The Melbourne Tigers avoided falling into last place on the NBL ladder with a 98-84 victory over the Cairns Taipans.

The Tigers had won just one of their last five games and used a 16-5 run late in the third and early in the fourth quarter to break open a close game.

Veterans Darryl McDonald and Andrew Gaze sparked the Tigers after Cairns had edged ahead 69-67.

McDonald scored seven consecutive points to give the Tigers a lead they would not surrender, and Gaze scored 12 points in the decisive third quarter.

Gaze led the Tigers with 21 points while Nathan Crosswell's 22 were the game high for Cairns.

Any hope of a Cairns comeback was snuffed by Melbourne's defence that limited the Taipans to just 12 points in the final quarter.

"We were pleased with our defensive effort in the second half," Tigers coach Lindsay Gaze said.

"We were persistent and never let up."

Melbourne centre Mark Bradtke said the Tigers recognised the importance of the match.

"It's been a must-win for a while," Bradtke said.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP