Game Preview: Taipans v Breakers

The Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans are back at the Convention Centre this Friday night to take on the New Zealand Breakers.

It’s a matchup between two hungry sides desperate to make a charge for a playoff position, with the Breakers sitting at 7-11 and the Snakes determined to turn gritty showings into wins.

Standing in their way are shifty scorer Parker Jackson-Cartwright, in-form big man Sam Mennenga and projected NBA talent Karim López.

Expect a fierce clash as the Snakes aim to defend the Far North.

Where and When

Friday, 19 December at the Cairns Convention Centre (6:30pm AEST)

How to Follow

Watch: Live on ESPN

Live Updates: Taipans X

Stats: Box Score

What’s Already Happened

Recent Results

Illawarra Hawks (76) v Cairns Taipans (93)
‍Cairns Taipans (68) v Tasmania JackJumpers (81)
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New Zealand Breakers (99) v Tasmania JackJumpers (86)
SEM Phoenix (92) v New Zealand Breakers (80)

‍The Taipans delivered plenty for the home crowd early last Saturday afternoon, but couldn’t quite sustain it across four quarters, going down 68-81 to the JackJumpers at home.

Suited up in special edition Space Jam jerseys on their home floor, the Taipans opened with a blistering 13-0 run to start the contest, setting a tone of pressure, pace and intent.

Sam Waardenburg’s long-awaited season debut produced an instant highlight, slamming down an alley-oop lob from Andrew Andrews in the opening minutes to make his presence felt immediately.

When Cairns’ offence slowed, Andrews (18 points from 5-11 FG and 4-9 from three, eight assists) found ways to keep the scoreboard ticking over, including a huge four-point play after being fouled beyond the arc and still draining the triple.

Jack McVeigh (24 points from 8-17 FG, eight rebounds and four assists) was a constant problem against his former side, scrambling the defence throughout the contest.

Tenacious defender Mawot Mag, making his first start of the season, made an impact early in the game.

Cairns pulled level at 60-60 with six minutes to play to give the crowd genuine belief late.

Tasmania, as they so often do, gradually turned the contest into a physical arm-wrestle, securing the victory with a strong final term.‍

A one-two punch from dynamic scorers Jack McVeigh and Andrew Andrews wasn’t enough to push the Taipans over the line in their last fixture against the Breakers, falling 102–96.
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The Breakers duo of playmaker Parker Jackson-Cartwright and towering centre Sam Mennenga pose as the major threats heading into the clash.
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Mennenga, 23, started his NBL career with the Taipans before joining the Breakers in NBL25 and is currently in career-best form with 16.1 points and 7.5 rebounds.

In a battle between two of the league's premier floor generals, Andrew and Jackson-Cartwright will go head-to-head.

In the last meeting, Andrews posted 23 points, nine assists and four steals while Breakers conductor Jackson-Cartwright finished with 20 points and six assists.

Jackson-Cartwright leads the league in assists (7.7), while Andrews sits fourth (6.6).

Karim Lopez — averaging 10.9 points and 6.1 rebounds — is one of the more exciting talents in the world, looming as a potential lottery pick in the upcoming NBA draft.

The 18-year-old has already represented Mexico on the international stage after playing professionally in Spain.
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Player to Watch - Jack McVeigh
Set to play his 200th game in the NBL this Friday, Jack McVeigh will be looking to mark the milestone with another dominant showing against the Breakers.

In round 10, the Australian Boomer torched the Breakers for 35 points (12-21 FG and 5-12 from three), seven rebounds and four assists in a full 40-minute shift. Bullying defenders in the midrange, attacking closeouts and answering every New Zealand surge with tough shot-making.

Across the NBL26 season, McVeigh is averaging 20.5 points (fifth highest in the NBL), 6.9 rebounds and 5 assists.
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Heading into Round 13, the former Houston Rocket has scored 20+ points in four consecutive appearances - equal-longest active streak of any player in the league.

"[Jack] McVeigh is a bit of a cheat code," Taipans Head Coach Adam Forde said.
"His ability when he’s on the floor to get us two points consistently. We want to make sure we do a better job of trying to capitalise on his abilities on the offensive end. The more reps Jack McVeigh and Sam Waardenburg get to play alongside each other, the better they will become."

Taipans Head Coach Adam Forde:
“Parker Jackson-Cartwright is arguably one of the best point guards in the league, we want to make sure we do a good job of defending him.

But, he’s such a great playmaker that if we get caught sleeping on other players off the ball.

Breakers have got so many pick and pop threats with Sam Mennenga, Rob Baker and Reuben Te Rangi is really crafty at getting downhill and finding his spots.

Jackson-Cartwright has an incredible knack of finding those guys at the right time. We don’t want to be too consumed by what one player is doing but he’s a big element of why they’re successful."

Sam Waardenburg v Sam Mennenga
“[Waardenburg and Mennenga] are both pick and pop threats, they’re both mobile forwards, hopefully we can do a better job of Mennenga and Baker, knowing that Waardenburg can defend both those guys effectively well inside and out.”

The Lineups

Cairns Taipans

PG – Andrew Andrews / Lachlan Barker / Kyle Adnam

SG – Mojave King / Kody Stattmann / Lloyd McVeigh

SF –  Jack McVeigh / Mawot Mag

PF – Kyrin Galloway / Admiral Schofield

C – Sam Waardenburg / Marcus Lee
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New Zealand Breakers

PG – Parker Jackson-Cartwright / Taylor Britt

SG – Izaiah Brockington / Tai Webster / Sean Bairstow

SF – Karim López / Carlin Davison

PF – Robert Baker /  Reuben Te Rangi 

C – Sam Mennenga / Robert Loe

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Ins and Outs

Taipans

Ins – Mojave King, Lachlan Barker, Lloyd McVeigh, Jed Richardson

Outs – Alex Higgins-Titsha (wrist), Reyne Smith (foot)

Breakers

Outs – Izayah Le'Afa (Foot), Max Darling (Eye)