In a stunning display of basketball prowess, the Melbourne United squad absolutely demolished the visiting Cairns Taipans 106-63 in their Sunday afternoon NBL clash at John Cain Arena. The 43-point margin of victory fell just shy of United’s all-time record of 45 points, underscoring the thorough drubbing they administered to their overmatched opponents.
United Seizes Control from the Opening Tip
Melbourne wasted no time asserting their dominance, racing out to a 23-12 lead by the end of the first quarter. They really put the pedal to the metal in the second period, pouring in 31 points to take a commanding 54-30 advantage into the halftime locker room. The Taipans never recovered.
Balanced Attack Leads the Way
United captain Chris Goulding, who has faced recent criticism from a rival coach and owner for alleged “flopping,” appeared unperturbed by the off-court noise. He finished with an efficient 15 points in just 17 minutes of action while facilitating for his teammates throughout the contest.
Goulding was one of five Melbourne players to reach double figures in the scoring column. Flynn Cameron led the way with 18 points, while Jack White stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points and 13 rebounds in a mere 20 minutes of playing time.
We knew we had to come out with energy and intensity from the jump, and I thought we did a great job of that. It was a complete team effort.
– Chris Goulding on the decisive victory
Depleted Taipans No Match
The Taipans entered the contest shorthanded, missing injured trio Pedro Bradshaw, Taran Armstrong, and Tanner Groves. Their absence was glaring, as Cairns struggled mightily to generate any semblance of offensive rhythm against Melbourne’s stifling defense.
Center Sam Waardenburg and Jonah Antonio, who chipped in 11 points, were the only Taipans to make any kind of scoring impact. As a team, Cairns shot a paltry 28% from the field and an even worse 5-of-25 (20%) from three-point range. Compare that to Melbourne’s 47% overall shooting, and the lopsided outcome is no surprise.
Bench Cleared in Blowout
With the game well in hand, United coach Dean Vickerman had the luxury of emptying his bench early. Every player who suited up for Melbourne saw the court and logged points in the scoring column.
Reserve guard Kyle Bowen provided the exclamation point, drilling a three-pointer to push United’s lead to 100 points with just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The final buzzer couldn’t come soon enough for the shell-shocked Taipans.
Looking Ahead
The statement win, coming on the heels of an impressive upset of league-leading Illawarra, vaults Melbourne up the NBL standings. They’ll look to continue their momentum in a marquee matchup against the Sydney Kings, who recently dropped their second straight game, on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, Cairns will attempt to regroup before their next outing. According to a source close to the team, they eagerly await the return of their injured players to help right the ship in what has been a turbulent stretch.
If Melbourne can sustain their current level of play, they’ll be a formidable force as the NBL season rolls on. As for the Taipans, they’ll need to get healthy in a hurry and shore up their porous defense to have any chance of turning their fortunes around.
