Blistering start propels Melbourne United to victory over Adelaide

Melbourne United came away with a tough win over the Adelaide 36ers at John Cain Arena on Thursday night. It was a roller-coaster game after United blitzed the 36ers early before Adelaide fought their way back into the contest.

United came out firing from the opening tip, producing one of the most dominant first quarters in NBL history.

It all started with a Jock Landale three and after two minutes of play, Melbourne had jumped out to an 8-0 lead.

The domination continued from there as David Barlow – playing in game 150 for United – got going from deep. When he drained a triple with just under four minutes to play in the term, Melbourne held a 20-6 advantage.

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. came in and injected even more energy into United’s game and at quarter time, Melbourne was leading by 23 points, 31-8. That 23-point lead was the second biggest quarter-time lead in the NBL since changing to 40-minute games.

United continued to push the pace in the second quarter and when Lual-Acuil Jr. took the ball the length of the floor to score, Melbourne was boasting a 36-10 lead.

From there, Adelaide rose to the challenge and picked up their play as Josh Giddey and Isaac Humphries finally got the scoreboard ticking over. As those two dragged the 36ers back into the game, Mitch McCarron was doing his best for United as he played stellar defence and scored key buckets too.

At the main break, United held a 47-34 advantage with McCarron (9 points and 4 rebounds) and Lual-Acuil Jr. (9 points and 7 rebounds) leading the way. Giddey (8 points and 4 rebounds) and Humphries (7 points and 5 rebounds) were best for the 36ers.

After getting back into the game in the second quarter, Adelaide continued to inch closer and when Daniel Johnson scored a long two-pointer with six minutes remaining in the quarter, the 36ers were just eight points adrift, 51-43.

Jack White’s presence in the paint was undeniable, with the United rookie blocking plenty of shots, while Scotty Hopson found his groove in the third quarter with three tough buckets.

Lual-Acuil Jr.’s impressive form continued in the third when he recorded a double-double in just 11 minutes of playing time. At the final break, United held a 12-point lead, 64-52.

After a strong third quarter, Hopson kept attacking and was rewarded with buckets. When White scored a glorious dunk after taking the ball the full length of the floor, Melbourne led by 13 points, 70-57, after three minutes of play.

From there, Jeremy Kendle led an Adelaide revival as he drained big triples and when Giddey finished a nifty reverse lay-up with just over four minutes left on the clock, Adelaide had cut Melbourne’s lead to four points, 70-66.

After lifting United to victory just a couple of days earlier against Cairns, McCarron was the man once again, draining a game-changing long three-pointer to give Melbourne an eight-point buffer, 74-66, with 3:43 remaining.

Kendle hit another three-pointer with just over one minute left to make it a four-point game, but Baba answered by hitting a pair of clutch free throws.

On the final play of the game, White went up for a thunderous dunk, was fouled by Crocker and unfortunately injured his finger on the landing and was unable to take his free throws. Barlow stepped in and hit both.

United claimed a nine-point win, 82-73, and after winning the first quarter and the game, gained important NBL Cup points. After three NBL Cup games, Melbourne boasts a 2-1 record and 11.5 points, which sees them sit second on the NBL Cup ladder.

McCarron (18 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals) was the difference in the game, while Hopson (14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists) was impressive off the bench. Landale (12 points and 7 rebounds) and Lual-Acuil Jr. (11 points and 10 rebounds) were important in the frontcourt battle.

Adelaide was led by Johnson (14 points and 8 rebounds) and Giddey (13 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals).

Melbourne improves to 8-1 on the season and sits on top of the overall NBL ladder. Next up for United is a Saturday night match-up against the Sydney Kings at John Cain Arena. Tip off is at 8pm.