Preview: Sydney v Cairns (Round 5)

Thursday, October 27, 2022

Cairns shook the Kings at home a fortnight ago, and now Xavier Cooks and Co are desperate to avoid three-straight losses at 'the Q'.

When: 8pm (AEDT), Saturday 29 October, 2022
Where: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
Broadcast: ESPN; Foxtel; Kayo; Sky NZ

Who won last time?

Cairns 83 (Pinder 16, Scott 16, Hogg 15) d Sydney 78 (Vasiljevic 20, Cooks 15, Walton 14) – Round 3 at Qudos Bank Arena

When Sydney led by 10 in the second term it looked like business as usual for the champs, but Majok Deng and DJ Hogg combined for 11 points in just over four minutes to put the Snakes ahead. The second half then belonged to the clutch Shannon Scott, who took the points over Derrick Walton, while Keanu Pinder’s 16 points, 11 boards and two blocks were crucial as he outplayed Kings star Xavier Cooks.

What happened last game?

The Kings once again came up short in front of another big home crowd last round, moving them 1-2 at home and 4-0 away. Adelaide exploited Sydney’s lax perimeter defence to lead by double-figures in the second, then charged home 17-8 to pinch the W on a trio of late treys. Cairns only landed three threes in the final 17 minutes of their fade-out loss to New Zealand, despite heaving up 15 from deep, moving them to 0-2 at home and 4-0 on the road.

What’s working?

Rim runners – While Sydney may have fallen to the 36ers, offence wasn’t the problem, Chase Buford’s men shooting 27/40 at 68 per cent from within five feet as they won points in the paint 58-28. Of those inside makes, 17 of them were in the first half of the shot clock as they put feet in the paint and heat on the rim from the opening moments. Tellingly though, only three early paint scores were in the final term as they were outscored 24-17.

Paint protectors – The Kings only made 20 two-point baskets against Cairns in Round 3 – they average 26.3 the rest of the season – while scoring a season-low 34 points in the paint. In the final quarter, Cairns allowed the Kings just six two-point attempts, where they usually averaged 11 per period. The athletic Taipans are allowing just 36.7 points in the key this season, while Sydney score a league-high 46.3, marking this as a pivotal battleground.

What needs stopping?

Stagnant weakside – In Sunday’s final term against New Zealand, the Taipans ran ball-screen action on nine possessions, and in seven of those they had three stagnant off-ball players standing on the perimeter. This allowed the Breakers’ defence to clog the paint and still easily locate shooters, and Cairns managed just three points from those nine possessions.

Home worriers – The Kings record as road warriors is well known, and they’ve been firing with confidence all around the country, dropping 11 triples per game at 40 per cent in their four away dates. Back in the Harbour City it’s a different story, however, hitting just 7.7 from range at 28 per cent, and they need to bring that carefree road confidence to the Q.

Who’s matching up?

Justin Simon v DJ Hogg – In Round 3, Simon was largely a non-factor, scoring four points on 1/3 shooting, grabbing just three boards and going a game-worst -8. He did help force Hogg into a rough 5/16 shooting night, but the new Taipan found others ways to contribute to the W with five boards, five assists, three steals and a next-to-game-high +7.

Derrick Walton v Shannon Scott – The plus-minus king in that contest was Scott, who amassed 13 points, three steals and two dimes in the second half to close the game out. At the other end, Bul Kuol held Walton to just three attempts from inside the paint, leading the defensive effort that forced five turnovers to offset Derrick’s six-dime night.

Xavier Cooks v Keanu Pinder – KP got the better of this marquee battle last time, his 16 points, 11 rebounds, three o-boards, three assists and two blocks a stat-line we’re accustomed to from Cooks. Sydney’s superstar had six caroms and three dimes that night, but has averaged 9.7rpg and 6.0apg in three games since, so watch for X to assert himself.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Deja vu in John Cain Arena <br><br>? Live on <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNAusNZ</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/10PeachAu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@10PeachAu</a> 10Play <a href="https://twitter.com/kayosports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kayosports</a> Freebies<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheKings?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheKings</a> <a href="https://t.co/JuYAWNFCPA">pic.twitter.com/JuYAWNFCPA</a></p>— Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings/status/1584051879226376192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Who’s saying what?

