Preview: Cairns vs Sydney - Round 10, NBL24

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

The Taipans are flying high after defeating the ladder-leading Melbourne in Round 9. Can they continue the good times?

Thursday, December 7 at 7:30pm AEDT | Cairns Convention Centre

Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo Sports | International viewership details
Box scores: Download the free NBL App

Cairns coach Adam Forde revealed he’s implemented his spin on Trevor Gleeson’s flex offence at the Taipans coming out of the mid-season break. Forde worked under Gleeson at the Wildcats as an assistant coach for six seasons.

Forde also called on import forward Josh Roberts to “stay humble”, following his incredible performance in the win over Melbourne.

Mahmoud Abdelfattah praised the night in, night out competitiveness of the NBL in an interview with SEN. The Kings’ Round 9 loss saw them drop from second to fourth on the ladder with a game in hand.

Derek Rucker believes Sydney looks "shaky" and should have handled Perth in Round 9, and that the Kings need to figure out a “Plan B”.

Cairns
115-103 win over Melbourne
84-79 loss to Brisbane
87-90 loss to Tasmania

Sydney
114-105 loss to Perth
93-105 loss to Melbourne
104-95 win over Brisbane

Patrick Miller
Is it time for Patrick Miller to get his flowers? The import point guard has been performing well – if not a bit under the radar – in NBL24, but his Round 9 performances against Brisbane and Melbourne are just too stellar to ignore.

While anyone not named Tahjere McCall struggled to score against Brisbane Miller was his reliable self with 12 points and seven assists, but it was against the best defence against the competition where he announced himself as a genuine star of the competition.

Miller pulled together the first points/assists double-double of the season, while top scoring for the game with 32 points and only registering two turnovers for three steals.

Adam Forde recently revealed he’s implemented the flex offence made famous by Trevor Gleeson’s Wildcats at the Taipans, and it looks like Miller could be its biggest beneficiary.

“This is what’s great about Pat. There were probably ore shots I wanted him to take ... at half-time he’s got 21 and he’s telling me the run a particular play for a teammate ... he’s so unselfish. To have an import of his calibre who can do what he does and engage his teammates is pretty special.” – Adam Forde following the win over Melbourne.

Jonah Bolden
It was expected the return of Jonah Bolden to basketball would take time, and that he wouldn’t get back to his best level for the bulk of the NBL24 season. Sure, he’s shown plenty of flashes of that size and strength that made him such a valuable piece for the Philadelphia 76ers just a few years ago, but Friday’s loss saw Bolden showcase another dimension to his game.

The Kings have thrived with floor-stretching fives in their lineup over the past two championships. First it was Jarell Martin, then Tim Soares. Bolden provided that skillset and more in the loss by dropping 28 points on 10-12 shooting, with seven of those makes coming from three.

While Jordan Hunter is a solid shooter, if Bolden can continue to hit his three-point shots at a good clip then it will add a dimension back to the Kings' offence that has helped them be so successful over the past two seasons.

“Jonah’s a big-time player. He took three years off of basketball and now he’s starting to get back to the player he is and he’s supposed to be. We expect big things from Jonah and he’s going to keep getting better each game.” – Denzel Valentine following the loss to Perth.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Is Jonah Bolden ahead of schedule for the <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SydneyKings</a>, and potentially the Boomers?<br><br>Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBLOvertime?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBLOvertime</a> on ESPN via Kayo ? <a href="https://t.co/k9ijzUOU4s">pic.twitter.com/k9ijzUOU4s</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1731958816919462133?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Josh Roberts vs DJ Hogg
After a challenge was issued to Cairns import Josh Roberts on NBL Now over the mid-season break, the import forward responded in some kind of way in Round 9.

He was solid if unspectacular in a limited role against the Bullets, but he exploded for 22 points and three blocks against a star-studded post unit, including Jo Lual-Acuil Jr, Luke Travers and Ariel Hukporti, to help lead Cairns to victory over a fancied Melbourne side.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Josh Roberts was a monster in the <a href="https://twitter.com/CairnsTaipans?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CairnsTaipans</a> victory over Melbourne:<br><br>?? 22 points<br>?? 5 rebounds<br>?? 3 blocks <br><br>?? <a href="https://t.co/2RjTU7JlvD">pic.twitter.com/2RjTU7JlvD</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1731846981121700327?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Adam Forde called on him to stay humble after the breakout performance, but a former favourite son of the Snakes’ faithful now stands in Roberts’ hopes of proving it wasn’t just a flash in the pan performance.

Hogg made his return from an off-season shoulder injury last time these teams met, and has since returned to the form that saw him named an All-NBL Second Team member with the Taipans last season.

Hogg is one of the NBL’s most box office players on both ends of the floor, but Roberts has proven – in a small sample size – that it doesn’t matter if his opponents are box office if he’s on a tear.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">DJ Hogg dials from long distance and the Kings have the lead at HT over the Wildcats! <br><br>? Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL</a> live on ESPN! <a href="https://t.co/PFfh9fwzLS">pic.twitter.com/PFfh9fwzLS</a></p>— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ/status/1730553085234405623?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The home team has won each of the last six games between Cairns and Sydney, and the last away side to win was a Cairns victory in Round 3 last season. The Kings are 3-4 on the road this season, so will the trend continue?

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DJ Hogg playing against the Kings last season.