Kings Outmuscle Taipans Despite Stattmann Spark

The Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans were overrun after halftime as the Sydney Kings pulled away to a 119-77 win at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon.

Cairns showed early signs of intent, moving the ball crisply and knocking down shots from deep to stay within touching distance through the opening half.

But despite shooting efficiently from long range early, the Taipans were unable to contain Sydney’s physicality inside, with the Kings’ dominance on the glass steadily tilting the game.

The contest unraveled decisively in the third quarter. Sydney slammed the accelerator with a 34-18 run, overwhelming Cairns with pressure and second-chance opportunities to stretch the margin to 90-61 by three-quarter time.

From there, the Kings never looked back, closing it out as the Taipans — backing up less than 48 hours after Friday night’s win over the Breakers — were handed a tough road loss.

The home side were driven by Kendric Davis (21 points, nine assists, 4-8 FG), Xavier Cooks (14 points, six rebounds, 6-8 FG) and Makuach Maluach (13 points, four rebounds, 5-12 FG), who combined to control the contest on both ends.

Gritty guard Lachlan Barker provided energy late, finishing with eight points (3-7 FG) and continuing to pressure at both ends.

Galloway brothers battle
One of the more intriguing subplots came in the form of a family showdown, with Taipans forward Kyrin Galloway lining up against his younger brother Jaylin Galloway.

Kyrin, named in the starting five for the sixth straight game, brought physical presence, continuing a solid run where he’s averaging 6.9 points and 5.3 rebounds for the season.

On the other side, Jaylin celebrated his 23rd birthday in Kings colours, providing energy and scoring punch off the bench in a matchup that added a personal edge to the afternoon.

Stattmann delivers punch off the bench
Off the bench, Cairns-born and raised Kody Stattmann was a bright spot, injecting immediate offence and confidence.

Stattmann caught fire early, scoring eight points in the opening quarter without missing a shot and keeping the Taipans competitive as momentum swung.

He finished with 14 points, two rebounds and a steal.

Just two points shy of his career-high 16, he again underlined his value as a spark plug capable of shifting tempo and spacing the floor.

Taipans Head Coach Adam Forde:
“[We struggled with] offensive rebounds in the first quarter, then we started to get short on the closeouts [defending the three-point line], we were a little bit too attached to the ball. Then it just became a party for [the Kings] in the second half.”

“As a group, when we’re all up, we’re up. When we’re all down, we’re down. There were obviously some things that let us sway to a position where we were feeling agitated and annoyed, which led to quick shots on the offensive end and lapses defensively.”‍

‍Andrews steers the offense
Portland point guard Andrew Andrews set the tone with his playmaking, threading bullets passes through the Kings defence and racking up five assists in the first quarter alone.

Andrews ended the night with 14 points and nine assists, consistently creating looks for teammates even as Sydney's defensive pressure intensified.

After his heroics earlier in the week, Jack McVeigh was held to 11 points as the Kings loaded up defensively.

The Taipans will now turn their attention to regrouping quickly as they prepare to face Adelaide 36ers on Christmas Eve this Wednesday night at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

‍The Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans return to the Cairns Convention Centre to host SEM Phoenix in Round 15 for the New Year's Eve matchup at 6:30pm AEST. Grab your tickets HERE.