Game Preview: Taipans v Kings

The Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans hit the road this afternoon to face the Sydney Kings at Qudos Bank Arena, with Jack McVeigh arriving in scorched-earth form after a career-high 47 points in a statement win over the Breakers.

Cairns will take plenty of belief into the rematch after edging Sydney 77-74 in Round 2, their only meeting this season.

But the Kings are battle-hardened after back-to-back overtime wins over contenders Melbourne United and the Adelaide 36ers behind guns Xavier Cooks and Kendric Davis.

Where and When

Sunday, 21 December at Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney (3:30pm AEST)

How to Follow

Watch: Live on 10 Drama and ESPN

Live Updates: Taipans X

Stats: Box Score

What’s Already Happened

Recent Results

Cairns Taipans (68) v Tasmania JackJumpers (81)
Cairns Taipans (99) v New Zealand Breakers (95)
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Melbourne United (86) v Sydney Kings (92) OT
Sydney Kings (97) v Adelaide 36ers (93) OT 

Jack McVeigh turned the Cairns Convention Centre into a McVeigh masterpiece in his 200th NBL game on Friday night, pouring in a career-high 47 points to drag the Taipans to a gripping 99-95 win over the New Zealand Breakers.

The Snakes were on the back foot early, trailing 19–23 at quarter-time.

But McVeigh’s intent was obvious from the jump, he scored seven of Cairns’ first nine and began bending the game to his will.

‍That second quarter was the turning point. A Mawot Mag steal sparked a McVeigh triple, then another moments later, as Cairns surged in front for the first time and the building caught fire.

McVeigh went berserk in the term, exploding to 26 first-half points as the Taipans took a 48-43 halftime lead.

‍The Breakers refused to fold after the break, turning it into a dog fight as the lead swung back the other way. Cairns slipped behind 69-72 at three-quarter time, even with McVeigh already sitting on 34.

Sam Waardenburg delivered a monster all-round line (16 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and two blocks) and steadied the Snakes late at the line, while Adam Forde’s fourth-quarter two-tower look with Waardenburg alongside Marcus Lee proved decisive.

Lee powered home nine of his 15 points in the last term, helping the Taipans slam the door on a statement 99-95 win.

Cairns shot 37-67 (55.2%) from the field against New Zealand on Friday - team's highest field goal shooting percentage in a game this season.

Cairns will draw confidence from their Round 2 clash at Qudos Bank Arena, where the Taipans edged the Kings 77-74.

Australian Boomer McVeigh led the way with 24 points and nine rebounds, while Andrew Andrews made an immediate impact in his debut with 16 points and seven assists.

Sydney’s firepower looms large, with electric guard Davis and 2023 league MVP Xavier Cooks combining for 54 points, 27 apiece, in the Kings’ overtime victory against the Adelaide 36ers.
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Former Taipans and tenacious Kings defender Bul Kuol has been ruled out of the clash with a knee injury.

Player to Watch - Marcus Lee
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The 211cm Californian centre looms as a major factor after delivering a dominant fourth quarter against the Breakers, pouring in nine of his 15 points while protecting the paint.
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Lee’s presence was decisive in Adam Forde’s two-tower look alongside Sam Waardenburg, capped by a sledgehammer dunk that flipped momentum late.
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A proven rim protector, Lee recently swatted six blocks in just 18:35 against Tasmania and owns a career-best 7.4 rebounds per game against Sydney, his highest mark versus any opponent.

Taipans Head Coach Adam Forde:

“We’re just trying to take it one game at a time. We are behind the eight ball. We’re trying to build consistency game to game.

"[The win against the Breakers] is the first game of three in six days. We want to keep building on playing 40 minutes of consistent basketball.

"We go through [strong] stretches, the errors are getting smaller. We want to start stringing performances together and then see what happens from there.”
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Taipans

PG – Andrew Andrews / Lachlan Barker / Kyle Adnam

SG – Mojave King / Kody Stattmann

SF –  Jack McVeigh / Mawot Mag

PF – Kyrin Galloway / Admiral Schofield

C – Sam Waardenburg / Marcus Lee

Kings

PG – Kendric Davis / Shaun Bruce

SG – Matthew Dellavedova / Tyler Robertson

SF – Makuach Maluach / Jaylin Galloway

PF – Xavier Cooks / Kouat Noi

C – Tim Soares / Hunter Goodrick

Ins and Outs

Taipans

Ins – Mojave King, Lachlan Barker

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

Kings

Outs – Jason Spurgin (Foot), Keli Leaupepe (Knee), Bul Kuol (knee)