Deng down in big blow

MAJOK Deng shot the lights out of Early Settler Stadium on Friday night to power Cairns Marlins to the first of two strong victories, but officials now face a nervous wait to learn the extent of an injury the Taipans star suffered in the crucial win against Townsville.

Deng went down in the final three minutes of Sunday’s 88-74 win against the Heat in Townsville, clutching his ankle after an innocuous bump under the rim. He stayed down, and was eventually carried from the court.

The forward is a key piece for the Marlins’ NBL1 North team, which improved to 7-4 for the season, and only recently signed a contract extension to keep him at the Taipans until 2024.

But the sight of Deng being carried from the Townsville Stadium court was a sad one after his monster efforts across the double header.

On Friday, Cairns led from buzzer to buzzer, with Deng at the centre of one of the Marlins’ best performances of the NBL1 North campaign.

He scored 46 points in an outstanding shooting exhibition, and grabbed 16 rebounds for his double-double.

“The main thing for me is getting that win,” Deng said on Saturday. “I was just doing what the team needs, and lucky my shots were dropping.

“The one thing about me, I’ve always been a confident guy. It doesn’t matter where I’m playing, whether it’s in the NBL1 or the NBL, my confidence is always there.

“We have a couple young guys in the team, we just trying to guide them any way I can. If I have to score or do anything, I’m happy to do that.

“I’m always confident in my jump shot and scoring ability, it’s one of my strongest weapons.”

He landed 20 of 27 field goals, an outstanding 74.1 per cent, with just five points coming from the charity stripe.

He shot at 82.6 per cent inside the circle, his one-from-four from range slightly hurting his unreal figures.

It’s not the first time he’s recorded such numbers, but it was outstanding timing given Taipans coach Adam Forde has spent the week in Cairns.

The fact that 11 of those 16 rebounds came at the defensive end would have made Forde a happy man, as he seeks to rebuild the Taipans.

Friday’s win against Brisbane was a big night for the Marlins, who have welcomed back Alex Loughton for the rest of the season. He celebrated his return with 16 points at 50 per cent from the field, with the rest of the points shared.

In Townsville on Sunday afternoon, Deng again led the Marlins with a 23point, 12-rebound double-double.