NBL26 Round 14

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Adelaide 36ers vs Cairns Taipans NBL26 Round 14 Tips - Cairns cover on Christmas Eve

Jeremy Darke

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Last updated: Mon 22 Dec 2025 14:12

Jeremy Darke 22 Dec 2025

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Adelaide 36ers vs Cairns Taipans expert predictions for Wednesday’s Round 14 NBL matchup
Tip-off is at 5:30 PM AEDT at Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Bryce Cotton averages 39.83 PPG vs Cairns.
Andrew Andrews aims for 7+ assists to boost Cairns.

Adelaide 36ers vs Cairns Taipans NBL26 Round 14 Tips

Adelaide 36ers vs Cairns Taipans NBL25 Round 14 Expert Tips

The Ignite Cup clash between the 36ers vs Cairns is set to get all NBL Fans into the Christmas spirit as the trends suggest that this one is going to be closer than expected.

Adelaide 36ers vs Cairns Taipans NBL25 Round 14 Expert Tips
Head to Head
Adelaide 36ers Form & Team News
Cairns Taipans Form & Team News
Adelaide 36ers vs Cairns Taipans Frequently Asked Questions

Adelaide and Cairns have faced each other three times this season with the 36ers going in as double-digit favourites in the last two matches, despite two losses for the Taipans, they have managed to cover the line as the underdog losing by 5 points or less on both occasions.

In the three matches it has been the Bryce Cotton show, as it always is when the 5-time MVP plays the Taipans. Cotton’s favourite opponent in the NBL is Cairns averaging just under 40 points per game in his last 6 meetings against the northerners. Jump on this trend and play the ladders game all the way up to at least 35 points, which he has hit in 5 of his last 6 against Cairns.

Cairns will need Jack McVeigh to stand up if they are going to stay with the 36ers, however, I prefer to lean on the assists of Andrew Andrews as my prop for the Taipans. McVeigh is often fed by Andrews while also now finding other scoring options to dish the ball off to, so back the Cairns import for 7+ dimes.

Cairns have covered a 10+ margin as the underdog in their last 2 matches against Adelaide
Bryce Cotton has an average of 39.83 points in his last 6 games against Cairns
Bryce Cotton has scored 25+ points in his last 9 matches against Cairns.
Andrew Andrews has 7+ assists in 7 of his last 8 matches.

Head to Head

Last 5 Match Results

Date	Home Team	Score	Line	Total Points
16/11/2025	ADE	ADE 105-101	CAI +14.0	O 180.0
18/10/2025	CAI	ADE 91-86	CAI +10.0	U 177.5
02/10/2025	CAI	ADE 110-79	ADE -4.5	O 183.0
19/01/2025	CAI	ADE 99-75	ADE -3.5	U 191.5
25/10/2024	ADE	ADE 99-93	CAI +7.5	O 176.5

Offensive & Defensive Rankings

ADE Off	Rank	Stat	Rank	CNS Def
92.7	4	PPG	8	95.7
42.2	5	RPG	9	43.9
45.6%	2	FG%	9	46.1%
34.7%	2	3P%	2	29.9%
9.9	2	TOV	10	7.8

ADE Def	Rank	Stat	Rank	CNS Off
86.4	3	PPG	10	82
41.6	4	RPG	10	38.5
44.1%	4	FG%	9	43.5%
30.7%	3	3P%	4	33.0%
10.8	6	TOV	8	13.1

Adelaide 36ers Form & Team News

Adelaide escaped with a win over Illawarra in their last outing and there is no other way to describe it. The Hawks were without their two best players in Tyler Harvey and JaVale McGee yet the match was tied with 5 minutes left in the final quarter. The 36ers finally got themselves together and pulled away to a 84-78 victory, but it could have gone either way for a while.

It has been a bit of an uncertain patch for Adelaide after throwing away two 18-point leads to both Sydney and Melbourne in their two games prior to the match against Illawarra.

Despite a little rough patch, Adelaide are still on top of the NBL heading into the Christmas period, one win up and with a game in hand over Melbourne United.

Cairns Taipans Form & Team News

Cairns are still at the bottom of the NBL, however 2 wins in 4 matches has them intact with the rest of the group and if they can only string together a couple of victories they could put themselves in a position to push for the playoffs in the final rounds of the season.

Sam Waardenburg’s return to the Taipans has been fruitful but still has more to give. Last year’s Taipans MVP showed what he can do in Cairns victory over New Zealand, just 2 assists away from a triple double, scoring 18 points, 10 rebounds along with 8 assists.

Over the obvious, Jack McVeigh, Andrew Andrews has also impressed for me, playing the facilitator role and averaging 8.37 assists in his last 8 matches. If Andrews can continue to unlock McVeigh and find a connection in the paint with Waardenburg, we could see Cairns rise from the bottom.

Adelaide 36ers vs Cairns Taipans Frequently Asked Questions

What time does Adelaide 36ers vs Cairns Taipans start?

Tip-off between Adelaide 36ers vs Cairns Taipans is at 5:30 PM AEDT, Wednesday, December 24

What channel is Adelaide 36ers vs Cairns Taipans on?

You can watch Adelaide 36ers vs Cairns Taipans on ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel.

Verdict

Adelaide 36ers v Cairns Taipans

Play Cotton ladders on points up to 35 points but take Cairns to cover with a 10.5- point start. Andrew Andrews has been the postman for Cairns so he will be good for 7+ assists.

Cairns +10.5

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Bryce Cotton

25+ Points

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Andrew Andrews

7+ Assists

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