Taipans fall short against Wizards

The CQUniversity Cairns Taipans played two games in three days before their 17-hour journey spanning from Brisbane to San Francisco to Washington, so the club’s first ever NBA exhibition game was always going to be an impossible task, with the Washington Wizards taking the 145-82 victory in their pre-season opener.

The Taipans were not just tired but also undermanned, with Sam Mennenga and Sam Waardenburg out with illness, the rotation was short with just nine players – but five still scored in double-digits as AK Gak was a standout with 17 points along with nine rebounds, eight of which were on the defensive end.

The Cairns side started the game with Bul Kuol, Akoldah Gak, Tahjere McCall, Patrick Miller, and Lat Mayen on the floor while the Wizards had the starting five of Kyle Kuzma, Daniel Gafford, Tyus Jones, Jordan Poole, Bilal Coulibaly.

From tip-off at Capital One Arena in Washington, the Wizards had the upper hand with the opening play seeing Daniel Gafford coming away with two points from the free throw line, following a Bul Kuol foul.

Flow of play continued in the home side’s favour with the Taipans allowing 15 unanswered points from the Wizards, including made three-point shots from both Kyle Kuzma and former Golden State Warrior Jordan Poole.

The first points from the Cairns outfit came off the hand of Lat Mayen, a three-pointer from deep, although the scoring continued to be piled on from the home side.

From a Wizards team that is seen as being in rebuild stage, they showed in the first quarter their strong ability to defend and cover both ends of the field with five steals and five blocks.

Three of those steals delivered by seventh overall draft pick Bilal Coulibaly, with the 19-year-old joining the Wizards after a season playing with the French-based Metropolitans, alongside top draft pick Victor Wembanyama.

In the first quarter, the Taipans were kept to 23 points while the Wizards went into the break 44-23 leaders, with shooting at a 73% clip from the field.

The start of the second quarter brought similar pace and shooting from the Wizards with Johnny Davis registering the first points, while former Atlanta Hawk Danilo Gallinari ignited sinking two three-pointers.

Washington won the second quarter 38-23 to head into the halftime break 82-46, ahead by 36 points.

The Wizards blew the game apart in the third quarter, hitting the century half-way through the third, and heading into the final quarter with their largest lead of the game of 48 points.

NBL MVP Xavier Cooks hit the floor for his first minutes of the game in the second quarter, finishing with two points and three rebounds from 12 minutes of play.

The final quarter gave Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jnr. the chance to empty his bench and allow every player court time, with all players except Chase Audige registering a single point.

The returning Kyle Kuzma was the standout for the home side finishing with three from five shots from three-point range hitting for 22 points, four rebounds and two assists while new signing Jordan Poole hit 50% of his three-point shots (4/8) for 18 points.

Taipans Head Coach Adam Forde acknowledged the team’s fatigue after a gruelling travel schedule and just one practice session before the club’s first NBA experience.

“We had some heavy legs. The league is much longer and faster and stronger and after the initial shell shock of the first quarter, and the guys getting their legs underneath them, I appreciate the effort – especially the start of the third by our guys. There were a few airballs and a few short shots but it was definitely an experience.”

For Cairns, Gak impressed with 17 points and nine boards while Josh Roberts had a double-double of 10 and 10.

NBA Draft prospects Bobi Klintman had five points while Taran Armstrong had six points and the game-high eight assists in his return from injury.

“That was his first hit out since the Blitz. We weren’t expecting that much. We’ve got to check that foot out, because I’m not sure how well it responded afterwards,” said Forde.

“But he’s capable and it was cool to see him get out there and have eight assists for his first game in three weeks.”

The Taipans will next travel to Toronto on Thursday, to face the Raptors on Sunday night. Watch in Australia on Kayo Freebies or NBA League Pass this Monday, 8:00am AEST.