Round 17: Taipans lock in playoffs with win over Bullets

CQUniversity Cairns Taipans (94) def. Brisbane Bullets (87)
Round 17 | Cairns Convention Centre
Next Game: Taipans v 36ers, Monday 30 January 6:30pm AEST

SUMMARY

The CQUniversity Cairns Taipans made it eight straight wins against the Brisbane Bullets and locked in their NBL23 playoff position, and stayed in second spot with Saturday night's 94-87 home win.

The Snakes needed to bounce back from losses to Tasmania and South East Melbourne at the Cairns Convention Centre on Saturday to retain second spot ahead of the New Zealand Breakers, but the Bullets weren’t in a giving mood.

It was a first half full of stars stepping up too with 17 points for Tahjere McCall, 16 for DJ Hogg and Bul Kuol's 15 for Cairns while Nathan Sobey had 17 and Tyler Johnson 15 for Brisbane with the Taipans leading by just one.

The Snakes were hampered with what appeared a hip injury to McCall that he continued to play through, but the difference proved to be in the fourth quarter when Majok Deng and Shannon Scott stepped up for Cairns.

The pair combined for 16 points to help the Taipans overcome the gritty Bullets and claim the seven-point win.

Bul Kuol was the early spark for the Taipans scoring his team's first seven points but Nathan Sobey was being equally effective for Brisbane. After DJ Hogg hit a three to put the Snakes up 15-11, a Greg Vanderjagt timeout worked wonders for the Bullets.

They closed the opening quarter on a 16-6 run from that point including three balls to Tyler Johnson and Sobey, who had 14 points in the period on 5/7 shooting to outmatch Kuol's 12 for Cairns with Brisbane up 27-21.

Tahjere McCall and DJ Mitchell traded three-pointers to start the second quarter and eventually it was McCall and Hogg who willed the Taipans on top.

Hogg and Kuol combined to put Cairns up four early in the second half but Brisbane weren’t going anywhere. Five quick points to Aron Baynes sparked a 7-0 run to put the Bullets back up three with the lead continuing to seesaw.

Eventually the Taipans went into three quarter-time leading 70-68 and with McCall struggling with his movement and Hogg and Kuol the focus of Brisbane's defence, the Snakes needed others to step up offensively.

It was Majok Deng and Shannon Scott who did exactly that. Deng knocked down three triples in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter and Scott made his first three buckets, including a triple with just over three minutes to play to make the lead seven.

The Snakes held on from there and simply had too much at stake not to.

STATISTICS

Nathan Sobey (17) and Tyler Johnson (15) combined for 32 of Brisbane's 50 points in the first half meaning Cairns only took a 51-50 edge into the main break in a game they needed to win to stay in second spot. 

Tahjere McCall (17), DJ Hogg (16) and Bul Kuol (15) combined for 48 of their 51 points. The other three were free-throws to Sam Waardenburg.

The win in the end improves the Taipans to a 17-9 record on the season to stay second ahead of the New Zealand Breakers (16-10).

Brisbane did win the rebound count 42 to 31 including 14 offensive boards to nine and 20 second chance points to 13. But the Taipans got to the foul line shooting 23/27 opposed to the Bullets' 13/16 while also scoring 17 points from Brisbane's 15 turnovers.

DJ Hogg finished with 23 points and six assists for Cairns on 7/12 field goal shooting with Bul Kuol contributing 23 points, four rebounds and four assists, and Tahjere McCall 23 points, five boards and three assists.

Majok Deng also ended up with nine points and two rebounds, Shannon Scott seven points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, Sam Waardenburg five points and 10 rebounds, and Ben Ayre four points and two boards.

STATEMENTS
Head Coach Adam Forde: 

"We've clinched a playoff spot and we want to try and stay top two, and this helps that. We're the walking wounded at the moment and if we can limp over the finish line, it's not that big of a deal if we've got a little bit more time to rest and recover with staying top two. These games are really important and that's what we're gunning for."

Taipans Guard Tahjere McCall:

"It was hurting, it was hurting but these games right now are too important to sit out. I just want to be there for the guys and for Fordey. I'll deal with my pain later. I'll be out there whenever I can with the team. I'll be on the court on Monday but I know I'm going to be hurting tomorrow. Hopefully Fordey gives us tomorrow off so I get a little time to rest an stay in the bed a little bit. But I'll be on the court Monday for sure."