Clinical 36ers pick apart Taipans

Bryce Cotton has continued his dazzling form with his new team, scoring 28 points as the Adelaide 36ers maintained their unbeaten start to the NBL season with a 110-79 demolition of the Cairns Taipans.

Cotton, who poured in 39 points in his Sixers debut last week against the Brisbane Bullets, put the Snakes to the sword at the Cairns Convention Centre on Thursday night.

The five-time MVP knocked down 11/18 from the floor, complemented by seven assists and five steals for the impressive 36ers, who are 2-0 for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

It was a standout all-round performance from the Sixers who shot 49 per cent from the field, went 20/25 at the foul line and pulled down 15 offensive rebounds to go with 25 assists to just six turnovers.

Flynn Cameron again showed he's ready to take the next step in NBL26 with 20 points, four rebounds and four assists on 4/8 three-point shooting while DJ Vasiljevic added 19 points with 4/9 from deep, and Isaac Humphries 19 points, six rebounds and two blocks.

New import Nick Rakovevic, who only joined the team when they were in Cairns, had an encouraging debut too with eight points and eight rebounds in 16 minutes including five offensive boards.

It was a rough night for the Taipans who were coming off two wins last weekend against Brisbane and Sydney following a first up 37-point road loss to the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

Foul trouble again limited centre Marcus Lee to 23 minutes which proved crucial with him having 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

Admiral Schofield finished with 19 points while Andrew Andrews had 10 points and seven assists but it was a tired looking Jack McVeigh who had nine points, eight rebounds and five assists but also had six turnovers.

Cotton exploded with 12 first-quarter points - including the 6000th of his decorated career - in the space of 156 seconds to surge Adelaide to a commanding 36-23 lead at the first change.

The Taipans' defence and rebounding were both well below par.

Humphries took advantage of Lee's foul troubles and Cairns captain Sam Waardenburg's absence to dominate inside as the Sixers continued their relentless march with a 22-15 second term.

The 36ers hit 17 of their first 24 shots, while the Snakes were outrebounded 25-14 for the half, didn't have a single score off the bench, and trailed 58-38 at the main break.

Cotton continued to thrive in the third period, which ended with a buzzer-beating long bomb from Vasiljevic that stretched the Sixers' cushion to 85-60 at three quarter-time, before the visitors continued to add to the Taipans' misery in the final quarter.

The Taipans remain at home to host the Perth Wildcats next Friday night while the 36ers now have three straight home matches starting next Thursday against the Tasmania JackJumpers.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL SEASON 2025/26

CAIRNS TAIPANS 79 (Schofield 19, Lee 18, Andrews 10)

ADELAIDE 36ERS 110 (Cotton 28, Cameron 20, Humphries 19, Vasiljevic 19)

BOX SCORE