The Adelaide 36ers have secured a nail-biting victory against the Cairns Taipans, 78-75. In a game filled with grit and determination, Adelaide’s defence was the difference in securing their two consecutive NBL wins.

From the beginning, the visiting Taipans were bossing over the at-home 36ers. At the end of the first quarter, the Taipans took 15 points to lead at Adelaide Entertainment Centre, and then the dominance continued in the second quarter, where they finished the quarter with a 15-point lead.

The game was back on track by the beginning of the third half as Adelaide slowly began to take control. During this period, their defence was rock solid, which transitioned to better offence from their forwards, who started to find rhythm. 

However, it wasn’t enough to knock Cairns out of the game, as the Taipans held an 8-point lead at the end of the third period. The 36er’s had only 10 minutes to save the match and keep their winning streak going.

With 1.5 seconds left, Robert Franks gave The Sixers the last-ditch heroics by making three free throws to break the deadlock. Almost immediately, a premature celebration of the victory caused him to be called for travelling. However, it didn’t prove to be too costly for Adelaide in the end.

 Sixers’ field goals and free throws completely overwhelmed Cairns’ defence, and eventually, they failed to hold their nerve, which resulted in a disappointing loss for them.

CJ Bruton’s boys created a miracle and earned a 3-point victory over the third-placed Taipans.

Antonius Cleveland scored 23 points, including 8 rebounds and 4 assists were the star for the 36ers. Robert Franks played great by scoring 15 points, while Daniel Johnson also played great by contributing with 10 points.

Cairns Captain Tahjere McCall was the main man behind the early dominance of Taipans. He alone scored 24 points, while the team’s second-best scorer, Keanu Pinder, managed to score a dozen. But in the end, it was not enough to take them home with a win.