Game Preview: Taipans vs Hawks

The CQUniversity Cairns Taipans return to the hardwood on Australian shores for the first time in three weeks after their US trip to take on the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors in the NBLxNBA preseason tournament.

Waiting for them are an Illawarra Hawks side that are sitting at the bottom of the ladder, having only had one win from five games and who will be hungry to notch up a second against the Cairns outfit.

WHEN AND WHERE

Thursday, October 26 at WIN Entertainment Centre (6:30pm AEST)

HOW TO FOLLOW

 Watch: Live on Kayo and ESPN

AN OVERVIEW

The Taipans are two from three and with majority of their squad ready to go minus Taran Armstrong (foot injury) and Tajhere McCall due to the recent birth of his first child.

The league stat leaders’ ladders have a rich Taipans flavour in top five averages across the board.

Guard Patrick Miller sits fifth on points with 19.7ppg and second in assists with 6.3apg and makes 6.7 free throws per game. Forward Sam Waardenburg is third for working the glass with an average eight rebounds per game and fifth on blocks with 1.3 per game.

The clash is set up to be a high-scoring game with both squads averaging 87 points in their games so far.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Sam Waardenburg

After missing the NBA preseason loss against the Washington Wizards due to illness, the 24-year-old returned against the Raptors.

Even though the Taipans fell short against the Raptors, the return of Waardenburg did not go unnoticed. His jump shot ignited the Taipans scoring in that game and in the first quarter he took four points, two rebounds, one assist and one block to stuff the stat sheet.  In the game he would serve up an individual contribution of 15 points (6/11FG, 3/1 3PT) along with four rebounds and two blocks to assist on the defensive end of proceedings.

In three games of NBL played so far, he has sunk eight points while taking eight rebounds, three assists and a steal on average each game.

He is a key piece for this Taipans squad on both ends of the floor and continues to show what he has to offer in his first professional playing contract. 

THE MATCHUP

Patrick Miller v Tyler Harvey

All scoring potency goes through these two for their respective teams, both leading their squads in the points department – Patrick Miller with 19.67PPG and Tyler Harvey with 16.2PPG. 

Joining the Hawks in 2020, the Californian product has gone on to be named in the All-NBL First Team in the following year and when he is on, he is on – taking 20 points in the team’s only win for the season 113-106 against the Phoenix.

Miller, originally from the US, came to the Taipans as a well experienced and versatile guard touted as being ‘capable of both being a playmaker and pure scorer, known as a closer and for his ability to deliver in clutch moments’ – he has sure delivered so far this season. In the teams two wins so far against the Phoenix (87-80) he flirted with a double-double with 23 points, eight assists and six rebounds while against the Brisbane Bullets (89-86) he sank 21 points with five assists and three rebounds.