# 2020–21 Cairns Taipans season

The 2020–21 Cairns Taipans season was the 22nd season for the Cairns Taipans in the NBL, and their third and final season under the guidance of Head Coach Mike Kelly.

## Season summary

After a successful campaign the season prior, the Taipans faced an early setback when it was announced that the redevelopment of the Cairns Convention Centre had been delayed and was unavailable for use until early February 2020, two months after the NBL announced the delayed season would start. After meeting with the Queensland Minister for Housing, Public Works and Sports Mick de Brenni, it was announced that the redevelopment timeline would not be adjusted for the Taipans. Following more discussions between the club and the state government, it was announced that the government would redevelop an old warehouse capable to host games across the two month period between the start of the season and when the Convention Centre becomes available, with the temporary stadium able to hold 2,000 seats.

## Squad
### Signings

* The Taipans only retained one of their players over the off-season, Majok Deng, who had signed a multiple season contract before the 2019–20 season. Head Coach Mike Kelly had also already signed for the 2020–21 season.
* On 13 March 2020, Mojave King was signed as a Next Star player. King signed with the Taipans on a three-year deal as part of the Next Stars program, which "contracts Draft eligible players in order to prepare and fast-track them to the NBA, providing an alternative option to attending college."
* On 7 March 2020, the Taipans announced that they'd taken the club option on the contracts of Mirko Djeric, Fabijan Krslovic and Kouat Noi, who would all return to Cairns on a one-year deal.
* On 3 August 2020, the Taipans re-signed co-captain Nathan Jawai on a two-year deal, extending his stint at the club to at least seven years.
* On 6 August 2020, Jarrod Kenny joined the list of returning Taipans and signed a one-season deal with the club.
* On 14 August 2020, the Taipans signed Jordan Ngatai to a two-year deal.
* On 3 September 2020, George Blagojevic re-signed with the club on a two-year deal (with the second year being a club option).
* On 16 November 2020, Cameron Oliver re-signed with the Snakes on a two-year deal, signing as the team's first import for the 2020–21 season,
* On 22 November 2020, Scott Machado completed the Taipans' roster by also signing a two-year deal.
* On 22 December 2020, Jordan Hunt was announced as the Taipans only development player for the season. Tad Dufelmeier and Koen Sapwell were also announced as the training players for the club. Dufelmeier would later be promoted to the playing roster to cover the injury of Deng.
* After both Deng and Noi were injured throughout the season, on 2 April 2021, Hyrum Harris was signed as a nominated injury player.
* On 18 April 2020, Oliver's contract was waived for the season to allow him to return home to the U.S. to support his wife during her pregnancy.
* On 20 April 2020, Venky Jois was signed for the remainder of the season.
* On 30 May 2021, the Taipans announced that Head Coach Kelly wouldn't be returning to the club for the final year of his contract.

### Roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

### Depth chart

| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 | Development |
| C | Nathan Jawai | | | Jordan Hunt |
| PF | Majok Deng | Venky Jois | Fabijan Krslovic | |
| SF | Jordan Ngatai | George Blagojevic | Kouat Noi | |
| SG | Mojave King | Mirko Djeric | | |
| PG | Scott Machado | Tad Dufelmeier | Jarrod Kenny | |

## Pre-season
### Game log
#### December

* NBL TV
* 31 December 2020 18:00
* boxscore broadcast report
Cairns Taipans 81, Melbourne United 97 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–18, 13–22, 20–31, 24–26 |||
| Pts: King 21 Rebs: Krslovic 7 Asts: Machado 6 | Pts: Goulding 17 Rebs: Landale 8 Asts: McCarron 5 |
* Cairns Pop-Up Arena, Cairns Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Alex McEwan, Jacqui Dover

#### January

* NBL TV
* 9 January 2021 18:00
* boxscore broadcast report
Cairns Taipans 96, Adelaide 36ers 88 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–22, 15–18, 27–26, 28–22 |||
| Pts: Noi 22 Rebs: Oliver 11 Asts: Machado 8 | Pts: Sloan 24 Rebs: Johnson 10 Asts: Dillon 3 |
* Cairns Pop-Up Arena, Cairns Attendance: 1,000 Referees: Marc Mill, Alex McEwan, Jacqui Dover

