DrinkWise Preview: NBL22 - Round 8, Game 2 v Brisbane Bullets

Melbourne United will look to extend their winning streak to eight games on Wednesday when they travel north for a matchup with the Brisbane Bullets.

Coming off another dominant fourth-quarter performance against Adelaide on Saturday, United look poised to continue their hot run of form and further solidify their spot on top of the NBL22 ladder.

For the Bullets, it will be a battle against fatigue, as the side suits up for their third game in six days, having already split a pair of meetings with the Sydney Kings so far in Round 8.

Sitting outside the top-four, a win at home over the ladder-leaders would provide a huge boost for a Brisbane side looking to return to the finals.

PLAYER TO WATCH

An enormous part of United’s eight consecutive wins has to be attributed to Jo Lual-Acuil Jr, and his development into one of not only the league’s best big men, but one of the league’s best players.

JLA has been a beast on both ends of the court, ranking second in blocks per game (2.8), eighth in rebounds per game (8.1) and top-20 in points per game (14.9).

These numbers have been even more impressive across the last two weeks, with big Jo averaging 17 points, 11 rebounds and over 3 blocks per game.

United’s man in the middle has been particularly effective in the opening term, averaging the fourth most first quarter points per game in the league.

Look for Jo to set the tone early and come out aggressively against the Bullets.

KEY MATCHUP

Two of the league’s best scorers and shooters will duke it out at Nissan Arena, as Nathan Sobey looks to do whatever he can to slow down a red-hot Chris Goulding.

Coming off a quiet game against the Hawks to close Round 7, CG43 found his range from beyond the arc in United’s last outing, sinking six three-pointers in the victory.

The United Captain is knocking down three-pointers at a career best rate, connecting on 4.3 per game at a 42.9% rate.

The only players to ever connect on more three-pointers at a better percentage than that are Shane Heal in 1994 and Brian Gorjian in 1984.

Currently across NBL22, no other player is ever averaging three made three-pointers per game.  

For Brisbane, slowing down CG will be a priority, as well as working to get Sobey rolling.

Over the past few seasons, Sobey has established himself as a dynamite scorer, capable of going off on any given night.

The guard will be hoping he can put together a similar performance to that of Friday evening’s against the Kings, where he tallied a season-high 30 points.

THE OTHER GUYS

Sporting one of the most dangerous scoring trios in the league, Brisbane will be hoping they can become the first team to beat United at full strength.

Sobey, alongside Robert Franks and Lamar Patterson, are the only three teammates to rank in the top-10 of league scorers, and can put the ball in the bucket from all over the floor.

That, combined with a boost off the bench from Jason Cadee and Deng Deng, and some great rim protection from Tyrell Harrison, has propelled the Bullets to three wins in their past five games.

Whoever can gain the advantage on the glass will also play a large factor in the result.

Melbourne and Brisbane are ranked number one and two respectively in rebounds per game, and thrive when controlling that area of play.

GAME INFO

Who: Melbourne United vs Brisbane Bullets
Tip off: 3pm (AEDT), Wednesday 26 January, 2022
Where: Nissan Arena, Brisbane
Watch: Australia - ESPN via Foxtel and Kayo.