DrinkWise Preview: NBL24 - Round 11 Game 1 vs SEM Phoenix

It’s time for another Throwdown as Melbourne United go into John Cain Arena as the road team to face off against the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

Coming off a huge 35-point win over the Brisbane Bullets on Sunday, United will look to feed off their momentum and pick up a fourth straight victory against the Phoenix.

For SEM, six wins from seven games on their home floor should have them confident ahead of the Throwdown, however that lone loss was to Melblourne.

PLAYER TO WATCH

After returning in Round 10 following an extended stretch on the sidelines, Ian Clark showed no signs of rust as he helped propel United to their monstrous victory.

One of the league’s most efficient long-range marksmen (51.2% on 5.1 attempts per game), Clark opens up the floor for his teammates with the constant threat of his deep-ball.

Fresh off a 14-point outing in 23 minutes against the Bullets, look for Clark to find openings against the Phoenix and let it fly when the opportunity is right.

KEY MATCHUP

Much of SEM’s ability to run their offence comes from the creation of import guard Gary Browne.

While he only scored three points in the Phoenix's Round 10 win over Sydney, the guard orchestrated the offence perfectly to the tune of nine assists.

So far this season, when Browne tallies eight or more assists, SEM are undefeated, so it will be on the duo of Shea Ili and Matthew Dellavedova to put the clamps on the shifty star.

United’s elite defensive pairing helped lock up Nathan Sobey last week (4/15 shooting) and will look to do the same against Browne come Thursday evening.

THE OTHER GUYS

When it comes to the Phoenix, so much relies on the play of their star frontcourt. 

Alan Williams and Mitchell Creek have been in strong form, combining for 54 points and 18 rebounds against the Kings.

If United can slow down that pairing inside the paint, SEM must get some strong production from their role players, such as Matt Kenyon and Rhys Vague.

Kenyon and Vague were instrumental in the win over Sydney (22 points combined) while Ben Ayre supplied some much needed outside shooting (3/7 from beyond the arc).

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GAME INFO

Who: Melbourne United vs South East Melbourne Phoenix

Tip-off: 7:30pm AEDT, Thursday 14 December, 2023

Where: John Cain Arena Arena, Melbourne

Watch: ESPN via Kayo