It's a big week of NBL action in the lead up to Christmas, and no matches are more important than the clash on Friday night between the Melbourne United and Cairns Taipans. United are desperate to climb back up the ladder whiile the Taipans are determined to maintain their position in the top three.
John Cain Arena will be buzzing on Friday night as Greg Davis brings us his NBL betting tips for the contest.
Melbourne United vs Cairns Taipans Preview & Betting Tips
John Cain Arena, Melbourne, Friday 7:30pm AEDT
Are Melbourne on the march with Cairns on the wrong side of a game of “Snakes and Ladders”?
Or did last weekend represent false hope for United while the Taipans just need to get – with apologies to country music icon Willie Nelson – “on the road again”?
We’ll find out the answers to those questions and more this Friday night when Melbourne host Cairns at John Cain Arena.
United’s season remains delicately balanced despite wins over the Phoenix in the Melbourne Derby and Illawarra in a double milestone match last round when Chris Goulding (400 games) and Brad Newley (300 games) got to celebrate important marks.
Melbourne are still three games adrift of sixth place and need to keep winning – especially against teams above them on the ladder – to stay in touch with the play-off bound pack.
So, a victory over Cairns would be worth its weight in gold for United who have won their last nine Friday night games at John Cain Arena.
The Taipans have been continuing their unusual campaign in 2022-23 by being near unbeatable on the road and struggling to split home games.
Cairns are 6-2 away from Far North Queensland while they are 4-4 at home with a 105-83 loss to Perth on Tuesday night their latest loss at the Cairns Convention Centre.
Keanu Pinder is rolling on with his MVP-calibre season with 18 points and 10 rebounds per game for the Taipans big man who should be, at least, a lock for the All-NBL First team.
He will again be central to the Taipans’ hopes of solidifying their place in the top four with a win at a venue that holds no fears for the visitors who claimed an 81-77 victory over United in Melbourne in October.
Cairns also enjoyed a home win over Melbourne in November when they ran-up a 97-72 score line against the visitors who have struggled for any sort of consistency this summer.
The Snakes match-up well against United with Pinder averaging 22 points and 11 boards against Melbourne this season.
It comes down to this, do you trust Melbourne’s recent bounce back or Cairns’ record on the road?
We’ll take the Snakes in a tight one.
Alternative Bet: Over 171.5 Points - $1.90 at TAB
