NBL 2014/15 Round 13 Preview: Taipans welcome Wilson-less Sixers
Cairns Taipans vs. Adelaide 36ers
Wednesday, 31st December – 6.30pm (local time)
Cairns Convention Centre
Odds: Cairns $1.26, Adelaide $3.80
Tickets: Click here
Cairns and Adelaide will go head-to-head in a New Year’s Eve clash that is vital for both team’s aspirations for the rest of the NBL season.
The Taipans won a tough contest in Wollongong against the feisty Hawks, marking their twelfth win of the season and consolidating second-place as 2015 approaches. Cam Gliddon has been superb in recent weeks and will look to continue to lead his side from the front.
Adelaide won their third straight home game when they accounted for Townsville despite losing Jamar Wilson to a hamstring injury. The Sixers are just 2.5 games behind fourth-placed Melbourne in the race for the final playoffs spot.
Key Player
Adam Gibson View image | gettyimages.com Gibson’s numbers are significantly better when Wilson is missing from the 36ers line-up, and there is little doubt that ‘Gibbo’ is a much winner in every sense of the word.
The Australia guard has the ability to play tight defence at one end and go for 30 points at the other, while his leadership on the court is second to none.
Gibson has provided plenty of daggers in games throughout his celebrated career and if the Sixers are within reach of an upset win late in this contest, there is only one man who they should look for to get them over the line.
What To Watch For
A New Years Eve nail-biter
Despite Adelaide’s struggles at times this season they still have a very talented roster, and the absence of Wilson has not always proven to be a negative for team balance.
Cairns have been very tough to topple at home but have proven in recent times they are not unbeatable and looked a little shaky little more than a fortnight ago as their undefeated stretch of six games quickly became a mere memory.
The Taipans are looking up now but so are the Sixers, which sets the scene for a ripping contest that could go all the way down to the last play of the night.
Final Word
The Taipans will start short-priced favourites in their home gym and deservedly so, but beware the visitors. Adelaide is starting to string some handy games together and deliver on the promise of their talented roster, albeit on their home floor.
They continue to struggle away from home and will find it tough to crack the Snakes in Cairns, however if they can stick fat throughout the night then they will make the home side work very, very hard for the W.
Cairns by 3