Basketball On The Internet.

FLYING in the face of previous erratic NBL form at Sydney Kings, NZ Breakers and the  Illawarra Hawks, power forward Jonah Bolden last night again showed he still has something positive to offer, his 16 points and 9 boards off the Taipans' bench underpinning a 97-91 win over Brisbane.

In a high quality match between two teams expected to be holidaying or playing golf during the playoffs, the Taipans, with Jaylin Galloway also waiting in the wings, showed they may be capable of more than just the odd upset during 2026-27.

Playmaker Jaylin Brown rattled in 21 of his 25 points in the first half to keep his momentum going and the Snakes had fine contributions from Jack McVeigh (15 points at 63 per cent, 3-of-4 threes, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, 1 block), Malique Lewis (15 points at 60 per cent, 5 boards), Keanu Pinder (12 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and a block) and Bolden off the bench.

Bolden's 16 points were at 63 per cent, 3-of-5 triples, and his nine boards were supplemented by an assist, two steals and a block.

In key moments he was in the right place at the right time at both ends of the floor.

Cairns coach Adam Forde also drew solid performances from Reyne Smith and Next Star Luke Paul, who had two steals with his historic first two points in 11:07 of action.

Brisbane's fabulous facilitator Arnas Velicka again dished eight assists but his shooting once more was sub-par, 3-of-15 from the floor, 1-of-9 from deep but a season-best 1-of-2 from the stripe.

Typically centre Tyrell Harrison (23 points at 63 per cent and a season-high 18 rebounds) was the main beneficiary of Velicka's stylings, import Jaylin Williams early looking as if he was headed for a career game.

In fact it was Nate Hinton who drove a 33-24 Bullets bonanza in the second quarter, on his way to a career-high 30 points at 54 per cent.

But with Williams cooling off, Velicka's shooting wayward and Max Mackinnon experiencing what a bad shooting night looks like - his 9 points were on 3-of-16 shooting, 2-of-10 threes - Brisbane was unable to sustain the pressure. 

Mackinnon finished with 13 rebounds, second only to Harrison's season-high, reinforcing even on a bad shooting night, there are other ways to contribute.

Results Round 4, Thursday

Cairns Taipans 97 (Brown 25, Bolden 16, McVeigh, Lewis 15, Pinder 12; Pinder, Bolden 9 rebs; McVeigh 7 assts) d Brisbane Bullets 91 (Hinton 30, Harrison 23, Williams, Mackinnon 9; Velicka 8 assts) at Cairns Convention Centre.

Friday: Tasmania at Illawarra

THERE'S no place like home...