Kings just hold out brave Machado's Snakes

Scott Machado inspired a spirited second half fightback for the Cairns Taipans but the Sydney Kings provided more help for Casper Ware and that was pivotal in their eventual 75-73 win on Sunday.

The form of the two teams couldn’t have been more contrasting on Friday night with the Kings thrashing Melbourne United at home by 28 points while the Taipans fell to the Wildcats in Perth by 18 points.

On the back of that, Sydney remained home and was back at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday against a Snakes outfit backing up 40 hours after that game in Perth and on a four-game losing slide.

The Taipans did start well to be up 21-13 early but my early in the third quarter the Kings had assumed control to lead by 11 and it was going to take something remarkable to bring the Snakes back into it.

And it was Machado that saw that happen. After just four points in the first half while Cam Oliver was scoreless, the Taipans import pair took their team on a 15-0 run to turn that 11-point deficit into a five-point lead early in the fourth quarter.

It didn’t quite last. Some big Daniel Kickert minutes and three important baskets kept Sydney close but still the Taipans were two points up with three minutes to go.

But Sydney held them to one-point the rest of the way and it was a Shaun Bruce three ball with 1:25 to go that proved the sealer. 

The Snakes still had a chance on the last possession down two, but Machado's drive wasn’t fruitful and the Kings won by two to improve to 9-8 on the season while the Snakes slip to 4-14.

Both teams lost a key player throughout the game too and will face nervous waits to find out the results of apparent ankle injuries to Didi Louzada and Kouat Noi.

It was another fascinating Casper Ware-Scott Machado duel, but in the end it was the extra help Ware got that made the difference. He still played well for 16 points, three rebounds and two assists though.

Jarell Martin produced another 16 points and seven rebounds with DJ Vasiljevic adding 11 points, Daniel Kickert 11 and Shaun Bruce six including the game-winner.

Sydney coach Adam Forde might not have liked how his team played but was relieved to come out the winner.

"It was real ugly. We got up 11 and they go on a 15-0 run, and I had to burn a couple of timeouts just trying to find something," Forde said. 

"Nate was a problem for us, he was tough. We didn’t really have any answer for that but I think for me personally the turning point was Kicks' little tip in on the rebound. 

"That gave us a little bit of energy but credit to Cairns after playing in Perth. There was no real excuse for us other than it was a polar opposite than how we went about it on offensive end against Melbourne."

Machado finished with 21 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals for Cairns with Fabijan Krslovic contributing 13 points and five boards, Nate Jawai 12 points and five rebounds, and Mirko Djeric 11 points and three assists.

Cairns coach Mike Kelly was proud of the fight shown from the team even if they didn’t quite get the result in the finish.

"It was definitely a winnable game the way the guys fought through that third and fourth quarter. We had our opportunities and they beat us," Kelly said.

"I thought the guys' effort was great. Not everything worked and especially in that first half we had some looks we didn’t finish and our defence wasn’t great all the time, but the effort was good and the guys kept working. 

"That's what you've got to do when you're not playing your best is fight through it. I thought the guys did that tonight."

Sydney hit the game's first five points but Cairns soon warmed to the challenge starting with a Mirko Djeric four-point play. The Taipans would then go on a 13-2 run which included an and-one from Nate Jawai and three balls from Djeric and Jarrod Kenny.

That saw the Snakes lead 21-13 but six turnovers hurt them and by quarter-time, the Kings were back within one.

Sydney worked their way on top by holding Cairns to just the three points for almost five points in the second period. But then Jawai went to work down low to keep the Taipans within touch before Casper Ware caught fire.

He made a couple of driving baskets before a big three and then DJ Vasiljevic connected from deep as well to help Sydney to the 43-37 advantage despite six late Cairns points from Fabijan Krslovic.

The Kings looked to be running away with it to open the second half with triples from Ware and Louzada helping them to the 53-42 advantage, but the game then took a remarkable twist.

Sydney wouldn’t score again in the final seven minutes of the quarter until two free-throws from Vasiljevic in the last seconds. In between, the Taipans put up 15 straight points all coming from Cam Oliver and Scott Machado who had only combined for four in the first half.

That saw the Snakes lead 57-55 after three with Cairns back out to a five-point lead early in the fourth thanks to a mid-range jumper from Oliver.

But Daniel Kickert provided some important minutes and three baskets in the final period for Sydney to keep them in touch. The Taipans were back up two with three minutes to play after a Machado three-point play, but that was as good as it got for them.

The Kings held them to a solitary point in the last three minutes while Martin scored and then Shaun Bruce hit the dagger three that proved the match-winner for the Kings as they held on to win by two.

The Kings now remain at home to host the Perth Wildcats next Sunday while the Taipans return to Cairns to also host the Adelaide 36ers in a week's time.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 10

SYDNEY KINGS 75 (Ware 16, Martin 16, Kickert 11, Vasiljevic 11)

CAIRNS TAIPANS 73 (Machado 21, Krslovic 13, Jawai 12) 

BOX SCORE