- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Melbourne United have continued their winning start to the season after defeating the Adelaide 36ers 84-75 in an entertaining and high tempo clash at Hisense Arena.
Adelaide looked like causing an upset after sticking with United through the first half before the home team pulled away late in the third.
While Melbourne had five players in double figures it was the big man, Daniel Kickert who did much of the damage with 22 points on the back of six three pointers.
Adelaide did a good job of defending the dangerous Goulding for much of the match however he came alive in the second half as he drew two big charges and finished with 14 points.
Other standouts for Melbourne included Hakim Warrick who looked very comfortable off the bench scoring 16 points and grabbing seven boards while Stephen Holt demonstrated his all-round value with 11 points and seven assists.
Melbourne again put on a display in pace and space shooting a remarkable 45 percent on 31 three point attempts.
Adam Gibson stood tall for Adelaide playing strong defence on Goulding wile chipping in with 17 points of his own. Daniel Johnson also came out blazing in the first half but was kept quiet after the break to finish with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Adelaide supporters will be wanting more out of both imports after Ebi Ere and Kenyon McNeial only showed flashes of their potential in a very patchy performance that hurt the 36ers.
Both players finished with 10 points but were quiet for much of the game and will need to improve if Adelaide are to challenge the top sides this year.
While Melbourne looked a little rusty at times in the first half their second stanza performance will have opposing coaches concerned in games to come.
Final score:
Melbourne United 84
Adelaide 36ers 75
The Adelaide 36ers are out to halt the high-flying Melbourne United when they clash at Hisense Arena. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:15pm (AEDT).
The big question from the opening of the NBL season is who is going to stop Melbourne United?
United started the season with a win against Townsville on the road followed by a home victory against an injury-depleted Illawarra Hawks.
While Adelaide may be able to stay with United’s first team, it is Melbourne’s unprecedented depth that will cause problems.
Coach Dean Demopoulos will again bring NBA veteran Hakim Warrick off the bench, after he compiled a handy 14 points and six rebounds in a little over 20 minutes against the Hawks.
Chris Goulding has started the season in rare form for Melbourne, with Adelaide needing a big defensive effort out of Adam Gibson if they are to contain the Boomers star.
If the 36ers are to stay in touch they need to contain Majok Majok and Todd Blanchfield in the paint, after the pair combined for 27 rebounds against the Hawks.
Look for big games from Adelaide’s Daniel Johnson, who played very well against Perth, and the plucky Mitch Creek coming off the bench.
Adelaide coach Joey Wright will also be hoping for more offensive output out of key import Kenyon McNeail, who remains under an injury cloud.
McNeail showed himself to be one of the potential superstars of the competition during the preseason Blitz, but has since struggled with a shoulder injury sustained while dunking.
The 36ers have the potential to beat the top teams, as evidenced by their trouncing of New Zealand last Wednesday, before anaemic offence caused them to fall to Perth on Saturday.
Prediction
While Adelaide will put up a spirited performance on the road, Melbourne United have too many weapons across the board.
Melbourne by 12.
Can Adelaide find an offensive spark and put the firing United to the sword, or will Melbourne continue their undefeated start to the season? Join The Roar from 7:15pm (AEDT) for score updates and debate in our live blog.
Build your own ultimate team! Pick your key players and take a shot at big cash prizes every day with Draftstars. For great odds on NBA games every day head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.