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Game Preview: Taipans v Bullets

20 Dec
6 mins read
Flying south for the second Queensland derby of the year, the Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans will take on the Brisbane Bullets for their final game before Christmas.

Entering the game missing several of their troops (again) the Taipans will be facing a team also dealing with injury woes. With a total of six players missing from the matchup, it will be a test of which Queensland side is able to prevail without key pieces in their line-ups. 

Where and When

Friday, 20 December at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre (6:30pm AEST)

How to Follow

Watch: Live on ESPN

Live Updates: Taipans X

Stats: Box Score

What’s Already Happened

Their Last Battle: Cairns Taipans (88) v Brisbane Bullets (92) in Round 7

Last matching up in early November, it was a close battle in Cairns where the locals kept in touch with the Bullets, before making a charge for the win – a charge which saw them hold the lead for most of the second half, before Brisbane stole the victory in the final minutes.

Relying heavily on Sam Waardenburg and Rob Edwards who combined for 48 points, it was a night where the Taipans struggled to maintain their dominance on their own boards with Tyrell Harrison pulling down nine offensive rebounds.

Fast forward six games, and Cairns now sit second in the league for cleaning up their own boards – seven spots higher than the Bullets – and the Taipans pushing the focus on rebounding throughout their squad.

Someone who will be looking forward to the rematch will be Cairns development player Alex Higgins-Titsha, with the youngster recording his first professional start against the state rivals. In only his third NBL game, the forward ended his night with an 11 point and 11 rebound double-double and will be eyeing up more court time with the new series of injuries that the Taipans have picked up recently.

Leading the charge for the Bullets during their last encounter, James Batemon shot the lights out of the Brisbane Entertainment Centre two weeks later by putting up a 51-point performance – a record for the 40-minute era of the NBL that lasted only 14 days before Bryce Cotton overtook it.

However, the guard has struggled to maintain that output and has averaged only 16 points per game since that night, with Brisbane turning to experienced forward Casey Prather to carry the scoring burden.

With Cairns returning to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre for the first time since January 2019, Adam Forde will lead his squad into a city that has been a happy hunting ground for him.

Facing the Bullets five times so far on their home court as the Head Coach of the Taipans, Adam Forde has walked out of Nissan Arena with five wins since 2021 – with Kerry Williams also winning his sole game as Head Coach at the venue.

Relocating to the Entertainment Centre for their 2024-25 campaign, the Bullets initially struggled to adjust to life at their new stadium by opening their season with three home losses out of their first four games – including a 17-point loss to Melbourne United – however have since settled in with three straight wins.

Player to Watch

Stepping up in the place of Sam Waardenburg against the Perth Wildcats, Kyrin Galloway will once more be hoping to start the night on the court rather than starting the evening on the bench. Since moving from Adelaide to the Far North, the forward has seen a rise in minutes – with a series of starting opportunities due to his injured teammates – and is putting up the best numbers of his career, particularly from a shooting perspective.

Currently hitting 53.4% of his shots – an increase of 11.5% on last year – Galloway is entering the round shooting more accurately than any other forward in Queensland. Facing him will be Bullet Casey Prather, who will be entering the matchup on his own hot streak having averaged 27 points since the FIBA break, with the job on Galloway to limit his damage.

What’s Been Said

Taipans Head Coach Adam Forde:

“Naturally there’s frustrations because guys are losing, but this is what I just praised them on – it’s easy to quit, it’s easy to complain, and it’s easy to take shortcuts, and this is where I can’t fault the group. 

“The level of the professionalism within the group is that they’re working just as hard this week as they did on Week 1.

“This is a real testament of their character, and for everybody in this gym, they’re facing a little bit of adversity – it’s challenging times – and yet they continue to keep coming into work, getting better, rising above it, and we’ve just got to try and snap this streak.

“Brisbane beat us up on the boards last time – Tyrell Harrison is a tough cover – and this is something that we’ve talked about. It’s not just going to be on Tanner to go and get 15 rebounds, but it’s going to be to make sure that the guards are coming through and sweeping up those rebounds too.”

Taipans center Tanner Groves:

“It’s tough when you’ve got a few key players missing, but I’m trying to do my best – kind of like what those guys were doing earlier in the season when I was out and kind of do the same thing. 

“Alex comes in every day, works incredibly hard and is a good human being, so everything that he’s been showing on the court is no surprise to any of us here because of the type of guy that he is. 

“It’s obviously tough being on a losing streak, but at the same time Fordey has been talking to us about how there could be a lot worse situations, so just as a group we’ve been getting around each other trying to do everything we can to get a win on the board.”

The Lineups

Taipans

PG – Taran Armstrong / Jackson Makoi / Kyle Adnam

SG – Rob Edwards / Jonah Antonio / Tad Dufelmeier

SF – Pedro Bradshaw / Alex Higgins-Titsha

PF – Kyrin Galloway / Kody Stattmann

C – Tanner Groves

Bullets

PG – Mitch Norton / Emmett Naar / Tristan Devers

SG – James Batemon / Isaac White / Kye Savage

SF – Keandre Cook

PF – Casey Prather / Josh Bannan

C – Tyrell Harrison / Tohi Smith-Milner / Rocco Zikarsky

Ins and Outs 

Taipans

Ins – Alex Higgins-Titsha, Kody Stattmann, Tad Dufelmeier

Outs – Sam Waardenburg (hand), AK Gak (knee), Dillon Stith (knee)

Bullets

Ins – Emmett Naar, Tristan Devers, Kye Savage

Outs – Deng Adel (hand), Jarred Bairstow (ankle), Sam McDaniel (shoulder)

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