Phoenix deliver crushing reality check on Cairns
Steve Barrett |
South East Melbourne have dug their way out of a dark hole and proceeded to bury Cairns in it, walloping the Taipans 115-83 in their NBL clash.
After being outscored 35-27 in the first quarter at John Cain Arena on Saturday, the Phoenix ran Cairns off their feet 88-48 for the rest of the contest to avoid a third successive defeat.
SEM superstar Nathan Sobey sparked the fightback, pouring in 24 of his game-high 29 points in the first half.
Centre Jordan Hunter posted 19 points and 11 rebounds as seven Phoenix players scored in double digits.
Jonah Bolden was the sole bright light for the Taipans, scoring 17 points off the bench.
Sobey’s big afternoon started badly when he coughed up two turnovers in the first minute as Cairns moved ahead 6-0.
The Taipans, who led by as much as 33-21, hit a scorching 14-of-18 in the opening term against the Phoenix’s non-existent defence.
Bolden wound back the clock to his NBA days, peeling off 11 first-quarter points in less than four minutes of action.
The tables turned emphatically in the second period, as SEM lifted defensively and Cairns wilted badly.
Sobey, who hit three threes in the first quarter, buried three more in the second, which the Phoenix dominated 35-19.
Double-technical fouls were issued against Sobey and Keanu Pinder, who chest-bumped each other just before halftime, by which stage the hosts were up 62-54.
It got even worse for the Taipans in the third term, outscored 27-9 as the margin spiralled out of control.
“They look fatigued,” NBL legend Andrew Gaze said on ESPN.
“They look like they’re running in mud, the Cairns Taipans.”
Gaze’s co-commentator Damon Lowery later added: “How does this happen? This is a team that’s just given up.”
It certainly looked that way when the Phoenix’s lead ballooned to 115-74, emphatically shutting the door on Cairns’ three-game winning streak.
AAP