Cairns Taipans defeat Brisbane Bullets in Queensland derby

The Cairns Taipans defeated the Brisbane Bullets 97-91 in a Queensland derby held at the Cairns Convention Centre. Despite the loss, Brisbane players Nate Hinton and Tyrell Harrison delivered standout performances, with Hinton scoring 30 points and Harrison recording a double-double of 23 points and 18 rebounds.

Brisbane dominated the rebounding battle, outperforming Cairns 55-37 and securing 22 offensive boards. However, poor shooting efficiency proved decisive. Brisbane converted only eight of 33 three-point attempts (24.2%), whereas Cairns successfully made 14 of 35 (40%). The Bullets' shooting struggles were further highlighted by the pairing of Max Mackinnon and Arnas Velicka, who combined for just six successful field goals out of 31 attempts.