Bulla Recap: United open Finals campaign in style, dominate the Phoenix

Melbourne United sent an ominous warning sign to the other three NBL finalists in Game One of their Semi-Final clash against the South East Melbourne Phoenix on Friday night.

Playing at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, the first ever ‘Throwdown’ Final was a clinic in offence and defence from United as Jock Landale and Scotty Hopson put on a show.

Landale got scoring underway with a triple and it was a sign of things to come as the superstar big man dominated in the paint and from the outside.

Fellow United big man Mason Peatling was a key figure in the opening quarter with three offensive rebounds and those boards led to second-chance opportunities for Melbourne.

A Mitch McCarron lay-up after four minutes of play highlighted a 6-0 run that had United leading by one-point, 9-8.

Landale was involved in everything, while Scotty Hopson checked into the game and immediately got going with a bucket. When Shea Ili drove hard to the hoop and scored, Melbourne’s lead stood at five points, 19-14, with just three minutes to play in the first term.

Ben Moore was the man for the Phoenix in the first quarter as he brought energy to the game with and-1 plays and offensive rebounds.

Hopson scored a pair of buckets late in the term to extend Melbourne’s lead and at the first break, United held a six-point lead, 26-20.

Just as he did in the first quarter, Landale scored on United’s first offensive possession, before Chris Goulding got going offensively.

United’s defence was strangling the Phoenix and forcing them into turnovers which led to Melbourne transition buckets. While their defence went up a notch, United’s offence was also absolutely firing with ball movement and three-point shots taking over.

Hopson drained a triple to make it a 7-0 Melbourne run halfway through the term, but United wasn’t satisfied as Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. made shots and when Goulding hit another long-range bucket, United had gone on a 15-4 run to open the game up, boasting a 16-point lead, 43-27.

United’s offence was simply overpowering the Phoenix as everyone got involved and the depth of Melbourne was on full display.

Lual-Acuil Jr, Hopson and Goulding continued to torch the defence, while Keifer Sykes was playing a lone hand for the Phoenix.

Landale hit his third triple of the evening in the final two minutes of the first half to make it a game-high 25-point lead, 56-31, while a Sykes buzzer-beater bucket made it a 20-point ball-game at the main break, 58-38, thanks to a 32-18 second term.

Landale (16 points) and Hopson (13 points) were dominant for United, while Sykes (10 points) and Moore (9 points) were trying their best to keep the Phoenix from being blown away.

After a massive second quarter, United continued to put the foot down in the third term in a complete 10 minutes of basketball. With such focus on both ends of the court, Melbourne’s defensive tenacity led to easy buckets.

Landale continued his deadly form with a triple and then went back into the paint and scored. David Barlow then joined in the party with his first long-range shot and that bucket kickstarted an incredible 16-2 run to end the quarter and blow the game apart.

Hopson scored on back-to-back possessions, while Ili completed a tough and-1 lay-up and when Yudai Baba threw an alley-oop pass to Hopson, who skilfully finished it with a nifty tip in, Melbourne’s lead stood at 30 points, 82-52, with 60 seconds remaining in the term.

After starting the 16-2 scoring run, Barlow put an exclamation point on the run with a late triple to see United head into the final break with a 31-point lead, 85-54.

Hopson and Lual-Acuil Jr. kept the scoreboard ticking over for United in the final quarter, while Mitch Creek and Kyle Adnam put some points on the board for the Phoenix.

United were never troubled down the stretch as the Regular Season Champions showed they are ready for a big Finals campaign with a convincing 96-78 win.

Landale showcased just how valuable he is in a dominant performance, finishing with 26 points on 4/5 shooting from deep, while Hopson (22 points and 3 assists) was simply sublime on the offensive end as his impressive late-season form continued.

Lual-Acuil Jr. (9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks), Goulding (9 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals), Ili (9 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals) and Peatling (8 points and 6 rebounds) all gave important contributions as Melbourne’s depth shone through.

Moore (17 points and 3 rebounds) and Creek (15 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds) were best for South East Melbourne.

Owning a 1-0 series lead, United will have a chance to close out the series and qualify for the Grand Final on Sunday afternoon. Tip off is at 3pm (AEST) from Qudos Bank Arena.

With a win under their belt, United moves a step closer to achieving the ultimate goal of a Championship and the team needs your support, Melbourne! It’s time to unite on the road to glory.