Sixers go down to the Taipans in Cairns

The Adelaide 36ers scored 18 of the final 22 points of the game in Cairns on Saturday night despite the Taipans going on to win 93-67.

The Sixers won twice in Round 2 on the road to the Tasmania JackJumpers and at home to the New Zealand Breakers so they did have some momentum upon the trip to Cairns to take on a Taipans team missing Scott Machado.

However, right from the outset the 36ers looked as though this could not be their night and at one point in the fourth quarter they found themselves 40 points down to the Snakes.

The Sixers were able to go on a 14-0 run from there and close the game scoring 18 of the final 22 points at Cairns Convention Centre, but the Taipans still won the game by 26 points.

It was a night to forget in a lot of ways for the 36ers with Dusty Hannahs top-scoring again with 20 points on 8/11 shooting from the field.

Daniel Johnson finished with 12 points and three rebounds, Isaac Humphries 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, and Todd Withers eight points, two rebounds and two steals.

Cam Bairstow added four points, five rebounds and two blocks, Tad Dufelmeier four points, Mitch McCarron three points, five assists and four boards, Manny Malou three points and Kai Sotto one point, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks on his NBL debut.

Adelaide coach CJ Bruton was left scratching his head somewhat afterwards but will get back to work for the group with a 10-day gap until playing at home to the Wildcats after Christmas.

"We didn’t come out with the intensity that it takes to be successful in the NBL," Bruton said.

"We didn’t play with the physicality that they did. As the game went on, we threw the ball away. We turned the ball over. After the first five minutes it unravelled. 

"Credit to them. They were playing at home and did a good job and they executed. They stepped up and made plays. 

"We need to freshen up but we also need to make sure we do the little things away from each other because it is such a big gap. We’ve got a job to do."

The start wasn’t too bad for Adelaide and scores were all tied at 15-apiece when they had scored five straight points with a Mitch McCarron three and Daniel Johnson bucket.

However, despite a basket from Cam Bairstow and three-point play to Dusty Hannahs, Cairns closed the opening term on a 16-5 run to lead 31-20 having scored 10 points from Adelaide's seven turnovers.

Humphries tried to lift the Sixers with six points in the first part of the second quarter himself, but the 36ers just couldn’t stop the Taipans up the other end. The Snakes would shoot 53 per cent for the half including 14 points off turnovers to lead Adelaide 54-33.

Humphries scored first to start the second half, but really there was nothing to like from there from a 36ers point of view. Cairns' lead grew to 34 by three quarter-time and was as big as 40 at one point during the fourth.

But from that point, the Sixers did score the next 14 points before Cairns went on to win by 26.

The Sixers now have a handy break before hosting the Perth Wildcats on Tuesday December 28 back at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 3

ADELAIDE 36ERS 67 (Hannahs 20, Humphries 12, Johnson 12) 

CAIRNS TAIPANS 93 (Deng 23, Zimmerman 18, Pinder 15)

BOX SCORE