BRISBANE won the battle under the basket but felt the Taipans’ bite on the scoreboard, falling 97-91 in Thursday night’s Queensland derby despite outstanding performances from Nate Hinton and bigman Tyrell Harrison.
Hinton scored 30 points and Harrison delivered a formidable 23-point, 18-rebound double-double at the Cairns Convention Centre, giving the Bullets every chance to secure a valuable road win.
Instead, Brisbane paid for its shooting decisions as Cairns found its range and spread the scoring load.
The frustration was evident in the numbers as Brisbane controlled the rebound count 55-37, collected 22 offensive boards to Cairns’ five and attempted 17 more shots than the hosts, yet finished with only two more field goals.
Brisbane made eight of 33 three-point attempts at a 24.2 per cent clip, while Cairns knocked down 14 of 35 at 40 per cent.
Max Mackinnon contributed 13 rebounds and five assists, continuing to influence the game despite a difficult shooting night, finishing with nine points.
Arnas Velicka supplied eight assists, five rebounds and eight points, but also struggled with his shot.
The typically potent pairing of Mackinnon and Velicka made just six of 31 field-goal attempts.
The home side will now return home and reset to host a Nathan Sobey-led South East Melbourne Phoenix side at Brisbane Entertainment Centre tonight with tip off for 6.30pm.
