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Scores updated regularly. REFRESH NOW
Melbourne United vs New Zealand Breakers |
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|---|---|---|
2016/17 NBL Season, 4 November 2016 |
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| Hisense Arena, Melbourne | ||
| Melbourne United | New Zealand Breakers | |
| 92 | SCORE | 98 |
| 40 | First Half | 41 |
| 43 | Second Half | 42 |
| 9 | Overtime | 15 |
Melbourne United are still likely to be understrength when they host the struggling New Zealand Breakers to tip-off Round 5. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:30pm (AEDT).
United have struggled to live up to lofty expectations this season, and already being almost a quarter of the way through their season, they need to turn things around.
The task of turning their form line into something resembling consistency isn’t going to get any easier, though, with guard Chris Goulding still missing from action.
He was injured a fortnight ago, and after a slow start to the season did look to be turning things around.
Since then, United’s stars – David Andersen and former Breaker Cedric Jackson – have put in good performances, but only in patches which certainly hasn’t been enough.
When you consider the depth of United, the last place they want to be is outside the top four with just three wins from their first seven matches.
To put it bluntly, they haven’t been performing and their loss to the Cairns Taipans on the road last weekend proved that. Their attack is not creative, and they are throwing up far too many poor shots.
While their effort rebounding and on defence has been solid, it’s also open to lapses and unless Jackson can play solidly at the point it’s difficult to see them piling up enough points.
Maybe the storyline of this game, as it was when the Breakers picked up a four-point win against United in Round 1 in Auckland, is that of Jackson facing his former team.
Along with Tai Wesley, the pair were poached from the Breakers by United over the off-season, and once again there will be plenty of feeling in the clash.
The Breakers, despite having some amazing shooting talent in Corey Webster, Kirk Penney, Ben Woodside, Akil Mitchell and Robert Loe, have struggled badly.
The shooting that was supposed to be so exciting for the Breakers has struggled to build any consistency, and apart from their season opener against Melbourne, their defence in the paint has been soft.
For the first time this season, though, they finally started to click as an offensive unit, running up a massive 119 points on the Adelaide 36ers.
While Adelaide’s defence has been poor at best this season, the Breakers’ attack in that game was devastating and must remain that way if they want to get over the inconsistent Melbourne defence, with Penney and Webster leading the way from beyond the arc.
Prediction
While you normally wouldn’t go against Melbourne at home, no Goulding makes life difficult for them and I can’t see their defence slowing down the Breakers now they have found some cohesion.
Breakers by 3.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of this Round 5 opener from 7:30pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde