New Melbourne Tigers import Sean Lampley showed his NBA quality on Thursday night, powering his side to a nine-point win over Cairns Taipans in their NBL clash at the State Netball Centre.

In his first start for the Tigers and only his fourth game since arriving earlier this month, Lampley scored a game-high 27 points as Melbourne posted a 98-89 victory.

The Tigers broke the game open in the second term, blanketing the Taipans and holding them to just 14 points.

But it was former NBA player Lampley who set the tone early with a huge 13-point first quarter, then lit up again in the third to give his side valuable breathing space which eventually proved the decider.

After trailing by 14 points late in the third quarter, the Taipans clawed their way back to within a point early in the final term with a timely 9-0 run.

The Tigers parcelled the game up on the back of a Daryl Corletto three-pointer with five minutes remaining and built back the lead they had held for much of the contest.

In the much-anticipated battle of talented young Cairns centre Nathan Jawai and experienced Tigers star Chris Anstey, honours were virtually even.

Jawai top-scored for his side with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Anstey scored 16 points and 12 boards - 10 on the defensive end.

The Tigers now move to a 13-5 win-loss record, while the Taipans remain in the top eight at 10-9.

Tigers coach Al Westover was excited at Lampley's growing contribution, and believes his addition has given the team a more menacing look as the playoffs approach.

"I think we look more like we did a couple of years ago when we won a championship," Westover said.

"We're more mobile, we've got great versatility and that will only increase as Sean learns our stuff.

"You can see there's a lot of room for improvement but we beat a good team tonight."

Lampley, who played with Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors in the NBA, hopes to use his Australian stint as a springboard to another tilt at the world's best basketball league.

He said he was enjoying life with the Tigers, and said it had helped that Westover had allowed him to ease into a squad with depth rather than install him as a go-to man.

"Coach said get accustomed to the players, the system, and he's given me a lot of freedom to play as I can," Lampley said.

"It's a good league. It's one of the top leagues I've played with good local players and good imports."

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