The NBL’s defending champs will begin their post-season on Wednesday night when they host the Taipans at Qudos Bank Arena. Plenty has been said from both camps leading up to Game 1, which should be a cracker!
Jake Smit brings you his full preview and best bet for the game below.
Also, be sure to check out our NBL Tips page regularly to find our best bets for every finals game in NBL23!
Sydney Kings vs Cairns Taipans Preview & Betting Tips
Wednesday Feb 15, 7:30pm AEDT, Qudos Bank Arena
The second semi-final series will get underway on Wednesday night with the Sydney Kings hosting the Cairns Taipans in the first game of a best-of-three series. The Kings finished as the higher seed in the regular season, which is why they get home court advantage in Game 1 and Game 3 (if required).
This is a matchup the NBL world has been hoping for, especially Taipans coach Adam Forde who stated that he built his team in the off-season to be the Kings kryptonite.
The Taipans certainly matched up well with the defending champs during the regular season, edging them 2-1 in the season series.
Unfortunately for Forde, he will be without his best player in Keanu Pinder in the semi-finals as he continues to recover from an orbital fracture he suffered a couple of weeks ago.
Floor general Tahjere McCall is also questionable to play in the opening game due to a shoulder injury. The dynamic guard missed his team’s pivotal play-in win against the Wildcats on Sunday afternoon and was spotted with his arm in a sling on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Kings coach Chase Buford doesn’t have any injury concerns for his squad who have had plenty of time to rest. The Kings haven’t played since their Round 18 loss to the Wildcats on February 5th.
Although Buford doesn’t have to worry about the health of his squad, the time between drinks for his team could be a cause for concern. Time and time again we see teams start games off slow as they struggle to bring the required intensity after a long layoff.
In saying that, the Kings are the defending champions for a reason and have two All-NBL talents at their disposal in Xavier Cooks and Derick Walton Jr. both who will be doing everything they can to get on the front foot early.
It’ll be interesting to see the adjustments and matchups Forde makes in Game 1 of this series without Pinder – his usual defensive matchup for MVP Cooks. Pinder had 30 points and 13 rebounds against the Kings last time out in a clear Player of the Game performance.
Sam Wardenberg has proven to be a handy replacement for Pinder at the centre position and has a decent level of athleticism, which makes him the likely matchup for Cooks. Whether or not he’s up to the task remains to be seen.
However, even without Pinder and possible McCall, the Taipans have shown they’re still more than capable of competing with the best teams in the league.
DJ Hogg is one of the best offensive talents in the league and he showed that with a 32-point explosion against the Wildcats last start, and Bul Kuol also thrived with 23/8/7 in an increased role.
If Hogg can play at the same level against the Kings as he was against the Wildcats, then the Taipans are certainly a chance of stealing Game 1 in my opinion. The +7.5 line looks more than attainable, particularly if they can get off to a strong start which I’m expecting.
Also Backing:
Cairns Taipans Win 1st Quarter - $2.45 @ Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
Cairns Taipans +7.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
