Pinder Leads Taipans to Snap Kings' Streak

The streak is over. After a historic 17-game road winning run dating back to last season, the Sydney Kings have been dethroned and it took a spectacular Keanu Pinder performance for the Cairns Taipans to win 94-88 in overtime.

For much of Monday night at the Cairns Convention Centre, the Kings appeared on track to make it 18 consecutive wins away from home with Xavier Cooks brilliant on his return from an ankle injury.

He pushed Sydney's lead out to 14 early in the fourth quarter and kept his team up eight on the back of yet another offensive rebound and putback with just under four minutes to play.

However, he fouled out soon after and the game underwent a dramatic transformation from there.

DJ Hogg shook off a rough night for the Snakes to hit two massive threes late to force the game into overtime. Then in the extra period, it was all the Taipans with Pinder setting the tone and then a triple from Bul Kuol and floater from Tahjere McCall sealing the deal.

That means that for the first time since February 4 last season that the Kings have lost on the road with the defending champions also conceding top spot to the New Zealand Breakers in the process.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hogg sends it to OT!! Tune in to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> live on ESPN via Kayo Sports and Foxtel - you don&#39;t want to miss the end of this one ? <a href="https://t.co/en0NRjVtB0">https://t.co/en0NRjVtB0</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1597177577772580865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Cairns will look at the box score and wonder how they won the game. They shot 36 per cent from the field, made just 8/39 from deep and were outrebounded by 11.

However, the Snakes did hound the Kings into 21 turnovers from which they scored 13 points while their aggression inside led to 36 trips to the foul line.

They also had Keanu Pinder, who unlike Cooks, didn’t foul out unlike last time against the Kings when Kouat Noi hit the game winner. Pinder finished the night with a game-winning 30 points, 13 rebounds and two assists for the Snakes on 8/16 shooting from the floor and 14/20 from the foul line.

Hogg might have had a rough first 35 minutes of the game, but stepped up when it mattered most for 20 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

Tahjere McCall added 18 points, four rebounds and four assists, Bul Kuol 12 points and three boards, and Sam Waardenburg nine points and 10 rebounds.

Taipans coach Adam Forde was proud of the way his team responded from the point they were down 14 early in the fourth to win.

"There was a point where we looked dead and buried down 14, and I did a standing timeout but not to yell or to cuss," Forde said.

"It was simply to ask what we want to do right now and if we want to grind this out through one possession at a time, or just go out and take turns. The boys responded and this is the group we recruited for. 

"DJ struggled all game and he's a big time player, and he made the big time shots when it was needed. I felt real confident going into overtime and I felt momentum was in our favour. They went that small ball line-up so we targeted where we wanted to put that ball. 

"What's great about this team is that we're able to generate turnovers, that's what the team's designed to do. If he shot drops, great, but if it doesn’t we find other ways to win. I'm very happy."

Cooks was a monster for the Kings for 36 minutes of the game, but they dearly missed him for the last nine when the game slipped away. He finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds on 11/16 field goal shooting.

Angus Glover added 16 points and eight rebounds for Sydney while draining 4/6 from downtown with Derrick Walton Jr contributing 15 points, five rebounds and five assists, and DJ Vasiljevic 10 points, seven boards and three assists.

Kings coach Chase Buford was matter of fact in his reflection post-match.

"We were doing well, they fouled Xave out and it didn’t go so well after that," Buford said.

"We didn’t handle the adversity with the tough breaks down the stretch very well, that will be my reflection probably on the game. 

"We had our opportunities, but turned it over a lot and didn’t handle the rough moments that we couldn’t control."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WAARDENBURG WOW ? The big man wants his own highlight reel!<br><br>Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> live on ESPN via Kayo Sports and Foxtel ? <a href="https://t.co/nfB518qFxu">pic.twitter.com/nfB518qFxu</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1597154205889724416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Xavier Cooks made his mark early on his early return from an ankle injury by scoring Sydney's first three baskets for a 6-2 lead, and when Justin Simon, Tim Soares and Derrick Walton Jr got going too, the Kings were up 15-8.

The Taipans got right back into it with three-pointers to DJ Hogg and Majok Deng and then Sydney only led by a point going into quarter-time on the back of a prayer on the buzzer to Sam Waardenburg for the Snakes.

The second quarter then became all about Keanu Pinder and Cooks at either end of the floor. They weren’t directly matching up too often, but were the central focus for their respective teams and involved in everything.

Looking to prove a point in the fight over who is the best in their position in the league, both emerging stars were aggressive and motivated. 

When it all settled, scores were locked at 44-44 at half-time with Pinder going into the break with 16 points and seven rebounds on 5/9 shooting with 6/8 from the foul line. Cooks also had 17 points and six boards on 7/12 shooting with 3/3 at the charity stripe.

While neither team shot well including a combined 5/29 from downtown, nine offensive rebounds for the Snakes were important but the Kings stayed close shooting 44 per cent from the floor opposed to 32.

It took five minutes of the third quarter for Cairns to make a field goal. In that time, Sydney scored seven points including a triple from Walton to led by six before Bul Kuol landed one from downtown for the home team.

Tahjere McCall then scored the Taipans' next three baskets to make it a one-point game again, but then the Kings responded once more including a pair of triples from Angus Glover to be up nine heading towards three quarter-time.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Glover back-to-back from 3?? to build the lead for the Kings!<br><br>Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> live on ESPN via Kayo Sports and Foxtel ? <a href="https://t.co/G3tZwrsYd0">pic.twitter.com/G3tZwrsYd0</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1597169559881928704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Sydney still led by 10 after three which became 14 to start the fourth term with two more buckets to Cooks. 

Another offensive rebound and putback from Cooks kept Sydney on top by eight, but then he fouled out with just over 3:30 on the clock and game turned dramatically.

In the end, two massive threes from Hogg and some key stops up the other end from the Taipans tied scores up and the game went to overtime when Walton's attempt on the buzzer was no good for Sydney.

Things continued to go the way of the Taipans and when Hogg pulled down an offensive rebound to score, and then Pinder posted up DJ Vasiljevic before dunking it, the home team was up four before getting another stop with under two minutes to go.

A huge dunk from Jordan Hunter and three-pointer from Glover kept Sydney within touching distance, but the Taipans had the answers and a three to Kuol and floater to McCall secured the eventual six-point win.

The Taipans next take on the Adelaide 36ers on the road on Friday night while the Kings will also take on the Sixers, but at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 8

CAIRNS TAIPANS 94 (Pinder 30, Hogg 20, McCall 18)

SYDNEY KINGS 88 (Cooks 25, Glover 16, Walton Jr 15) 

BOX SCORE