JackJumpers overcome Snakes for fourth straight

It was an unexpectedly high-scoring affair but in the end the Tasmania JackJumpers had enough to make it four straight wins with Will Magnay hugely instrumental in eventual 99-90 home win over the Cairns Taipans.

The JackJumpers were back home at MyState Bank Arena with the defending champions on a three-game winning run as they hosted a Taipans team on a nine-game losing streak, but who arrived ready to fight hard.

Even with Tasmania scoring the first seven points of the game and first five of the third quarter, the Taipans kept on battling and even led at half-time by two on the back of Taran Armstrong leading the charge in his home state.

The two teams were only averaging 160 points a game between them all season but had 106 combined by half-time but the JackJumpers gradually pulled away.

In the end massive shots from Sean Macdonald, Anthony Drmic (10 points, four rebounds) and Milton Doyle in the last four minutes secured Tasmania the nine-point win to improve to 7-8 in their title defence.

Ultimately the major difference was Magnay between the two teams. The Paris Olympian delivered 18 points, 13 rebounds (nine offensive), two assists, two steals and two blocks, including having a foul overturned late into a block thanks to a Scott Roth challenge.

Doyle also had 21 points and eight assists, Majok Deng 17 points, six boards and three assists, and Macdonald 14 points and six rebounds.

"We're doing a good job just building game to game. We're going to practice and trying to clean up what we're not doing well," Magnay said.

"We probably turned over the ball a bit too much in the first half.

"We're still yet to put 40 minutes together … that's been a challenge for us all year."

The signs were encouraging for the now 3-11 Taipans despite the 10th consecutive loss with a career-best 29 points to go with three rebounds and three assists for Armstrong with 4/8 three-point shooting.

Sam Waardenburg battled a calf complaint to still have 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 33 and-a-half minutes with Tanner Groves putting up 19 points, five steals and four boards, and Rob Edwards nine points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

"We've got some things we need to fix, especially in the fourth quarter. That fourth quarter hits us again," Taipans coach Adam Forde said.

"We had some really good looks that didn't drop for us, and at the other end they capitalised on every offensive rebound.

"We gave up 16 points in the last five minutes of basketball - that's pretty disappointing."

The JackJumpers shot out of the blocks with the first seven points of the game including three-pointers to Milton Doyle and Sean Macdonald, but the Taipans did well from there to work their way into the contest away from home.

Cairns even worked on top heading towards quarter-time thanks to a three-point play from Taran Armstrong back in his home start and then by the end of the first, it was a narrow 31-30 advantage for the JackJumpers.

The momentum continued to swing right through the second quarter and Cairns produced 24 points to 21 to go into the half-time break leading 54-52.

That was on the back of 15 points from Armstrong, 14 from Sam Waardenburg and 11 from Tanner Groves while they shot 55 per cent from the field, 5/10 from deep and 11/13 at the foul line.

Tasmania's offence was good with 52 points on 54 per cent shooting too with four players scoring at least seven points, but giving up the 54 points was a very un-JackJumpers like first half.

The JackJumpers again started the second half hot with the first five points but every time they threatened to breakaway the Taipans would respond and it was Tasmania narrowly leading 75-73 by three quarter-time.

It remained a tight contest until Tasmania earned some breathing room to lead by five with a big three from Macdonald with 3:45 to play before Anthony Drmic also landed a long ball almost a minute later to stretch the lead to seven.

From there the JackJumpers closed the deal to win by nine and make it four straight wins and hand the Taipans a 10th straight loss in the process.

The JackJumpers now don't play again until being away to the New Zealand Breakers next Thursday while the Taipans head straight to Melbourne to face the South East Melbourne Phoenix on Saturday.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL SEASON 2024/25

TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 99 (Doyle 21, Magnay 18, Deng 17)

CAIRNS TAIPANS 90 (Armstrong 29, Waardenburg 19, Groves 19)

BOX SCORE