Mitsubishi Match Recap: NBL25 Round 14 v Cairns Taipans

Melbourne United have won their final game of 2024 on the road against the Cairns Taipans.

Looking to get off to a strong start, Jack White rose above the rim for a slam on the opening play of the game.

The dish came from Marcus Lee, who shined in his first start of the season. The American big-man also found himself skying for a dunk, this time on a brilliant pass from Chris Goulding.

When he wasn’t setting his teammates up, Goulding was on fire from deep, connecting on three of his four looks from beyond the arc in the opening term.

This, combined with four quick points off the bench from Tanner Krebs, allowed Melbourne to finish the period on a 17-4 run and take a 25-13 lead to close the first.

The energy that helped the visitors build that lead was immediately present to start the second, as Shea Ili finished a layup following an offensive rebound.

Six straight points from Ian Clark off the bench came before Lee went upstairs for one of his signature alley-oop slams, courtesy of a pinpoint pass from Matthew Dellavedova.

United were able to create more second chance opportunities to close the quarter, as Tanner Krebs connected on his 100th career three-pointer following some great hustle.

A 31-14 rebounding advantage for Melbourne, combined with some defensive intensity (31% from the field in the first half), put them up by 17 points at the major break. 

Coming out of half time, the Taipans showcased the desperation of a team desperate to break a 13-game losing streak.

They scored the first seven points of the period before ultimately winning the quarter 22-13.

While the likes of Goulding, Dellavedova, Clark and White were all able to hit the scoreboard, United went long stretches without a bucket, but were able to stay in front 59-51 heading into the fourth quarter.

The final term may have been from perfect, however Melbourne were able to remain poised to hold off the fast-finishing Taipans.

The home side was threatening at times, cutting the margin to as little as four points, but some huge plays from United's stars in big moments were enough to secure the victory.

White cashed in from deep to bring his total up to 14 points, Clark made another mid-range jumper to give him 12 off the bench, and Rob Loe provided another highlight, throwing down a powerful dunk.

With the game still in the balance down the stretch, Lee capped off his night with a monster swat at the rim which preceded a fourth Goulding triple as Melbourne exited the Cairns Convention Centre with a 76-66 win.

United will now enjoy a nine-day break before their next contest against the Adelaide 36ers on the road on January 4 from 5:30pm.

Fans can tune in via ESPN.