Game Preview: Taipans v United

Friday night left the Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans stung but unbroken, and they now head south to face Melbourne United, with the Queensland side suiting up for their 800th game in the NBL.

After a fierce battle with the Perth Wildcats on Friday night, Adam Forde’s men will look to bounce back on the road and make a statement against a Melbourne outfit that started the season in fierce form.

United are unbeaten through their first four games — their best start since the 2020–21 campaign — and have been the benchmark on both ends of the floor.

With Milton Doyle leading a deep, well-balanced rotation that includes Jesse Edwards and Tyson Walker, the side also welcomes back skipper Chris Goulding who will make his long-awaited season debut.

Sidelined for the opening four rounds with a quad injury, Goulding returns fresh from one of the best seasons of his distinguished career with the veteran marksman sitting just four made threes away from moving into third place on the NBL’s all-time three-pointers list.

Where and When

Sunday, 12 October at John Cain Arena, Melbourne (3:30pm AEST)

How to Follow

Watch: Live on ESPN and 10 Drama

Live Updates: Taipans X

Stats: Box Score

What’s Already Happened

Recent Results

Sydney Kings (93) v Melbourne United (107)
Cairns Taipans (77) v Perth Wildcats (80)

Despite a fierce effort from Andrew Andrews on his home court, the Taipans fell agonisingly short, going down 77–80 against the Wildcats at the Cairns Convention Centre on Friday night.

Andrews finished with a season-high 21 points and kept the home side within striking distance deep into the game.

In a gritty defensive performance from both sides, the Cairns side held a two-point margin at the main break before slipping to a one-point deficit by the end of the third quarter — unable to break the deadlock by the final buzzer.

On the other side of the court, Melbourne’s dominance so far has been underpinned by elite execution across the board. They lead the league in points (103.0 per game), rebounds (48.3), assists (22.0) and point differential (+17.5), while also shooting a blistering 47.9 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from deep. 

Doyle continues to be one of the premier perimeter threats in the competition, already drilling 12 three-pointers this season — behind only 36ers superstar Bryce Cotton and former Orlando Magic forward Admiral Schofield. Schofield, too, is in rhythm from long range, hitting a season-high four triples in Taipans loss to Perth on Friday.

Marcus Lee tied his career-best mark with six offensive rebounds, showcasing his relentless effort on the glass. Defensively, the Taipans have been among the league’s best at limiting outside shooting, holding opponents to just 26.0 percent from three and only 6.8 makes per game, both top-two marks league-wide.

The Taipans also hold an encouraging recent record against United, winning six of their last nine matchups since the 2022–23 season — the best success rate of any NBL team against the Melbourne powerhouse.

Player to Watch

With star import Schofield playing limited minutes against the Wildcats, versatile forward Alex Higgins-Titsha stepped up with nine rebounds — including five offensive boards — and recorded a career-high four steals against Perth.

Previously holding a total of six for his career before that game, his Head Coach touched on his strong contribution against the Wildcats.

Taipans Head Coach Adam Forde:

"But defences are starting to close out short (on Higgins-Titsha offensively when he's outside the three-point arc). He hit a big corner three in the third quarter, and I’m glad he went for that attempt when he was wide open.
"That’s the next part we need to unlock in his game. But in terms of effort and intensity, he ticks all the boxes for us defensively — we just need to expand his game more on the offensive end.”

The Lineups

Taipans

PG – Andrew Andrews / Kyle Adnam / Lachlan Barker

SG – Reyne Smith / Kody Stattmann

SF – Admiral Schofield / Alex Higgins-Titsha

PF – Jack McVeigh / Mawot Mag

C – Marcus Lee / Kyrin Galloway

United

PG – Tyson Walker / Campbell Blogg

SG – Milton Doyle / Dash Daniels / Tom Wilson

SF – Chris Goulding / Tanner Krebs / Malith Machar

PF – Finn Delany / Kyle Bowen / Tom Koppens

C – Jesse Edwards / Fabijan Krslovic

Ins and Outs

Taipans

Ins – Lachlan Barker

Outs – Sam Waardenburg (ankle)

United

Ins – Chris Goulding

Outs – Shea Ili (hamstring)