Preview: Sydney v Cairns

Thursday, October 13, 2022

Xavier Cooks and Sydney are smoking after mauling Melbourne, while the Tahj McCall-less Taipans are licking their wounds after a pounding from Perth.

When: 7.30pm (AEDT), Friday 14 October, 2022
Where: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
Broadcast: ESPN; Foxtel; Kayo; Sky NZ

Who won last time?

Sydney 87 (Clark 21, Cooks 18, Vasiljevic 15) d Cairns 77 (McCall 22, Kuol 16, Deng 13) – Round 21, NBL22 at Cairns Convention Centre

It was a case of no Jaylen Adams, no worries for Sydney in Round 21 as they unleashed a 21-2 run in seven minutes bridging half-time to blow the game open. Xavier Cooks, Ian Clark, DJ Vasiljevic and Makur Maker scoring all 21 of those points as they combined for 63 all up, while Tahjere McCall was the Snakes’ standout with 22 points, seven boards and four dimes.

What happened last game?

McCall only managed two points on Monday as Cairns copped another home humbling, by 29 points to Perth to make it 10 losses from their past 13 outings at the Snakepit. He's since been ruled out for three weeks with a hip injury. Round 2 had started much better for Adam Forde’s men, with a stirring road victory over South East Melbourne, while Sydney recorded a record 14th straight away win by dismantling Melbourne in unbelievable fashion – leading by 34 at half-time – after running away from Brisbane to open the round.

What’s working?

Interior defence – The Kings are giving up just 16.3 two-point baskets per game at 40 per cent. Ridiculous numbers. Against Melbourne that was 12 and 30 per cent. While they are allowing a league-high 13.7 triples, their interior focus has them committing the second-fewest fouls and pulling in the second-most defensive boards to launch their running game.

Fine diming – Even on a forgettable scoring night against Perth, the Snakes still dealt 20 dimes, and rank second in the league in assists (20.7) and third in assist percentage. Shannon Scott and McCall rank third and fourth in the NBL for helpers, dishing 63 per cent of their team’s dimes, while Keanu Pinder ranks second amongst big men with 3.3 per night.

What needs stopping?

Sydney – The Kings are averaging 99 points per game at 51 per cent from the field, 43 per cent from range, are outscoring opponents by 44 points in the paint and are the NBL’s most efficient transition team. They have five players shooting 40 per cent or better from outside, and three players averaging double-figure scoring from ‘ones and twos’ alone. It’s a complete package that will take some stopping.

Settling for jumpers – In Cairns’ past two games they have heaved up 72 threes and gone to the free-throw line just 20 times. In their impressive season opener in Tasmania, they took 29 triples and 32 foul shots, compared to 41 and seven against the 'Cats on Monday, where they attempted more threes than twos. While long bombs are important, the Taipans athletic line-up needs to put more heat on the D.

Who’s matching up?

Derrick Walton v Shannon Scott – Scott has made an early claim for Best Sixth Man, but with McCall sidelined he’ll be taking on Walton from tip-off. However, after Bryce Cotton dropped 24 points and went +31 on the Snakes, coach Adam Forde will be preaching team defence on the superstar King. That’s easier said than done with D-Walt, who’s hitting 59 per cent on twos, 46 per cent on threes, shooting 5.7 free throws per night, is the NBL’s second-most prolific scorer in transition and is dishing 7.3 dimes to just 2.3 turnovers.

Justin Simon v DJ Hogg – After hitting 7/18 from deep in his first two NBL games, Hogg had a horror 0/5 night against Perth. He still went 6/9 inside however, with all of those makes coming from within five feet, and his 206cm frame will pose a challenge for the athletic but undersized 196cm Simon. Formerly known as a non-shooter, Simon has dropped 3/3 from range in his past two games, and will be looking to test Hogg’s perimeter D.

