Melbourne have overcome a sluggish start to continue their NBL revival, walloping Cairns 113-97
After trailing 38-29 early in the second quarter at the Cairns Convention Centre on Saturday night, United flipped the script to dominate the Taipans for the rest of the game and notch their highest score of the season.
Josh Oduro scored 26 points on 8-of-9 shooting, while fellow import Cole Anthony compiled 25 points, seven rebounds and four steals as United jumped from seventh to fifth position on the ladder.
"We were doing a lot of good things (early), we just needed to tidy up a couple of areas," Melbourne coach Jacob Chance said.
"That levelled itself out over the last three quarters. We had big contributions across the board."
Jack McVeigh (19 points) and Keanu Pinder (16) were the best for the Snakes, who were left counting the cost of a horror evening, with star American Jaylon Brown (knee) and Jaylin Galloway (rib) suffering injuries.
Galloway was hurt on a screen by United's Fabijan Krslovic in the opening quarter, before Brown limped off in the final term and finished with his right knee iced.
Melbourne were shoddy early, turnovers proving costly as an efficient Cairns used a 12-3 springboard to march ahead 33-26 at quarter-time.
Melbourne took better use of the ball in the second period and took control of the game's tempo.
Oduro had 14 points without a miss in the first half as United sliced the deficit to 54-51 at the main interval.
Melbourne dominated the third frame, from the moment Anthony picked Pinder's pocket and dunked on him in the early stages.
United took their first lead on a Luke Travers triple as they went on a 12-0 tear either side of half, Cairns coach Adam Forde venting his fury in a standing time-out as his side unravelled through careless cough-ups.
Melbourne went on another 10-0 burst to win the term 34-19 and march ahead 85-73 at three-quarter-time.
Oduro remained unstoppable in the paint to start the fourth stanza as United's advantage blew out to 19 points.
"We couldn't keep them off the foul line in the first quarter, (and) we couldn't make plays in the second quarter," Forde said.
"We came out flat to start the third and they got points off our turnovers, then in the fourth quarter we gave up five offensive rebounds and couldn't keep them off the foul line again."
