Sluggish Kings suffer season's first loss to Taipans

The Cairns Taipans spoiled the 100th Kings game celebrations of Shaun Bruce on Friday night, defeating Sydney 83-78 at Qudos Bank Arena - handing the hosts their first defeat of NBL23.

Match summary 

Despite the Taipans opening the game with three straight triples, the Kings led 14-13 early thanks to strong play by Tim Soares at both ends of the floor. That lead was stretched to six (25-19) by the first change, with Biwali Bayles and Angus Glover both making a positive impact in their first minutes on NBL23. 

Another bomb from downtown extended the Kings’ lead to 10 early in the second before the Snakes rattled off nine straight, on the back of their resolute defence. The Taipans’ impressive run continued, as a 20-9 run saw them take the lead 39-34 - before the Hoops Capital side closed the term on a 6-0 run to lead at the half 40-39. 

The two foes traded baskets – especially from deep - in the third, with neither able to gain the ascendancy. Although Derrick Walton Jr started to leave his impression on the game, with a couple of handy dimes, it was the visitors who carried the lead 61-59 heading into the final term. 

In the fourth, committed defence by Glover – who took two charges in quick succession – kept the game close for the hosts, despite Shannon Scott and DJ Hogg nailing triples. Although Sydney kept producing stops on defence, missed free throws down the stretch, and a huge dagger by Major Deng, hurt them – as Cairns ran out winners by five.

Where the match was decided 

Although they’d escaped with wins so far this season with their bad free-throw shooting, that wasn't the case on Friday, with the Kings’ 14/25 from the charity stripe hurting any chances of a comeback for the hosts. Losing the turnovers count 18-15 also hurt Sydney on the night. 

Key moment 

With his team trailing by nine points midway through the second term, Adam Forde was handed a technical foul by the officials. This moment proved the catalyst for his side, who then proceeded to go on an 18-3 run – which laid the foundations for their third win of NBL23. 

Player of the game 

In a game where most of the Kings struggled to score, sharpshooter Dejan Vasiljevic didn’t have such issue. The guard hit 8/20 of his shots (including three triples) on his way to a game-high 20 points. He also added two rebounds and one free throw in the defeat.  

Special shoutout to Shaun Bruce who added five points, three rebounds and one assist in his 100th game for the club. 

What’s next 

Chase Buford’s troops, who now have a 3-1 record on the season, will now head to Queensland for their second straight double-header, ahead of Sunday’s showdown with the Brisbane Bullets (who they defeated 100-90 in round two) at Nissan Arena – tipping off at 4pm AEDT. The Kings will be looking to extend their NBL record 14th straight away win in the fixture.