Arena with Luke Sicari: http://www.theroar.com.au/2015/12/04/perth-wildcats-vs-adelaide-36ers-nbl-live-scores-blog/
Scott Pryde
Expert
Roarers, thoughts on the game?
Scott Pryde
Expert
Man of the match is TORREY CRAIG
Scott Pryde
Expert
FULL TIME Time running out and Cadee misses a long bomb on the buzzer. That will be that. Massive win by the Taipans! Ran away with it in the last. Cairns Taipans - 101 Sydney Kings - 83
Scott Pryde
Expert
Q4 0' Heuir makes one from the line. Taipans - 101 Kings - 83
Scott Pryde
Expert
Q4 0' 13 seconds to go but the Taipans won't hold for the last position.They go to the corner and find Heuir who drives and is fouled. Taipans - 100 Kings - 83
Scott Pryde
Expert
Connelly telling his team the effort is there and we can build from this. He wants them to finish strongly here.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Q4 0' Garlepp drives and gets fouled now before making one at the line. Time out Kings. Taipans - 100 Kings - 83
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Expert
Q4 0' Tragardh makes the first and sends the Taipans into triple figures, before missing the second. Taipans - 100 Kings - 82
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Expert
Q4 0' Craig misses, before getting the offensive rebound. Inside they now go to Tragardh who goes for the reverse lay up and is fouled in the process. Taipans -100 Kings -82
Scott Pryde
Expert
Q4 0' Loughton misses a jump shot now for the Taipans after looking to pass and there is a foul on the defensive rebound from Thornton. The Kings now work it around and Garlepp goes for the drive before stepping back and knocking the jump shot down! Taipans - 82 Kings - 99
Scott Pryde
Expert
Q4 1' The Taipans drive through Craig and he misses the lay up, before Cadee comes flying down the floor and there is an offensive foul called. Taipans - 99 Kings - 80
Scott Pryde
Expert
Q4 1' Prewster misses a jump shot now before the Kings commit a foul on the offensive rebound. Starks with some good footwork now pulling up for the jump shot and missing. Prewster into the paint and dishes out to Cadee who knocks down the three ball. Time out called but this one is just about over. Taipans - 99 Kings - 80
Scott Pryde
Expert
Q4 2' Thornton pulls the trigger on the long ball and misses, before Starks does the same and knocks it down. Great shot. Taipans - 99 Kings - 77
Scott Pryde
Expert
Q4 2' Craig makes both from the line. Taipans - 96 Kings - 77
Scott Pryde
Expert
Q4 2' Cadee now on the drive and he is fouled. From the inbound they find Garlepp on the wing and he misses the three ball. The Taipans race down the floor and Craig is fouled in transition. Taipans - 94 Kings - 77