Cairns outlast Sydney in game two of Playoff series

The Sydney Kings will play a home sudden-death final on Sunday, after losing game two of their Playoff series to the Taipans 93-82 on Friday at the Cairns Convention Centre. 

The loss, the first of the Kings in the post-season under coach Chase Buford, means Sydney will battle Cairns from 1.45pm AEDT at Qudos Bank Arena for a spot in the Championship Series - with tickets to the general public available here from 1pm Saturday, February 18.

Match summary 

Sydney started slow, missing their first four shots allowing Cairns to jump out to a 7-0 lead. But six quick points from Justin Simon propelled the visitors back into the game (10-all). Back-to-back triples by Lat Mayen restored the Taipans’ lead, despite big baskets by Angus Glover and Kouat Noi. A late three-pointer by DJ Hogg and spin-move by Tahjere McCall put the Snakes up 27-19 at the first change. 

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That lead ballooned to double-digits (15) with the Snakes opening the period on a 7-0 run – which quickly extended to 17 after a three by McCall. Derrick Walton Jr tried to will the Kings back with scores and dimes (two of which ended in Glover scores), helping Chase Buford’s side close to within eight but turnovers (10 for the half) and allowing offensive rebounds hamstrung them - as Cairns went into the main break 54-41. 

Neither team troubled the scorers through the opening two minutes of period three, before Walton Jr broke the drought with a fast-break lay-up. That was short-lived, as Cairns rattled off nine straight, to make it 66-47. With newly crowned MVP Xavier Cooks forced from the court with an ankle injury, the Kings hung tough, thanks to clutch scores by Walton Jr. Despite that, Adam Forde’s side went into three-quarter-time up by 16 (71-55). 

Needing a huge fourth quarter, the harbour city side scored six of the first seven points of the period. Another Walton Jr shot from downtown closed the margin to eight, before a steal and and-one by Noi kept it a three-possession game. Any hopes of a Kings’ comeback were put to bed by two triples by Hogg and Buford being ejected for a questionable flopping call on Noi – as Cairns won by 11. 

Where the match was decided 

The biggest factors that hurt the Kings on Friday were their turnovers (20) and free-throw shooting (50 per cent to 80). 

Key moment  

Cairns’ defence and ability to score points off turnovers early on, allowed them to lead by as many as 17 in the early parts of the second quarter – a margin that proved too much for the regular season champions to overcome. 

Player of the game 

Without the services of Cooks, fellow All-NBL First Teamer Walton Jr did all her could for the Hoops Capital outfit, tallying 22 points, six assists, five rebounds and one steal. 

The only other two Kings to score in double figures were Simon (19) and Noi (12). 

What’s next 

The Kings will host game three of the Playoff Semi-Final series against Cairns on Sunday from 1.45pm AEDT – with the victory progressing to the NBL23 Championship Series. 

Remember, all information, including tickets, for the Kings’ Hungry Jacks Finals Series tilt, can be found here.