Taipans search for answers while Cotton cooks at home

• All 165 games of the NBL27 season in one list
• Every NBL27 roster, squad list and projected depth chart
• Every injured NBL player, with expected return dates
• Hammer Time: Who is leading the league in dunks

Adam Forde has got some drama: the balance of his Cairns Taipans roster for NBL27.

The Adelaide 36ers, without Isaac Humphries ($265,300), Flynn Cameron ($241,700) and Bul Kuol ($156,100), put up 32 points in the first quarter, led by 15 and then the two clubs went back and forth but it was never close (83-69) in Round 2 in Adelaide on Sunday, September 27, 2026.

Forde tried 14 different line-ups, searching for the right group with Jaylin Galloway ($196,400) still injured and NBL Next Star Luke Paul ($115,000) also a little while away.

Cairns Taipans Rotations vs Adelaide 36ers

• 15:23 · 5 starters · Jack McVeigh, Jaylon Brown, Keanu Pinder, Malique Lewis, Reyne Smith
• 3:31 · 0 starters · Jonah Bolden, Kyrin Galloway, Shaun Bruce, Sunday Dech, Walter Brown
• 3:00 · 4 starters · Jack McVeigh, Jaylon Brown, Jonah Bolden, Malique Lewis, Reyne Smith
• 2:53 · 3 starters · Jack McVeigh, Jonah Bolden, Malique Lewis, Reyne Smith, Shaun Bruce
• 2:38 · 1 starter · Jack McVeigh, Jonah Bolden, Kyrin Galloway, Shaun Bruce, Sunday Dech
• 2:23 · 3 starters · Jaylon Brown, Keanu Pinder, Kyrin Galloway, Malique Lewis, Walter Brown
• 2:12 · 2 starters · Jack McVeigh, Jonah Bolden, Keanu Pinder, Shaun Bruce, Walter Brown
• 1:55 · 2 starters · Jack McVeigh, Jonah Bolden, Kyrin Galloway, Reyne Smith, Shaun Bruce
• 1:39 · 4 starters · Jack McVeigh, Jaylon Brown, Keanu Pinder, Malique Lewis, Walter Brown
• 1:09 · 3 starters · Jack McVeigh, Jonah Bolden, Keanu Pinder, Reyne Smith, Shaun Bruce
• 1:05 · 1 starter · Keanu Pinder, Kyrin Galloway, Shaun Bruce, Sunday Dech, Walter Brown
• 0:58 · 4 starters · Jack McVeigh, Jaylon Brown, Keanu Pinder, Malique Lewis, Shaun Bruce
• 0:50 · 1 starter · Jonah Bolden, Kyrin Galloway, Malique Lewis, Shaun Bruce, Sunday Dech
• 0:24 · 3 starters · Jack McVeigh, Keanu Pinder, Malique Lewis, Shaun Bruce, Walter Brown

On the other bench, Gleeson has six-time MVP Bryce Cotton ($473,900), who had a casual 25 points, four assists and two steals in 36:46 minutes. He was +12. Import big Nick Rakocevic ($188,400) had his best game of the 36ers' 2-1 season, finishing with 21 points, 12 boards and was +16.

Jack McVeigh ($349,800) was the only scoring bright spot for the Taipans, putting up 21 points on 10-from-21 from the field. Jonah Bolden ($133,600) was the only other Cairns player in double figures with 11. NBA draft pick and former NBL Next Star Malique Lewis ($207,900) had an extraordinary seven blocks to go with nine points and four assists.

What you need to know

• Adelaide 36ers beat Cairns Taipans 83-69 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre in NBL27 Round 2.
• Adelaide won the four quarters 32-17, 20-17, 15-17 and 16-18, and led from 6:56 of the first.
• Bryce Cotton top-scored with 25 on 8-from-17 including 4-from-8 from deep, and Jack McVeigh led Cairns with 21 on 10-from-21.
• Cairns took 31 three-pointers and made seven. Adelaide took 24 and made eight.
• Adelaide shot 13-from-21 at the free-throw line. Cairns went there nine times all night.

Adelaide 36ers

• Bryce Cotton ($473,900) top-scored with 25 points and four assists on 8-from-17, including 4-from-8 from deep.
• Nick Rakocevic ($188,400) had 21 points and 12 rebounds on 10-from-17, a double-double in 32 minutes.
• John Jenkins ($152,100) scored 10 off the bench in 15 minutes on 3-from-7.
• Zylan Cheatham ($339,500) added nine points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals, and was plus-22, the best mark in the game.
• Jacob Rigoni ($69,000) scored six, hitting two of his eight three-point attempts.
• Isaac White ($98,100) was perfect from the field, 2-from-2, for four points off the bench.
• Keanu Rasmussen ($69,000) started and scored four with four rebounds in 19 minutes.
• Adelaide shot 31-from-67 from the field, 8-from-24 from three and 13-from-21 at the line, with 44 rebounds, 17 assists and 16 turnovers.

Cairns Taipans

• Jack McVeigh ($349,800) led Cairns with 21 points on 10-from-21, but went 1-from-9 from three and was minus-22.
• Jonah Bolden ($133,600) scored 11 off the bench with six rebounds on 4-from-7.
• Malique Lewis ($207,900) had nine points and four assists, and blocked seven shots, which was every block Cairns recorded.
• Keanu Pinder ($300,000) managed eight points and seven rebounds on 3-from-7.
• Reyne Smith ($156,300) scored six on 2-from-5 from deep in 24 minutes.
• Jaylon Brown ($277,000) went 2-from-8 for four points with three assists.
• Shaun Bruce ($76,500) scored four off the bench with four assists in 18 minutes.
• Cairns shot 28-from-67 from the field, 7-from-31 from three and 6-from-9 at the line, with 35 rebounds, 19 assists and 16 turnovers.