Xavier Cooks v Keanu Pinder – How good is this? Two in-form, athletic freaks going head-to-head. Cooks is averaging 23.3ppg at 63 per cent – including 56 per cent from the arc – 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 dimes. Pinder is also en fuego, averaging 17.7ppg at 50 per cent, 9.7 boards and 3.3 assists, and he still posted 18 points and 15 caroms in the loss to Perth. Does the winner of this battle claim the mantle of the league’s best big man early in NBL23?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">X-RATED ? ALL-ANGLES<a href="https://twitter.com/xaviercooks10?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@xaviercooks10</a> threw down one of the NASTIEST dunks in NBL history earlier today in the <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SydneyKings</a> W over United.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> <a href="https://t.co/IkCGnhYQtd">pic.twitter.com/IkCGnhYQtd</a></p>— The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1579033345950101505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Who’s saying what?

It's quite indisputable that all bubbles must burst at some point, and when they do it happens very quickly.

The Cairns Taipans two dominant performances to open NBL23 caught most by surprise, and expectations quickly grew for this dynamic, athletic side.

However, Perth popped their bubble in spectacular fashion in the second quarter on Monday night, scorching them for 37 points on 14/19 shooting.

In contrast, the Snakes managed just 13 points, unable to hit shots, get offensive rebounds or look after the ball, feeding the Wildcats’ transition game.

The warning signs were there in the first quarter, however, giving up five offensive rebounds to suggest they weren’t properly locked in for their home opener.

“We gave up rebounds which gave a lot of life to their offence,” Taipans coach Adam Forde said.

“The second quarter was a combination of nine turnovers and only one (three-point) attempt made.”

However, if you told Taipans’ fans they'd be 2-1 after three games, most would have taken that gladly, and Forde knows there are no panic stations.

“A loss is only a loss if you don’t learn from it, and I think there’s a lot to take away from this game,” he said.

It’s important they learn them quickly. Forde admitted that “little things really rattled our cage”, and no one tests teams’ mental toughness more than the high-speed Kings.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pulling all the moves ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheKings?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheKings</a> <a href="https://t.co/SG7hUchAOt">pic.twitter.com/SG7hUchAOt</a></p>— Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings/status/1579001305510875136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Whether it’s Xavier Cooks and Justin Simon on the offensive glass, Derrick Walton attacking at pace, their defence lulling you into throwing up long bomb after long bomb or the three-point barrage they put on Melbourne, Chase Buford’s men take opponents out of their comfort zone.

That’s what Cairns did in their opening two games, and Forde simply wants his team to keep ingraining that style.

“We’ve got a group that’s still learning to play with each other, and they’ve got to develop that trust and bond still. That’s not going to happen overnight,” he said

“It’s important we don’t take this loss and feel this is going to be the barometer of where we’re at. We have to take the positives, we have to learn from this.”

Yet while the orange team will be breathing fire after their horror Round 2 closer, they face a champion team with plenty of motivation too.

“This is a game I marked on the calendar as soon as it came out, as you always want to play well against your former team,” said Kouat Noi, who faces the Snakes for the first time in opposition colours.

“Both teams have started the season well and have a lot of momentum at the moment, so it should be a really exciting game to be a part of - with both teams liking to push the pace and shoot threes.

“We know they’re coming here looking to claim a big scalp.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A DELICIOUS MOMENT ?<br><br>Scott steals the cookies, so Pinder can dunk ?? <a href="https://t.co/h1ux7M96T2">pic.twitter.com/h1ux7M96T2</a></p>— Cairns Taipans (@CairnsTaipans) <a href="https://twitter.com/CairnsTaipans/status/1578663392075649030?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Another former Taipan, Shaun Bruce, has made a huge impact on Sydney with his tough, no-nonsense play off the bench.

With the highly-valued guard celebrating his 100th game as a King, coach Buford wants to make sure he celebrates in style.

“First and foremost, it's a revenge game of sorts for Brucey, coming up against one of his former teams," Kings coach Chase Buford said.

“Cairns is obviously a good team that has started the year exceptionally well, as they can shoot the ball from practically every position - so we're going to have to be ready for that.”

Yet whether it is the top team, bottom team, revenge game, home game or road trip, it doesn’t seem to matter with these Kings at the moment, who are playing with relentless discipline, speed and energy.

“As a group, we have that never-satisfied attitude,” Justin Simon told SEN.

"Every night we go out there with that attitude knowing we haven’t fully established ourselves the way we want to.

“We’re putting our best foot forward, we’re competing, and we want to clean things up on the offensive end and the defensive end.”