ANOTHER excellent offensive performance from Matt Hurt has spurred SEM Phoenix past the Cairns Taipans in Tuesday night’s National Basketball League (NBL) clash at the Cairns Convention Centre.

Although the Taipans have been ruled out of finals contention, they did pull off a superb upset over the ladder-leading Illawarra Hawks in recent weeks, showing that at their best, the bottom-placed team can knock off any side on their day. On the other hand, the Phoenix have been one of the form teams of the NBL in recent months, besting plenty of sides in recent weeks.

It was a tight contest, particularly in the first half with both sides trading blows in the first and second quarters. At the main break, the Taipans held a one-point lead as it looked like another of their matchups against a contender would go down to the wire. A decisive 24-19 third term in favour of the visitors helped the Phoenix take a four-point buffer into the final quarter, where they slammed the door shut to claim an 11-point triumph.

Hurt was the star for the Phoenix as he has been all season, taking over down the stretch to lead the team to an important victory with the race for the finals heating up.

Cairns Taipans (102) def. by South East Melbourne Phoenix (113)

Matt Hurt – 33 points, seven rebounds, one assist

The performance of Hurt was crucial in the Phoenix breaking away from the Bullets in the second half, and the import showed why he was worth recruiting over the off-season once again.

The forward was the game’s leading scorer with 33 points on a ridiculously impressive 14/17 shooting from the field, with all of his makes coming from inside the arc. With the loss of Derrick Walton Jr, the Phoenix lost one of the biggest generators on the offensive end, but Hurt stepped up in a big way by making every post a winner.

He was a difference maker in the second half, with 18 of his 33 points coming in the final two quarters, and when the Taipans’ bucket getters struggled to keep their consistency in the second half, Hurt’s ability to keep finding ways to score was essential in getting the Phoenix over the line.

Although capable of knocking down three-pointers, Hurt looked to drive inside and finish at the basket, due to a combination of an undersized Cairns frontcourt and the Taipans looking to press out to the perimeter on the defensive end.

Hurt has been thriving under new coach Matt King and continued that trend with another game-breaking performance in the win over the Taipans. The Phoenix are tracking for a top-four finish based on recent form, and their star import will likely continue to play a key role.