Game Preview: Taipans v United

It's the final home clash of the season and it’s a blockbuster showdown. 

Former championship teammates will lock horns when scoring machine Jack McVeigh and the Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans square off against Milton Doyle and Melbourne United.

The Taipans will look to replicate their last victory against United, following a 93-92 nail-biting win in Round 16.

Where and When

Thursday, 12 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
Perth Wildcats (98) v Cairns Taipans (84)
Brisbane Bullets (72) v Cairns Taipans (81)

New Zealand Breakers (97) v Melbourne United (95)
Melbourne United (76) v Adelaide 36ers (87)

Queensland bragging rights were on the line and Australian Boomer Jack McVeigh and Cairns local Kody Stattmann delivered.

The duo led the Taipans to an 81-72 derby win over the Brisbane Bullets at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Sunday afternoon, sealing a 3-1 season-series victory.

Sharpshooter Reyne Smith started in his return from a plantar fascia tear for his first appearance since Round 7.

Cairns flipped the game after a slow opening, ripping off a 9-0 run out of an Adam Forde timeout as Andrew Andrews threw a full-court assist to Mojave King for a two-hand slam, then found big man Marcus Lee for another hammer dunk.

The Taipans surged to a 24-13 quarter-time lead and held Brisbane at bay through a physical second half, even as the Bullets dominated the rebounds and made it a scrap (25 offensive rebounds to 8).

Floor general Andrews (12 points and 10 assists) iced it late with two clutch threes in the final two minutes.

McVeigh finished with 22 points and five rebounds after scoring 17 of his points in the second half.

Gifted scorer Stattmann had 15 points, four rebounds and three assists, while King posted 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Import Lee finished with eight points and nine rebounds.

Last Time They Met

The Taipans delivered a heart-stopping 93-92 win over Melbourne United in Bendigo the last time these two sides met in Round 16.

Cairns survived a final-minute classic behind an Andrews masterclass and Marcus Lee’s game-saving moments at the rim and the free throw line.

The fourth quarter pressure spiked and the intensity followed, with the game locked at 92-92 late before Lee denied Jesse Edwards at the rim, then hit a crucial free throw with seven seconds left.

Cairns then sealed it with a final-effort defensive stand as Stattmann’s contest forced Milton Doyle’s last shot to miss at the siren.

McVeigh finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Andrews posted 13 points and a season-high 13 assists while Waardenburg added 20 points and nine rebounds.

United were led by Chris Goulding’s season-high 27 points (8-15 FG), with Doyle adding 15 (6-15 FG) and Finn Delany 14 (5-9 FG).

Reyne Return

This time around, returning Tasmanian Reyne Smith will boost the side after his return on Sunday.

The 23-year-old’s return to the starting lineup added another layer to Cairns’ guard rotation, even with his minutes managed.

Smith played 5:41 but still got on the board with a field goal, while his presence gave the Taipans another threat from behind the arc and another ball-handler.

McVeigh v Doyle

McVeigh will once again lock horns with his former championship teammate Doyle, with the superstar scorers set to go shot for shot in an exciting showdown.

Doyle still leads the side in scoring despite coming off the bench with 15.4 points per game, while veteran shooter Goulding (13.9 points), Tyson Walker (13.7 points) and Edwards (13.6) trail slightly behind with better shooting efficiency.

Melbourne ranks tenth in the league for defending opponent three-point percentage this season (35.5 per cent), while the Taipans rank first with 30.9 per cent.

Two-time NBL Best Defensive Player Shea Ili returned to the side in Round 19 following a hamstring injury, with the New Zealand guard currently playing restricted minutes off the bench.

Next Star and lockdown defender Dash Daniels has filled the void in the starting lineup, with the 18-year-old shaping as a potential NBA first-round selection in the upcoming draft.

Portland playmaker Andrews currently sits second in the league for assists per game (7.6) slightly behind Wildcats superstar Bryce Cotton (7.7).

Kiwi Mojave King ranks fourth amongst qualified guards for three-point percentage with 38.2 per cent this season.

Taipans Head Coach Adam Forde:

“Momentum is great, the boys know what the process is and what we need to do moving forward. With Reyne back in the lineup, there's help in the backcourt. We weren’t expecting (Smith) back, he’s ahead of his return to play timeline and he was eager to get some minutes and we’re more than happy to accommodate that.”

“We always want to make sure we play well in front of our home crowd. Tomorrow will be no different.

“Any wins are important. We want to compete and play hard in front of our fans and to finish on a good note is always a positive way to close out the season.”

Lineups

‍Taipans

PG – Andrew Andrews / Lachlan Barker / Kyle Adnam

SG – Mojave King / Kody Stattmann / Reyne Smith

SF – Jack McVeigh

PF – Kyrin Galloway / Admiral Schofield

C – Marcus Lee / Jed Richardson‍

United

PG – Tyson Walker / Campbell Blogg

SG – Dash Daniels / Milton Doyle / Shea Ili / Tom Wilson

SF – Chris Goulding / Tanner Krebs / Malith Machar

PF – Finn Delany / Kyle Bowen / Tom Koppens

C – Jesse Edwards / Fabijan Krslovic

‍Ins and Outs

‍Taipans

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

Outs – Sam Waardenburg (ankle), Alex Higgins-Titsha (wrist), Mawot Mag (foot) ‍

United

Ins and Outs – N/A