## Regular season
### Ladder

| Pos | 2020–21 NBL season vte | 2020–21 NBL season vte | 2020–21 NBL season vte | 2020–21 NBL season vte | 2020–21 NBL season vte | 2020–21 NBL season vte | 2020–21 NBL season vte | 2020–21 NBL season vte | 2020–21 NBL season vte | 2020–21 NBL season vte | 2020–21 NBL season vte | 2020–21 NBL season vte |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP |
| 1 | Melbourne United | 36 | 28 | 8 | 77.78% | 4–1 | W3 | 14–4 | 14–4 | 3189 | 2956 | 107.88% |
| 2 | Perth Wildcats | 36 | 25 | 11 | 69.44% | 3–2 | L2 | 13–5 | 12–6 | 3133 | 2900 | 108.03% |
| 3 | Illawarra Hawks | 36 | 20 | 16 | 55.56% | 4–1 | L1 | 11–7 | 9–9 | 2962 | 2954 | 100.27% |
| 4 | S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | 36 | 19 | 17 | 52.78% | 2–3 | L1 | 9–9 | 10–8 | 3217 | 3124 | 102.98% |
| 5 | Sydney Kings | 36 | 19 | 17 | 52.78% | 4–1 | W3 | 11–7 | 8–10 | 3112 | 3087 | 100.81% |
| 6 | Brisbane Bullets | 36 | 18 | 18 | 50.00% | 4–1 | W1 | 9–9 | 9–9 | 3204 | 3274 | 97.86% |
| 7 | Adelaide 36ers | 36 | 13 | 23 | 36.11% | 0–5 | L7 | 10–8 | 3–15 | 2985 | 3156 | 94.58% |
| 8 | New Zealand Breakers | 36 | 12 | 24 | 33.33% | 2–3 | L1 | 8–10 | 4–14 | 2937 | 3021 | 97.22% |
| 9 | Cairns Taipans | 36 | 8 | 28 | 22.22% | 1–4 | L2 | 6–12 | 2–16 | 2940 | 3207 | 91.67% |
Updated to match(es) played on 9 June 2021. Source: NBL.com.au

### Ladder progression

* Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top four.
* Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
* Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished last place on the ladder in that round.
2020–21 NBL season vte :
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | NBL Cup | NBL Cup | NBL Cup | NBL Cup | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| Adelaide 36ers | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Brisbane Bullets | 6 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Cairns Taipans | 4 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Illawarra Hawks | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Melbourne United | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| New Zealand Breakers | – | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Perth Wildcats | – | 2 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Sydney Kings | 5 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |

### Game log
#### Round 1

* ESPN
* 16 January 2021 19:00
* boxscore report
Cairns Taipans 87, Sydney Kings 86 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–30, 26–21, 14–19, 23–16 |||
| Pts: Machado 17 Rebs: Oliver 11 Asts: Machado 8 | Pts: Ware 18 Rebs: Martin 8 Asts: Bruce 4 |
* Cairns Pop-Up Arena, Cairns Attendance: 1,919 Referees: Chris Reid, Nathan Durant, Daniel Battye
* ESPN
* 18 January 2021 18:30
* boxscore report
Cairns Taipans 76, The Hawks 92 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–31, 22–19, 19–19, 16–23 |||
| Pts: Deng 20 Rebs: Oliver 12 Asts: Machado 11 | Pts: Harvey 25 Rebs: Simon 12 Asts: Harvey 7 |
* Cairns Pop-Up Arena, Cairns Attendance: 1,808 Referees: Chris Reid, Daniel Battye, Mitch Hare

#### Round 2

* ESPN
* 23 January 2021 19:00
* boxscore report
Cairns Taipans 91, Sydney Kings 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–23, 15–23, 34–26, 20–27 |||
| Pts: Oliver 27 Rebs: Oliver 10 Asts: Machado 9 | Pts: Martin, Ware 22 Rebs: Martin 11 Asts: Bruce, Moller 4 |
* Cairns Pop-Up Arena, Cairns Attendance: 1,930 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Mitch Hare, Ruben Woolcock
* ESPN
* 25 January 2021 18:30
* boxscore report
Cairns Taipans 85, Melbourne United 87 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–29, 24–22, 17–18, 23–18 |||
| Pts: Machado 19 Rebs: Oliver 13 Asts: Machado 6 | Pts: Landale 19 Rebs: Lual-Acuil 11 Asts: Ili, McCarron 4 |
* Cairns Pop-Up Arena, Cairns Attendance: 1,896 Referees: Chris Reid, Daniel Battye, Ruben Woolcock

#### Round 3

* ESPN
* 28 January 2021 18:30
* boxscore report
Cairns Taipans 70, The Hawks 90 :
| Scoring by quarter: 12–19, 24–26, 19–16, 15–29 |||
| Pts: Oliver 20 Rebs: Oliver 11 Asts: Machado 7 | Pts: Harvey 21 Rebs: Simon 8 Asts: Simon 5 |
* Cairns Pop-Up Arena, Cairns Attendance: 1,849 Referees: Chris Reid, Mitch Hare, Ruben Woolcock
* SBS Viceland
* 30 January 2021 16:30
* boxscore report
Brisbane Bullets 105, Cairns Taipans 103 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–23, 21–32, 21–17, 29–18, Overtime: 15–13 |||
| Pts: Sobey 30 Rebs: Law 11 Asts: Sobey 5 | Pts: Machado 23 Rebs: Oliver 8 Asts: Machado 10 |
* Nissan Arena, Brisbane Attendance: 4,065 Referees: Chris Reid, Nathan Durrant, Marc Mill

#### Round 4

* SBS Viceland
* 6 February 2021 16:30
* boxscore report
Cairns Taipans 79, New Zealand Breakers 85 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–25, 24–16, 22–18, 13–26 |||
| Pts: Machado 25 Rebs: Oliver 10 Asts: Machado 12 | Pts: T. Webster 25 Rebs: T. Webster 11 Asts: T. Webster 5 |
* Cairns Pop-Up Arena, Cairns Attendance: 1,891 Referees: James Boyer, Vaughan Mayberry, Marc Mill
* ESPN
* 8 February 2021 18:30
* boxscore report
Cairns Taipans 84, New Zealand Breakers 69 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–16, 21–16, 23–18, 18–19 |||
| Pts: Deng 21 Rebs: Oliver 11 Asts: Machado 11 | Pts: T. Webster 13 Rebs: Abercrombie 7 Asts: Patterson 4 |
* Cairns Pop-Up Arena, Cairns Attendance: 1,828 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Nathan Durant, Marc Mill

#### NBL Cup
##### Round 6

* ESPN
* 20 February 2021 15:00
* boxscore report
Cairns Taipans 101, Illawarra Hawks 95 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–18, 21–27, 28–26, 33–24 |||
| Pts: Machado 31 Rebs: Machado, Oliver 8 Asts: Machado 6 | Pts: Harvey 24 Rebs: Froling 12 Asts: Harvey 6 |
* John Cain Arena, Melbourne Attendance: 3,711 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Mitch Hare, Ruben Woolcock
* ESPN
* 22 February 2021 19:30
* boxscore report
Melbourne United 88, Cairns Taipans 81 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–25, 18–17, 23–20, 30–19 |||
| Pts: Landale 18 Rebs: Landale 11 Asts: McCarron 8 | Pts: Noi 27 Rebs: Krslovic 7 Asts: Machado 9 |
* John Cain Arena, Melbourne Attendance: 2,313 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Damian Lyons, Elliot Green

##### Round 7

* ESPN
* 26 February 2021 19:30
* boxscore report
Cairns Taipans 69, Perth Wildcats 89 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–25, 24–18, 9–18, 19–28 |||
| Pts: Oliver 19 Rebs: Oliver 14 Asts: Machado 8 | Pts: Cotton 23 Rebs: Mooney 12 Asts: Cotton 8 |
* John Cain Arena, Melbourne Attendance: 809 Referees: Scott Beker, Nathan Durant, Daniel Battye
* SBS Viceland
* 28 February 2021 16:30
* boxscore report
Brisbane Bullets 115, Cairns Taipans 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–28, 35–23, 26–22, 29–22 |||
| Pts: Sobey 30 Rebs: Froling 11 Asts: Cadee 6 | Pts: Machado 26 Rebs: Oliver 6 Asts: Scott Machado 6 |
* John Cain Arena, Melbourne Attendance: 3,195 Referees: Scott Beker, Mitch Hare, Elliot Green

##### Round 8

* ESPN
* 4 March 2021 17:00
* boxscore report
Cairns Taipans 96, Sydney Kings 92 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 25–13, 22–26, 23–25 |||
| Pts: Machado 24 Rebs: Krslovic 10 Asts: Machado 4 | Pts: Vasiljevic 32 Rebs: Hunter 6 Asts: Moller, Ware 4 |
* State Basketball Centre, Melbourne Attendance: 1,355 Referees: Chris Reid, Damian Lyon, Alex McEwan
* SBS Viceland
* 6 March 2021 17:30
* boxscore report
Adelaide 36ers 81, Cairns Taipans 71 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–21, 22–17, 18–18, 22–15 |||
| Pts: Johnson 30 Rebs: Johnson 9 Asts: Giddey 8 | Pts: Krslovic 12 Rebs: Machado, Oliver 6 Asts: Machado 7 |
* John Cain Arena, Melbourne Attendance: 3,708 Referees: Chris Reid, Ruben Woolcock, Alex McEwan

##### Round 9

* ESPN
* 10 March 2021 17:00
* boxscore report
New Zealand Breakers 86, Cairns Taipans 83 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–11, 22–21, 14–20, 16–21 |||
| Pts: Abercrombie 20 Rebs: Iverson 11 Asts: T. Webster 4 | Pts: Oliver 19 Rebs: Oliver 7 Asts: Machado 4 |
* John Cain Arena, Melbourne Attendance: 3,675 Referees: Michael Aylen, Nathan Durant, Travis Stewart
* ESPN
* 12 March 2021 19:30
* boxscore report
Cairns Taipans 81, South East Melbourne Phoenix 85 :
| Scoring by quarter: 14–20, 22–27, 19–18, 26–20 |||
| Pts: Machado 24 Rebs: Krslovic 8 Asts: Djeric, Machado 3 | Pts: Creek 21 Rebs: Gliddon, Wetzell 8 Asts: Gliddon 5 |
* John Cain Arena, Melbourne Attendance: 2,478 Referees: Michael Aylen, Hugh Starkey, Daniel Troy

#### Round 10

* ESPN
* 19 March 2021 18:30
* boxscore report
Perth Wildcats 93, Cairns Taipans 75 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–19, 24–21, 18–17, 20–18 |||
| Pts: Cotton 28 Rebs: Mooney 8 Asts: Cotton 5 | Pts: Machado 16 Rebs: Noi 9 Asts: Noi 3 |
* RAC Arena, Perth Attendance: 9,997 Referees: Chris Reid, Mitch Hare, Craig Copes
* SBS Viceland
* 21 March 2021 17:00
* boxscore report
Sydney Kings 75, Cairns Taipans 73 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–21, 23–16, 12–20, 20–16 |||
| Pts: Martin, Ware 16 Rebs: Moller 8 Asts: Louzada, Martin, Moller, Vasiljevic, Ware 2 | Pts: Machado 21 Rebs: Oliver 7 Asts: Machado 7 |
* Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Attendance: 5,187 Referees: Scott Beker, Damian Lyons, Daniel Battye

#### Round 11

* SBS Viceland
* 28 March 2021 16:00
* boxscore report
Cairns Taipans 79, Adelaide 36ers 65 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–18, 22–16, 12–16, 21–15 |||
| Pts: Oliver 19 Rebs: Oliver 9 Asts: Machado 6 | Pts: Johnson 21 Rebs: Johnson 8 Asts: Dech 5 |
* Cairns Pop-Up Arena, Cairns Attendance: 1,945 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Marc Mill, Alex McEwan

#### Round 12

* SBS Viceland
* 2 April 2021 17:30
* boxscore report
Melbourne United 95, Cairns Taipans 85 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–21, 23–24, 24–19, 22–21 |||
| Pts: Landale 20 Rebs: Landale 11 Asts: McCarron 5 | Pts: Oliver 19 Rebs: Oliver 12 Asts: Machado 6 |
* John Cain Arena, Melbourne Attendance: 3,673 Referees: Chris Reid, Damian Lyons, Elliot Green
* SBS Viceland
* 4 April 2021 17:00
* boxscore report
Cairns Taipans 73, Melbourne United 83 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 18–19, 20–19, 13–21 |||
| Pts: Machado 20 Rebs: Oliver 10 Asts: Machado 7 | Pts: Goulding 15 Rebs: Lual-Acuil 10 Asts: Landale, McCarron 6 |
* Cairns Pop-Up Arena, Cairns Attendance: 1,847 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Alex McEwan, Marc Mill

#### Round 13

* SBS Viceland
* 11 April 2021 17:00
* boxscore report
Illawarra Hawks 82, Cairns Taipans 80 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–20, 21–15, 10–16, 26–29 |||
| Pts: Harvey 35 Rebs: Ogilvy 9 Asts: Ogilvy 5 | Pts: Oliver 27 Rebs: Oliver 12 Asts: Oliver 5 |
* WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong Attendance: 3,064 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Mitch Hare, Mark Grist

#### Round 14

* ESPN
* 14 April 2021 19:30
* boxscore report
Cairns Taipans 91, Adelaide 36ers 88 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–26, 28–22, 21–20, 25–20 |||
| Pts: Oliver 25 Rebs: Oliver 17 Asts: Dufelmeier 8 | Pts: Johnson 24 Rebs: Giddey 7 Asts: Giddey 9 |
* Cairns Pop-Up Arena, Cairns Attendance: 1,869 Referees: Michael Aylen, Marc Mill, Alex McEwan
* ESPN
* 17 April 2021 20:00
* boxscore report
Sydney Kings 89, Cairns Taipans 84 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–12, 22–26, 16–27, 24–19 |||
| Pts: Ware 40 Rebs: Hunter 8 Asts: Bruce 4 | Pts: Oliver 27 Rebs: Oliver 19 Asts: Dufelmeier, Machado 5 |
* Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Attendance: 5,214 Referees: Scott Beker, Nathan Durant, Daniel Battye

#### Round 15

* ESPN
* 23 April 2021 19:30
* boxscore report
New Zealand Breakers 68, Cairns Taipans 70 :
| Scoring by quarter: 10–12, 15–27, 19–17, 24–14 |||
| Pts: Delany 23 Rebs: Delany 14 Asts: C. Webster 7 | Pts: Jawai 21 Rebs: Jawai 8 Asts: Machado 8 |
* Silverdome, Launceston Attendance: 1,287 Referees: Scott Beker, Damian Lyons, Ruben Woolcock
* SBS Viceland
* 25 April 2021 17:00
* boxscore report
Cairns Taipans 66, South East Melbourne Phoenix 86 :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–29, 23–18, 14–28, 13–15 |||
| Pts: Jois 12 Rebs: Jawai, Jois 8 Asts: Machado 4 | Pts: Gliddon 22 Rebs: Creek 8 Asts: Mauriohooho-Le'afa 4 |
* Cairns Pop-Up Arena, Cairns Attendance: 1,905 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Daniel Battye, Marc Mill

#### Round 16

* ESPN
* 4 May 2021 19:00
* boxscore report
Adelaide 36ers 92, Cairns Taipans 76 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–9, 19–21, 23–17, 23–29 |||
| Pts: Paul 18 Rebs: Johnson, Paul 10 Asts: Giddey 6 | Pts: Deng 16 Rebs: Jois 9 Asts: Machado 7 |
* Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Attendance: 7,001 Referees: Michael Aylen, Nathan Durant, Hugh Starkey

#### Round 17

* ESPN
* 8 May 2021 20:00
* boxscore report
Cairns Taipans 87, Brisbane Bullets 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–30, 20–27, 21–21, 21–18 |||
| Pts: Jawai 20 Rebs: Deng 9 Asts: Machado 7 | Pts: Sobey 25 Rebs: Harrison, Sobey 9 Asts: Sobey 5 |
* Cairns Pop-Up Arena, Cairns Attendance: 1,903 Referees: Chris Reid, Nathan Durant, Alex McEwan

#### Round 18

* ESPN
* 14 May 2021 19:30
* boxscore report
South East Melbourne Phoenix 106, Cairns Taipans 77 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–20, 36–25, 29–14, 20–18 |||
| Pts: Creek 20 Rebs: Wetzell 11 Asts: Sykes 4 | Pts: Djeric 17 Rebs: Blagojevic, Jois 4 Asts: Dufelmeier 4 |
* John Cain Arena, Melbourne Attendance: 1,711 Referees: Chris Reid, Daniel Battye, Marty Davison
* ESPN
* 17 May 2021 19:30
* boxscore report
Cairns Taipans 78, Perth Wildcats 89 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 18–17, 21–20, 13–24 |||
| Pts: Jawai 20 Rebs: Jawai 9 Asts: Machado 8 | Pts: Cotton 24 Rebs: Mooney 10 Asts: Cotton |
* Cairns Pop-Up Arena, Cairns Attendance: 1,811 Referees: Damian Lyons, Daniel Battye, Mark Mill

#### Round 19

* ESPN
* 21 May 2021 19:30
* boxscore report
Perth Wildcats 100, Cairns Taipans 79 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 21–14, 30–14, 23–23 |||
| Pts: Blanchfield, Cotton 19 Rebs: Magnay 9 Asts: Norton 5 | Pts: Djeric 15 Rebs: Jois 5 Asts: Dufelmeier 6 |
* RAC Arena, Perth Attendance: 10,671 Referees: James Boyer, Mitch Hare, Craig Copes
* SBS Viceland
* 23 May 2021 17:00
* boxscore report
Illawarra Hawks 93, Cairns Taipans 81 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 27–30, 23–6, 24–22 |||
| Pts: Jessup 24 Rebs: Oglivy 11 Asts: Harvey 9 | Pts: Machado 17 Rebs: Jois, Krslovic, Machado 4 Asts: Machado 9 |
* WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong Attendance: 2,258 Referees: James Boyer, Mitch Hare, Mark Grist

#### Round 20

* ESPN
* 26 May 2021 19:30
* boxscore report
Cairns Taipans 96, Brisbane Bullets 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–24, 22–28, 28–29, 21–20 |||
| Pts: King 25 Rebs: Jawai 7 Asts: Machado 11 | Pts: Sobey 21 Rebs: Froling 8 Asts: Sobey 8 |
* Cairns Pop-Up Arena, Cairns Attendance: 1,908 Referees: Damian Lyons, James Griguol, Jacqui Dover
* ESPN
* 28 May 2021 19:30
* boxscore report
South East Melbourne Phoenix 87, Cairns Taipans 94 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 2520, 26–19, 14–31 |||
| Pts: Wetzell 25 Rebs: Wetzell 7 Asts: Sykes 7 | Pts: Deng 22 Rebs: Jawai 10 Asts: Dufelmeier, Jawai 5 |
* Cairns Pop-Up Arena, Cairns Attendance: 1,251 Referees: Damian Lyons, Ruben Woolcock, Mark Mill
* ESPN
* 31 May 2021 19:30
* boxscore report
Melbourne United 101, Cairns Taipans 76 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–13, 26–29, 22–13, 24–21 |||
| Pts: Landale 19 Rebs: Peatling 11 Asts: Hopson 5 | Pts: Djeric 16 Rebs: Jawai 6 Asts: Djeric, Machado 3 |
* Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Attendance: closed event Referees: Chris Reid, Mitch Hare, Jacqui Dover

#### Round 21

* ESPN
* 2 June 2021 19:30
* boxscore report
New Zealand Breakers 84, Cairns Taipans 78 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–16, 16–26, 14–17, 29–19 |||
| Pts: T. Webster 23 Rebs: Iverson 12 Asts: C. Webster 4 | Pts: Machado 21 Rebs: Jawai 8 Asts: Machado 10 |
* Energy Events Centre, Rotorua Attendance: 2,435 Referees: Nathan Durant, Marty Davison, Ryan Jones

## Awards
### Regular season
#### Player of the Week

Round 4, Scott Machado
Round 14, Cameron Oliver

#### MVP

Round 1, vs Sydney Kings: Scott Machado
Round 4, vs New Zealand Breakers: Majok Deng
Round 6, vs Illawarra Hawks: Scott Machado
Round 8, vs Sydney Kings: Nathan Jawai
Round 11, vs Adelaide 36ers: Cameron Oliver
Round 14, vs Adelaide 36ers: Cameron Oliver
Round 15, @ New Zealand Breakers: Nathan Jawai
Round 20, @ South East Melbourne Phoenix: Mirko Djeric