Preview: Brisbane vs Cairns (Round 2)

Thursday, October 5, 2023

Both the Bullets and Taipans enter this one off the back of victories, but who can take home-state bragging rights?

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Saturday, October 7 at 8pm AEDT | Nissan Arena

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In recent seasons at least one of Brisbane or Cairns have found themselves at the wrong end of the NBL standings, but the Taipans’ resurgence last season and the Bullets’ hot start to NBL24 gives this game an added dimension.

Brisbane overcame New Zealand in a thriller on Thursday after cruising to victory over Adelaide in Round 1, while the Taipans registered their first win of the season following their opening week loss to the Breakers.

Rookie coach Justin Schueller seems to have brought direction and a collective mindset into Brisbane after the difficulties of last season, while Adam Forde has openly discussed his efforts to fast-track his new look group’s development this season.

Brisbane
89-84 win over New Zealand
86-71 win over Adelaide

Cairns
87-80 win over South East Melbourne
87-98 loss to New Zealand

Nathan Sobey

The struggles of Nathan Sobey for large parts of NBL23 were indicative of the struggles of the wider Bullets team, however the early signs are that the MVP candidate, Boomers Olympic selection peak Sobey is back for NBL24.

He starred in Thursday night’s nail-biter against New Zealand after putting Adelaide to the sword in Round 1, and looks to have a renewed vigour following a strong off-season with NBL1 North side Ipswich.

Cairns’ backcourt will still be without likely first-choice duo Tahjere McCall and Taran Armstrong, and although the Taipans’ glut of lengthy wings can cause problems, Sobey showed no signs of slowing down against the Breakers – regardless of who was switched onto him.

“We’ll definitely take the wins and keep building from it, but with the group we have we’re not going to be satisfied. We know how good we can be and we’re just going to continue to build on that … to be 2-0 to start the season feels great for now.” – Nathan Sobey following the win over New Zealand.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nathan Sobey sneaks in before the halftime buzzer! ?<br><br>Bullets lead at the main break!<br><br>? Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL24?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL24</a> LIVE on ESPN! <a href="https://t.co/CNsdPQ65my">pic.twitter.com/CNsdPQ65my</a></p>— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ/status/1709834621758685494?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Bobi Klintman

Bobi Klintman. Wow. After the Swedish Next Star struggled in his first Taipans appearance, he exploded against the Phoenix on Thursday.

While the performance undoubtedly impressed those around the world keeping tabs on his NBA aspirations, Adam Forde – while impressed – remained unmoved by Klintman’s display. Instead, he said that’s what he expects from 20-year-old.

With no Armstrong or McCall in the lineup, Klintman, like a number of his teammates, is shouldering a heavier offensive load than he might otherwise be, and should he string together a number of games like the one he played against the Phoenix, he could still yet earn a larger role in Cairns’ offence for the rest of the season.

“This is why we were desperate to get him here, because he ticks so many boxes for us … it’s not a surprise when he’s good , and we ride that momentum. It’s cool he’s doing it because he is capable and it’s great to see. I expect the same when we play Brisbane on the weekend.” – Adam Forde following the win over South East Melbourne.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Strong game for 6'10 Swedish wing Bobi Klintman bringing impressive defensive versatility and energy with 11 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals. The projected first round pick hit three 3s and finished with 15 points in Cairns' win. <a href="https://t.co/MvAmPByR6j">pic.twitter.com/MvAmPByR6j</a></p>— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) <a href="https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/1710071983470199255?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Shannon Scott vs Patrick Miller

Former Taipan Shannon Scott became the latest NBL player to cross the divide of Queensland’s NBL rivalry, and has joined the likes of former NBL Defensive Player of the Year Torrey Craig in trading orange for blue.

Scott was among one of Brisbane’s best performers in the win over South East Melbourne and, just like last season, he just exudes calmness and confidence no matter what is happening around him.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/CairnsTaipans?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CairnsTaipans</a> bite back ?<br><br>Patrick Miller is your Foot Locker Player of the Game with an impressive 23 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds ? <a href="https://t.co/4SvpPN3qUq">pic.twitter.com/4SvpPN3qUq</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1709883017697853495?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Miller has been brought in as a like-for-like replacement for Scott, and while they both have different strengths and weaknesses, it will be interesting to see how Scott fares against his former side this weekend.

When both veteran import point guards are at their best every member of their team benefits from increased open looks, but who can elevate their game in the first all-Queensland clash of the season?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Back to back triples from Shannon Scott?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIVERCITYSTRONG?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIVERCITYSTRONG</a> <a href="https://t.co/zqNJSwdUEI">pic.twitter.com/zqNJSwdUEI</a></p>— Brisbane Bullets (@BrisbaneBullets) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrisbaneBullets/status/1709835019836088378?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Bul Kuol has a career average of 16.9 points per game against the Brisbane Bullets – the highest mark of any opponent. Kuol is currently averaging a career-low 9.5 points per game this season, and who better to push that marker up against than Cairns' local rivals?

Gettyimages 1718708051
Bul Kuol against South East Melbourne on Thursday night.