HIT THEM FIRST
Taipans sniper on 36ers’ win, and the plan to bounce United
BASKETBALL
THROW the first punch then get in and finish the job.
It’s how the Cairns Taipans got the job done in an important 94-86 win against Adelaide 36ers at home on Sunday afternoon which sent the club back in to the top four, according to guard Mirko Djeric.
And it’s how they plan to attack Melbourne United in the NBL’s coveted open-air clash on Boxing Day night.
The Taipans have beaten Melbourne United, spearheaded by former club MVP Melo Trimble, in both of their clashes to date.
LAND the first punch and finish the job.
It’s how the Cairns Taipans got the job done in an important win against Adelaide 36ers on Sunday afternoon which kept the Far North Queensland club in the top four.
And it’s how they plan to attack Melbourne United in the NBL’s coveted open-air clash on Boxing Day night.
The Taipans hit the court with purpose.
Last week’s overtime loss to South East Melbourne, who the Taipans led by six points with 11 seconds on the clock before John Roberson took the game away, was fresh in the minds of these men.
Mirko Djeric was on target from the get-go, landing two huge three-pointers in the opening minutes to help put Cairns in control early.
It was a grip the Snakes never gave up. The 36ers fought from well behind, but the Taipans were never headed – itself a rare but welcome sight for the Orange Army.
Djeric finished with 15 points, including three buckets from long range, and postgame spoke about the importance of firing the opening shot.
“We always talk about throwing the first punch and I think we did that tonight,” Djeric said on Sunday. “I think we came out ready.
“We were frustrated from the last game, how we finished, but we got over it. We came out, we threw the first punch and got the job done.
“It’s hard to swallow that (loss to the Phoenix) straight away but the group did well. We regrouped. We’re a team, we all lost. We went forward from that.”
The spoils were shared in another team-first performance from the Snakes, who are back into fourth after the 94-86 win.
Cameron Oliver finished with a double-double from 21 points and 15 rebounds, while DJ Newbill had 26 points at 61.5 per cent shooting, and Majok Deng had 13 points – including three buckets from long range, at 60 per cent from beyond the arc.
Scott Machado scored just three points, but dished 13 assists to build his compelling case as NBL’s Most Valuable Player in 2019-20.
While the import trio of Machado, Oliver and Newbill regularly steal the headlines, alongside boom rookie Kouat Noi, who missed Sunday’s clash as he recovers from a high ankle sprain, Taipans coach Mike Kelly spoke of the importance of every member of the squad contributing to the team’s success.
“We need everybody,” Kelly said. “There’s Mirko, Fab (Fabijan Krslovic) continues to go from strength to strength, Anthony Fisher in spot minutes, George (Blagojevic) came in in a really important time in the first half.
“They continue to be ready and be better, and that’s what we need for us to be fighting it out in the playoff contention.”