Melbourne United vs Cairns Taipans NBL26 Round 16 Tips - Cairns cover in Bendigo

Jeremy Darke

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Last updated: Sun 04 Jan 2026 09:30

Jeremy Darke 04 Jan 2026

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Melbourne United vs Cairns Taipans expert predictions for Wednesday’s Round 16 NBL matchup
Tip-off is at 7:30 PM AEDT at Red Energy Arena (Bendigo)
Melbourne United is on a 2-6 streak and are away from home due to the Australian Open.
Cairns struggles to string full games but still have potential talent.

Melbourne United vs Cairns Taipans NBL26 Round 16 Tips

Melbourne United vs Cairns Taipans NBL25 Round 16 Expert Tips

Both United and the Taipans have been poor during the holiday season so I am jumping on Cairns with a hefty 12.5-point head start.

Melbourne United vs Cairns Taipans NBL25 Round 16 Expert Tips
Head to Head
Melbourne United Form & Team News
Cairns Taipans Form & Team News
Melbourne United vs Cairns Taipans Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne United have fallen from grace and are now 2 games in on their annual 8-game stretch outside of John Cain due to the Aussie Open tennis and are currently on a 2-6 run that has them in third on the ladder and holding onto the top 4 by a whisker.

Cairns are Cairns and can’t put a full game together but have had some moments that give fans a little glimmer of hope. The finals are out of the question but another wooden spoon would be a disaster after signing Jack McVeigh in the offseason for $1M.

Getting 12.5 points with Cairns is too much to pass up in my opinion, especially with this Melbourne home game being played in Bendigo. Melbourne’s interior defence has been poor over the last 2 matches and they have been the worst team defending the three this season so that is steering my props.

So, take Sam Waardenburg for 15+ points and Jack McVeigh for 3+ threes as Cairns cover as 12.5-point away underdogs.

Melbourne have lost 4 of their last 5 outside of John Cain Arena.
Melbourne have given up 20+ points to opposing centres in the previous 2 matches.
Melbourne’s 37.0 opposition three-point percentage is the worst in the NBL.
Jack McVeigh is averaging 3.1 made threes in his last 9 matches.

Head to Head

Last 5 Match Results

Date	Home Team	Score	Line	Total Points
24/10/2025	CAI	MEL 94-67	MEL -13.0	U 180.5
12/10/2025	MEL	MEL 95-60	MEL -11.5	U 185.0
26/12/2024	CAI	MEL 76-66	MEL -7.0	U 199.0
27/10/2024	MEL	MEL 106-63	MEL -11.0	U 179.5
06/10/2024	MEL	CAI 101-88	CAI +9.5	O 178.5

Offensive & Defensive Rankings

MEL Off	Rank	Stat	Rank	CNS Def
93.8	3	PPG	10	96.3
42.7	3	RPG	9	43.5
44.7%	5	FG%	9	46.5%
32.1%	6	3P%	2	30.5%
12.3	7	TOV	10	7.6

MEL Def	Rank	Stat	Rank	CNS Off
88.7	6	PPG	10	82
41.2	4	RPG	10	38.5
44.3%	6	FG%	9	43.4%
37.0%	10	3P%	4	33.2%
13.7	2	TOV	8	13.5

Melbourne United Form & Team News

Melbourne had no answers for a career-best day from Tasmania’s Will Magnay, who dropped 27 points and 13 rebounds, as United fell to the JackJumpers for the second time in 10 days.

The 84-75 loss to Tasmania was Melbourne’s sixth in 8 matches as they fell to third on the ladder after occupying top spot for the first half of the season.

United now go into their toughest part of their schedule, not playing at John Cain Arena, where they are 8-3 this season, until the 7th of February due to the Australian Open tennis. Melbourne are 7-5 on the road this year.

Cairns Taipans Form & Team News

Cairns have suffered 4 consecutive defeats by 15+ points or more, unable to get another victory to drag them over their Queensland counterparts Brisbane on the ladder and off the bottom of the standings.

The Taipans have played a few good quarters here and there, but can’t string together 40 mins of basketball, especially on defence, giving up 101 points on average over their last 4 games.

If Jack McVeigh, who is averaging 20.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists, doesn’t go large, Cairns can’t do anything to keep up with their opponents. The return of Sam Waardenburg has been positive averaging 15.2 points 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in his 6 games this season, but it simply isn’t enough.