VMT MATCH PREVIEW: Phoenix Look to Fire Up Back at Home Against Cairns

Key Details

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX 5-4 (3rd) vs CAIRNS TAIPANS 3-3 (6th)
Where: The Fire Pit at John Cain Arena
When: Sunday, November 5 at 2pm AEDT
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South East Melbourne will celebrate and recognise the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in their home Indigenous game at the Fire Pit.

The Phoenix will wear their Indigenous jerseys designed by Katie Bugden. CLICK HERE to see the story behind the jersey.

(Phoenix will wear their Indigenous jerseys designed by Katie Bugden. Fans can purchase the jerseys online or at the game on Sunday.)

The Phoenix have one of the best home win/loss records and will be looking to keep the wins coming when they return home on Sunday.

The Phoenix suffered a loss against the big bodied Bullets on Thursday, looking to bounce back on Sunday and continue their current streak of four-straight victories at the Fire Pit.

It was a tough night on the injury front, losing 211cm centre Gorjok Gak who sustained a calf injury early in the game and will miss Sunday’s game.

The two sides met earlier in the season, where the Taipans got the points after an 87-80 victory at home. It was a challenging game for the Phoenix losing their injury replacement player, Tyler Cook, to an eye injury. 

The Phoenix will seek revenge on the Taipans when they meet at the Fire Pit as a different team to the round 2 game with Alan Williams on the side and continuity within the group.

The Taipans took on the New Zealand Breakers in New Zealand, where they suffered a 10-point loss to the home side.

Teams

Phoenix

Gorjok Gak will miss Sunday’s game with a calf strain and will be replaced by DP Anzac Rissetto.

Import guard Will Cummings will also miss the clash against the Taipans with a left quad corkie aggravation. He will be replaced by Kody Stattmann.

Taipans

The Taipans will be without import Patrick Miller due to a back injury, and Lachlan Anderson, also experiencing back soreness, will miss the game against the Phoenix.

Keep an Eye On

Craig Moller

Since returning to the NBL after his stint in Europe, Moller has found his feet and has been flying under the radar within the league. The 208cm forward has provided the defensive prowess to the starting five for the Phoenix that may go unnoticed on the stat sheet.  

Bobi Klintman

The Next Star forward was the dagger in the Phoenix the last time these two sides met recording a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds and introducing himself in the league and NBA draft prospect. From then on, he has kept high numbers on the scoreboard and around the rim, averaging 12.4 points and 7.4 rebounds. 

History

Regular Season Head-to-Head
Phoenix 7-7 Taipans

Last time out – Rd 2, NBL24
Phoenix 80-87 Taipans

Phoenix
Creek 20p 
Browne 13p
Cummings 11p

Taipans
Miller 23p
Klintman 15p
Kuol 12p

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