Drinkwise Preview: NBL24 - Championship series, Game 5 v Tasmania JackJumpers

This is it. No matter what happens, this is the final game of NBL24. One team will be crowned as the champion, the other will head home knowing they gave it their all in this incredible five game series.

Fresh off a win on the road against Tasmania, Melbourne United will enjoy home court advantage, and get to relish in the energy provided by another sold out John Cain Arena crowd.

United have been the best home team all season, winning 14 of their 18 games on their floor.

For the JackJumpers, moving past the tough home defeat at the hands of Melbourne on Thursday night will be a must if they hope to have a chance of bringing the championship trophy back to the apple isle.

PLAYER TO WATCH

With the series on the line, Chris Goulding stepped up for United in Game 4.

Trailing for much of the game, CG43 did what he does best; knock down unthinkably difficult three-pointers and wrestle away momentum from his opponent.

Goulding’s five three-pointers moved him into sole possession of the record for the most ever triples made in championship series games (60), and equaled the record for the most long-range makes in a single championship series (18).

KEY MATCHUP

For one last time in this series, we will get to see Luke Travers and Jack McVeigh square up with everything on the line.

Travers has showcased why he is such a coveted defensive talent, tallying 12 blocks and five steals across the four games so far, while connecting on his offensive looks when needed, shooting 50% from beyond the arc.

McVeigh on the other hand has been a scoring menace. After being contained for the most-part inside the arc in the first three games of the series, the JJs star went off for a series-high 28 points in Game 4.

Seeing which one of these two elite local talents can come out on top will be an exciting affair for all tuning in.

THE OTHER GUYS

While McVeigh’s scoring outburst was one to behold on Thursday, the inconsistency of his teammate’s contributions hurt the JackJumpers.

Milton Doyle failed to score in the first half, while Jordon Crawford managed just two points in the second half. Both ended the game with 14 points.

Starting duo Anthony Drmic and Fabijan Krslovic also combined for zero points on 0-7 shooting.

As he has been for much of the series, Sean MacDonald was able to produce a number of highlights in his time off the bench, tallying 14 points in his 24 minutes.

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GAME INFO

Who: Melbourne United vs Tasmania JackJumpers

Tip-off: 4pm AEDT, Sunday 31 March, 2024

Where: John Cain Arena, Melbourne

Watch: ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel