BOXSCORE

The Gold Coast Blaze recorded a dominant 76-49 home win over the Cairns Taipans on Sunday night.

The Blaze produced its most lethal display to date to leapfrog Cairns into fourth spot. In stark contrast, the Taipans were miserable as they crashed to the lowest score of any team so far this season.

It was a win built on defence as the Blaze shut down every Taipans option, dominated the paint (30-22), the rebounds (42-27) and ultimately the scoreboard.

Australian Boomer Mark Worthington was the main destroyer with a game-high 17 points, seven rebounds, two steals and a block, while international teammate Adam Gibson contributed 10 points, six boards, four assists and three steals.

Anthony Petrie, playing his 100th NBL game, and import Adris Deleon (both 10) joined them in double figures.

Only Alex Loughton (12) could trouble the scoreboard for Cairns, with no other player coming close to reaching double figures in a dismal showing from the far north Queenslanders.

It was a slow start from both teams, but it didn't take long for Gibson to crack the game open, scoring six quick points including an athletic rebound off his own missed shot.

He then dished off a slick pass to young guard Jason Cadee for a three-pointer, setting up a 24-14 quarter-time lead to the Blaze.

The Blaze continued to stamp its authority, rattling off the first 10 points of the second term to set up an imposing advantage as its defensive efforts choked the Taipans.

Cairns' inability to penetrate was highlighted by 12 three-point attempts before halftime, just two of them finding their mark.

Import Andrew Warren opened the third term with a triple, but Gold Coast responded by piling on 10 unanswered points to kill off any hope of a Taipans revival.

Gold Coast Blaze 76 (Worthington 17, Gibson 10, Petrie 10, Deleon 10)
Cairns Taipans 49 (Loughton 12)

Crowd: 3088 at Gold Coast Convention Centre