NBL27 Preview - Round 7 Game 1 vs Cairns Taipans

Melbourne United are travelling north for their first game in Queensland of the season against the Cairns Taipans this Saturday, in a potential ladder shifting clash inside the Cairns Convention Center. 

With both teams trying to string together a run of wins, Saturday’s matchup is a chance for United to win back-to-back games for the second time this year, and bring their record to 5-5. 

WHAT’S THE WORD?

Following practice, United Head Coach Jacob Chance outlined his team’s gameplan ahead of the Cairns clash, and how he plans to get one back over a team that beat Melbourne earlier this season. 

“I think Cairns are playing really good basketball,” Chance explained.

“I thought last time we played them, we were doing a lot of things really well. We were probably in control of the game there at the end of the third quarter…[but] then the usual things that get you beat against Cairns, unfortunately, we fell into that hole a little bit and they shifted the momentum of the game.

“Our mindset is to come in and double down on the things that put us in that position [in the third quarter], but we’ve got to do a much better job of maintaining momentum in the game. That's been a focus of practice the last couple of days.”

Defensively, Chance dove into his squads approach to the high volume three-point shooting of the Taipans, and how they plan to slow them down. 

“You're just trying to drive percentages down,” Chance said. 

“What do they look like? Who's shooting them? How much time and space do they have?  What's coming before it? Unfortunately last time they made some, they're going to shoot them whether we're there or not. It's about [how]  we can better contest [the shots]? What do they look like over the course of 40 minutes to drive the percentages down?.”

WHO’S HOT? WHO’S NOT? 

Melbourne United played their best 40 minute stretch of basketball this season against the Sydney Kings on Sunday. On both ends of the floor, United were dominant, scoring 105 points, their biggest tally of the season, handing the defending champs their largest loss of NBL27. 

In the game, United’s American imports, Cole Anthony and Josh Oduro, were outstanding, combining for 57 points on 20/38 shooting from the field. The duo, along with an in-form Luke Travers, have spearheaded a dangerous point of attack for Melbourne this season, averaging 58 points per game between the three. 

The rim pressure from this trio, and the whole squad will be integral to a win in Cairns on the offensive side of the ball.

Defensively, United will have to right their wrongs from their previous matchup against the Taipans. In round three, four different Taipans scored 20+ points, and as a team they made 15 three pointers to Melbourne’s five.  

Since that contest, United has conceded an average of 10 per game, against some prolific offences along the way. So if the squad follows their head coach’s advice, and makes the Taipans three-point looks harder than last time, Melbourne should be in a good spot to win. 

In response to their 1-3 start to the year, Cairns have been in good form, going 4-1 since. 

In the stretch, as a team, they have shot a combined 39% from three on 35.4 attempts a game, way above the league average in both categories.

Boomer and professional bucket-getter Jack McVeigh has been leading the way for Cairns in the hot patch, and all year, averaging 17 points per game. McVeigh, along with Keanu Pinder, who was damaging to United in round three, will be ones to watch, and lock up, in Saturday’s game.

DETAILS 

Who: Melbourne United vs Cairns Taipans

Tip-off: 7:30pm AEST, Saturday October 31st, 2026

Where: Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns

Watch: ESPN via Disney+ and Kayo, 9Now

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