Taipans make it nine straight over Bullets

The CQUniversity Cairns Taipans have extended their impressive streak over the Brisbane Bullets, with an 89-86 win at Nissan Arena on Saturday night. The Taipans were again led by new point guard Patrick Miller (21 points, 5 assists) and future NBA star Bobi Klintman (19 points, 6 boards).

Cairns have defeated Brisbane at every opportunity over the past two seasons and have now won nine straight games against their Queensland rivals – the most dominant winning streak for the Taipans (against any opponent) in the club’s history.

Cairns capitalised on a slow Brisbane start, jumping out to a quick seven-point lead with Miller and Sam Waardenburg getting on the scoreboard early. AK Gak silenced the crowd with an athletic dunk before Bul Kuol found range in his favourite three-point venue.

Only cleared to play on Friday morning, Tahjere McCall checked in for the first time this season just six minutes into the game and immediately had an impact, taking a huge Isaac White offensive charge within seconds of getting on court.

McCall looked like he hadn’t missed a beat with a nice bounce pass to Josh Roberts before getting to the rim for an easy lay-up, helping the Taipans gain a handy 18-26 lead at the first break.

Cairns was still in front when the game took a nasty turn in the second quarter, with a physical altercation between Brisbane’s Aron Baynes in a box out on Lat Mayen. Both received a technical foul, but a heated Baynes got another bench tech. 

At the main break, the Taipans still had the 43-38 edge, but a review of the altercation saw Baynes and Mayen ejected from the match before the start of the third. Cairns responded well and extended their lead in the third with 27 points (to Brisbane’s 18) for a commanding 70-56 advantage.

Bullets captain Nathan Sobey shifted into another gear for the fourth, closing the gap to just six points within minutes of the fourth, on his way to the game-high 31 points as Chris Smith also contributed with some important buckets.

However,Miller and Klintman managed to keep the edge, as both sides traded buckets in the high-tempo affair. With less than 90 seconds remaining, the Taipans had an 87-80 lead, until Sobey and McDaniel made it a one-point game. Mitch Norton fouled Miller, who made both clutch free throws for a three-point Taipans lead with just 3.5 seconds on the clock. Isaac White had a final shot that could have tied scores, but it missed and the Taipans pinched the win.

Taipans Head Coach Adam Forde acknowledged that his young team gave up a healthy lead.

“We talked about building leads, and maybe I jinxed it because we talked about it,” he said post-game.

“The ability to build out a healthy lead. Get a 10-point lead and push it out to 20. And it got to 17, and then Sobey happened.

“I don’t want to discredit what Sobey did in that fourth quarter - he really shifted momentum and Smith hit some big shots. But we’re our own worst enemy… the turnovers.

“I’m trying to find a hot minute just for Pat to sit down and take a breath, but the momentum quickly shifts and it’s like – get back out there.

"It’s a work in progress. This is natural. We walk away with a win, on the road. Off a tough game against South East 48 hours ago, so I can’t be too brutal on the guys. The good thing is the things we are addressing are fixable. They’re clear. You can taste it, you can hold it, you can fix it.”

The Taipans finish Round 2 with a 2-1 record, and will play the Washington Wizards (11 October) and Toronto Raptors (16 October) for the 2023 NBLxNBA tour.