What are the chances the Sydney Kings entertainment crew play the Darth Vader theme when their team runs out on Saturday night?

Centre Jordan Hunter joked that this “banger” of a tune was the reason for their ability to play so well in faraway galaxies, with coach Chase Buford admitting his team likes being the ‘bad guys’.

“We hate to say it, but we embrace being the villains a little bit. There are guys in our locker room who love the hate,” he said.

“We love when people are talking, we love that spiciness to the game. We probably get a bit more of that on the road than we do at home and maybe that fires us up in the right way.”

While it’s easy to joke when on an NBL-record road winning streak, if they fall to Cairns again at Qudos, losing three on the trot at home won’t be a laughing matter.

In Round 3, Cairns were simply the better side, fueled by their effort and capped by some clutch shooting.

“Turnovers are frustrating, offensive rebounds are frustrating,” said a frustrated Buford post-game.

“We spot them 10 extra possessions on five extra offensive rebounds, five extra turnovers, we were awful with the ball tonight.

“You can’t get ripped one-on-one in this league, that’s unacceptable, you're not going to win games if they just take it from you over and over. We've got to be better.”

The defending champs showed some frailties when an opponent gave them a dose of their own free-wheeling medicine.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Denials x Daggers ??<br><br>The <a href="https://twitter.com/CairnsTaipans?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CairnsTaipans</a> would not be denied on this play ?<br><br>Follow the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> action live on ESPN via Kayo Sports and Foxtel <a href="https://t.co/DbcT5kJkw7">pic.twitter.com/DbcT5kJkw7</a></p>— The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1580848569338441731?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“Every time they hit a shot we hung our heads, we were just really disappointing on both sides of the ball both sides of the ball all night,” Buford said.

It was a similar story for Cairns last Sunday, out-hustled in the second half by a New Zealand team that seemed to want it more.

Disappointingly for coach Adam Forde, his side went into their shells when confronted by the Breakers’ physical defence, not willing to work through the bump-and-grind in a dour affair.

“We weren’t aggressive, we weren’t attacking, we weren’t moving the ball,” he said.

“It just felt like everything was just a grind. The ball never moved, (when it did) it was moving to the wrong areas.”

Down the stretch that went to a new level, the Taipans resembling a struggling NBA team with no concept of team offence.

“We sort of gave the ball to DJ and everyone just stood there,” Forde said.

“We got him easy points (at the start) and then we went away from him. We got him going early, then it felt like it was a real struggle to get him the ball.”

It sets the scene for a cracking repeat of the Round 3 thriller. The Kings looked the goods early, but Pinder, Scott and Majok Deng found ways to keep them in it.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shannon Scott showing his range! ?<br><br>Scott getting some buckets early in the 3rd ? <a href="https://t.co/aOKpIDVmkU">pic.twitter.com/aOKpIDVmkU</a></p>— Cairns Taipans (@CairnsTaipans) <a href="https://twitter.com/CairnsTaipans/status/1580858291810230272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Angus Glover stepped up in the final quarter with two theatrical fall-downs that drew offensive fouls to change momentum, but the Snakes kept their focus on the game.

Pinder fouled out, Scott cramped up, but Forde’s men continued to find a way to make plays.

Sydney were never comfortable guarding their horns action or double drag screens that had Pinder rolling and Sam Waardenburg or Deng popping dangerously, and Forde was delighted with his team’s ability that night to go back to what works.

“For us to stay composed when numerous times there was adversity, whether it be match-ups, whether it be particular moments in the game we stayed solid,” he said.

“Keanu fouled out, we stayed solid, Shannon cramped u, we stayed solid, and that’s what’s important.”

For Sydney, what’s important is learning from last time, like not going under the ball-screen on shooters like Kuol or Scott – who dropped 6/13 – instead running them off the arc and trusting Hunter and Tim Soares to defend the paint.

“Defensively probably is where they’re at their best for us,” Buford said.

“Jordy has four blocks and Tim is just an animal with his verticality. He just eats up people who come into the lane.

“He’s a monster back there. To have him, Jordy, X, it’s a great luxury as a coach.”