Brian Goorjian is 'ride or die' in Kendric's Kingdom

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The MVP race isn't over – yet.

Sydney Kings scoring point guard Kendric Davis torched the Cairns Taipans for 35 points to lead the road team back from 24 points down to win going away 106-92 in Round 19 of NBL26 in Cairns on Sunday, February 1, 2026.

Davis made 13 of his 28 field goal attempts, had seven rebounds and six assists and just one turnover in 26 minutes. Davis' Kings are winning while MVP favourite Bryce Cotton's 36ers are not.

"I’ve been here forever," Sydney head coach Goorjian said.

"Bryce Cotton is really special, and he and Andrew Gaze hold a place of their own for what they’ve accomplished.

"But right now, this year, I wouldn’t trade Kendrick for anybody. I’m not into MVP talk. For our team and what’s been required this year, I wouldn’t give him up for anyone."

The Taipans blitzed the Kings from the opening tip, leading 34-17 after one and 54-45 at the half but the Kings kept on grinding.

"First, coming up here, this game was really important for us,"

"We’re looking at our destiny being in our own hands – fifth or top two – and we brought everything we had to the stadium tonight because of the importance. There was no let-up, nothing about position on the ladder.

"Watching them closely tonight and in the last game, I thought what a great job Adam Forde has done with young guys. I had something to do with (Kody) Stattmann when I was at the Hawks and I thought he had potential, but there was something missing. Over the last two nights, I thought there’s been huge development with him.

"I know with the national program, when I was involved, there was always talk about him – how’s it going to go, has it clicked – and it’s been a rollercoaster with a lot of downs. How he’s played since coming here and his development, it’s something Adam just has a gift with, and that takes a lot of work.

"Coming in tonight, they’re out of this thing, but how they played, we really struggled to guard them. They made it uncomfortable for us. I think the difference, if you swing it to us now, is that I thought Tim played great and has been playing great, but we went to an all-switching lineup and went small. That helped us contest the three-ball a lot better.

"When you get back in the game, it’s McVeigh. Again, I had him in the national program. There’s nobody, as a human being, as a culture piece, as a basketball player, that I have more respect for. I thought the attention we put there and the way we contested them mattered. We kept them off the foul line. We worked the three-ball and took that away as much as we could.

"So it was a huge win for us. It was patchy, but this whole culture – everyone uses that word – but the behaviour with our group, we’ve been through a lot. Tonight, you’re 24 down up here. Where do you go? Again, in all of these questions, I haven’t seen this before.

"We haven’t been in this situation before. How did they respond? I take hold of that and talk to our group about it. Here’s another piece to us as we head toward the finals."

In the end it was Sydney's depth against a depleted Taipans squad with little to play for.

"I loved their enthusiasm and the ball movement," Taipans head coach Adam Forde said of the start.

"The last five minutes of the second quarter hurt us. We held Sydney to about 24 points, and then they scored 21 in that stretch. A lot of it came off transition plays. We knew we had to control the pace against those guys.

"The fourth quarter had a lot of errors, and they were off the back of fatigue. We came out and drew up a set to get Jack the ball. We incorrectly executed it and it was a turnover. Then we messed up the stack coverage, so we called another timeout. We ran it again and got Jack a good look.

"In that fourth quarter, we had some really good looks from three. The problem was that every time we missed one of those wide-open looks, Sydney ran it down the other end. It became a sprint, and they did a good job of running us out of the gym in that fourth quarter. Credit to them.

"We had some really good looks from (Andrew Andrews). I thought if they drop suddenly, now we’re playing half-court defence, which we actually did a great job of. But we gave up a lot of and-ones, silly little fouls. Again, part of that is mental fatigue, and part of it is something we’ve done a couple of times this year.

"I want to give credit to guys like Mohave King and Lachie Barker. They’re really stepping up and taking this opportunity."

Forde was positive about the impact Cairns' emerging players made with Sam Waardenburg and Alex Higgins-Titsha done for the season and the timetable for the return of Reyne Smith with just a handful of games to go, doubtful.

"We’re juggling a little bit with the lineup at the moment," Forde said.

"Lachie struggled a bit last game and Statt had a great game. Tonight it flipped – Statt struggled a little and Lucky had a great game.

"We’re rolling with the momentum of the guys bringing that energy. Lachie had that great stretch and was begging for a sub. I’m assuming it was probably one of his best games, maybe a career high.

"He’s playing for the love of basketball, but also for opportunity. With these guys, opportunity is one thing, but now they have to string games together and build consistency. That’s what gets you a contract.

"In a 10-team competition, there are only so many local spots available. You’ve really got to perform and show what you can do to take someone else’s spot. For guys like Lachie, Statt, and Mo, they need to put these performances together consistently to solidify themselves as rotation players.

"Lachie's always been capable. I’m glad he came out tonight and did a lot of heavy lifting for us. There was a stretch where Drew had heavy legs and Jack had heavy legs. Jack played about 45 minutes, and there was a stretch in the third where he was really tired.

"You roll the dice a bit bringing him out, and I brought Drew out as well. Lucky held it down and built on the lead for us. That was great."

Key Details

• Round: 19
• Result: Sydney Kings 106 def. Cairns Taipans 92
• When: Saturday, 1st February 2026
• Where: Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns
• Standings

By the Numbers

• Kendric Davis (Sydney Kings) starred with 35 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and one steal in 37 minutes.
• Jack McVeigh (Cairns Taipans) scored 17 points, and had five rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes.

What Happened

The Cairns Taipans established early control with a dominant first quarter, outscoring the Sydney Kings 34-17 to build a commanding 17-point advantage. The home side's hot shooting and aggressive offense caught the Kings off guard, with multiple players contributing to the early onslaught at Cairns Convention Centre.

Sydney fought back in the second period, outscoring Cairns 28-20 to trim the deficit to nine points at halftime. The Kings' improved ball movement and defensive intensity began to show, though they still trailed 54-45 heading into the break. The momentum shift was evident as Sydney found their rhythm from the charity stripe and started converting more efficiently from the field.

The third quarter saw Sydney continue their gradual comeback, outscoring the Taipans 26-22 to further close the gap. With the margin reduced to five points entering the final period, the stage was set for a thrilling finish. Both teams traded baskets throughout the quarter, with neither able to establish a decisive advantage.

Sydney's explosive fourth quarter proved decisive, as they outscored Cairns by a devastating 35-16 margin to turn a five-point deficit into a comfortable 14-point victory. Kendric Davis was outstanding during this period, leading the Kings' charge with clutch shooting and playmaking. The Kings shot an exceptional 50% from the field compared to Cairns' 44.44%, with Davis' efficient 13-from-28 shooting anchoring their offensive success.

Defensively, Sydney's rim protection was superior with eight blocks compared to Cairns' five, helping limit the Taipans' interior scoring opportunities. The Kings also dominated the boards with 41 rebounds to 40, while maintaining better ball security with just four turnovers compared to Cairns' 10. This ball control proved crucial in the final quarter when Sydney needed to execute their comeback.