- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
The Cairns Taipans held out for a five-point win against Queensland rivals the Brisbane Bullets on the Road on Saturday.
Final score
Brisbane Bullets 84
Cairns Taipans 89
After the controversy of their last meeting in Cairns when the power went out, the Cairns Taipans will be out for revenge in the NBL when they travel to play the Brisbane Bullets, looking to maintain their impressive run of form on Saturday evening.
When the sides met back in Round 6, Cairns certainly looked to be the better of the two sides throughout the contest, before the power went out with just over 90 seconds to go.
With Brisbane up by eight points at the time and FIBA rules stating that a game can be declared once past halftime, the Bullets were declared winners.
Interestingly, they simply haven’t looked back since that brilliant performance, having beaten the Kings earlier that round and currently winning three of their last four.
That included a thumping of the Adelaide 36ers on the road and more satisfyingly a big 15-point win in The Jungle against the Perth Wildcats on Thursday night.
It was the biggest ever defeat for the Wildcats at the Perth Arena and with Jermaine Beal and Adam Gibson being the standouts it provided the Bullets with an offence that everyone knew they were capable of, but one we so far hadn’t seen this year.
The victory over Perth has elevated the Bullets straight to the top of the ladder and even though it’s incredibly congested, another win here would start to give them a little bit of breathing space over Sydney and the struggling Perth.
Beal and Gibson will be key, as will Torrey Craig who had a quiet game by his standards on Thursday.
Brisbane’s defence has not been an issue and shouldn’t become one against a Taipans offence which has been inconsistent, but inconsistently brilliant with the ability to make some massive shots to either keep games alive or send them ahead.
While the Taipans were criticised early in the season after losing their first three games and even upon returning home having a one-dimensional offence, they seem to be improving with every game and it shows on the ladder with their record now reading five-and-six, meaning they have won five of their last eight.
The Taipans might be still in sixth position, but the ladder is simply so volatile a victory here, depending on the margin, could have the ability to send them all the way to third.
Given Cairns came away with an 11-point win on home court against a red-hot New Zealand Breakers team last weekend and only narrowly fell to Melbourne the week before that the side is quite obviously in some good touch.
Import guard Travis Trice being back in the fold after injury is making a huge difference to their offence, and nowhere was that on display more than the win over the Breakers as he put up 31 points and seven assists.
With fellow guard Cameron Gliddon also in good form, and veterans Mark Worthington and Nate Jawai playing their part this Taipans team is incredibly dangerous.
The problem for Cairns has tended to be their defence, which has faltered at crucial moments to let other teams back in, or ahead in contests.
Prediction
It’s a very difficult game to decide on this. Brisbane are on a 48-hour turnaround and a flight back from Perth, but they are simply playing too well and at home should get it done in a close one.
Bullets by 4.
Key Information
Tip-off: 5:30pm (AEDT) – 4:30pm (local)
Venue: Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane, Queensland
TV: Live, Fox Sports 503
Online: NBL.TV
Betting: Bullets $1.65, Taipans $2.25
Last meeting: Taipans 76 defeated by Bullets 84 at Cairns Convention CentreBrisbane Bullets (expected)
Point guard: Jermaine Beal
Shooting guard: Adam Gibson
Small forward: Torrey Craig
Power forward: Tom Jervis
Centre: Daniel Kickert
Bench: Cameron Bairstow, Matt Kenyon, Shaun Bruce, Reuben Te Rangi, Mitchell Young, Anthony PetrieCairns Taipans (expected)
Point guard: Travis Trice
Shooting guard: Cameron Gliddon
Small forward: Fuquan Edwin
Power forward: Mark Worthington
Centre: Nate Jawai
Bench: Nnanna Egwu, Alex Loughton, Damon Heuir, Mitch McCarron, Stephen Weigh, Jarrad Weeks, Anthony Fisher
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde