United v Taipans NBL betting tips & odds – Friday, December 23

Round 12 of the NBL continues this Friday night with Melbourne United hosting the Cairns Taipans at John Cain Arena.

Both sides are looking to continue their respective climbs up the NBL ladder. The Taipans will be looking to win en route to nailing down a top-two spot in the post-season, with United pushing to book a place in the play-in tournament.

United have ended their five-game losing streak in the last fortnight and will be looking to build on a two-game winning streak, and the momentum that comes with it. The Taipans were beaten comfortably on their home court last start against the Wildcats and will be primed to redeem themselves in Melbourne on Friday.

The Taipans have win two of their last five matches against United but have shown in recent history they struggle to travel south and win. United have won their last nine Friday night matches at John Cain Arena and, with momentum on their side, should be hard to beat on their home court. United are the safest bet to win this match, and the 1-10 margin at $3.30 with Marantelli Bet looks the play.

Four of the last five matches between United and the Taipans have fallen below the current total points line of 171.5. On most occasions in those four games, these two sides have been separated by a big margin. However, should this match finish with a narrower margin with more of an emphasis on defence, it would be more likely that the total match points are less than 171.5 ($1.85).

While defence will be imperative at both ends, one side is harder to defend than the other. The starting trio of Chris Goulding, Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Isaac Humphries are vital to the success of United. Rathan-Mayes and Goulding showed against the Hawks that when they are able to spread the floor with their perimeter shooting, Humphries becomes incredibly difficult to defend in the paint. Should United run a similar offence, they should have the highest-scoring quarter of the match against the Taipans ($1.75).

Key matchup: Keanu Pinder vs Xavier Rathan-Mayes

The battle in the backcourt between Keanu Pinder and Xavier Rathan-Mayes decided the outcome of the last match between these two sides and will be the focal point again on Friday. In their last clash, Pinder was far superior to Rathan-Mayes in not only his ability to score points, but also to rebound the ball and create offence for his teammates. Rathan-Mayes showed again on Sunday against the Hawks that he is struggling to find form. However, should he deliver something like his best on Friday, he can certainly bridge that gap to Pinder and make it very hard for the Taipans to get a win on the road.

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