THE Cairns Taipans were able to claim yet another victory on the road after downing Melbourne United to the tune of four points at John Cain Arena on Thursday night, largely thanks to another powerful showing from bigman Keanu Pinder.

The Taipans have started the season in terrific fashion, and have found a knack for winning games on the road, and were able to extend that streak to tip-off Round 4, heading down to Melbourne and handing United a second straight loss.

Cairns has suddenly shot to second on the ladder with a record of four wins and one loss, with their only blemish coming at home against Perth. The Taipans have stunned the NBL world with a remarkable revival to start the year and will be eager to keep things going behind an exciting style of play that has proven successful.

One of the keys to their hot start has been the MVP form of Pinder, who has stood up time and time again for Cairns, and did so again in crunch time against Melbourne.

Keanu Pinder vs. United – 26 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals

Pinder has taken his game to another level in season 2022/23, and it was on full display against United on Thursday.

He didn’t get off to the best start, biting off a bit more than he could chew and losing possession of the ball in the opening minute. However, he made amends shortly after, kicking out to teammate Sam Waardenburg, who nailed the triple. He got on the board himself in the third minute of play, pushing inside and finishing the lay-up. He was able to nail a couple of free throws on the next possession, but soon found himself in foul trouble and headed to the bench to finish off the first term.

Pinder started the second term on the court, but missed his first shot of the period, a hookshot from in close. Looking to stay out of foul trouble (he had conceded an offensive foul already), Pinder’s next bucket did not come until seven minutes into the quarter, where he was finally able to rattle in his hookshot. It kicked off a scoring burst from the big man, who registered six straight points for the Taipans to close out the half, proving too strong inside the paint and keeping the Taipans in touch after United got on top for a bit.

Pinder’s ability to get to the free throw line was becoming a consistent way for the Taipans to keep their scoring rolling, with the center doing so to start the second half. He got his inside game going better than ever in the third term, muscling his way into the paint and finishing either past or through United’s interior defence. Pinder was working well in the pick and roll with Shannon Scott as the Taipans wrestled back momentum, and headed into the final term with a four-point lead.

The final term was a tense affair, and for much of it, Pinder did his best work on the boards, flying with intent and reaching over the top of the opposition to secure the loose ball. When Melbourne made its run, the big man grabbed the offensive board and nailed the putback to bring his side back into the game, before combining with Scott in an alley-oop to give Cairns the lead again. A defensive board secured the result for the Taipans, who held on for their fourth win of the season.

Pinder has been excellent all year for the Taipans, and Thursday was no exception, with the big man proving the difference in a thrilling encounter.