DrinkWise Preview: Round 16 Game 2 v Sydney Kings

Riding a franchise record 10-game winning streak, Melbourne United will be looking to make it 11 wins in a row on Sunday afternoon against the Sydney Kings in what is a blockbuster match up between two arch-rivals.

Melbourne v Sydney is always big and with both teams in fantastic form, you’ll want to get to John Cain Arena on Sunday to be a part of the action!

PLAYER TO WATCH

You can learn a lot about a player when they are asked to step up and play a bigger role than they are accustomed to. For Jo Lual-Acuil Jr., he passed that test with flying colours on Wednesday night in the win over New Zealand.

After star big man Jock Landale was subbed out with a knee injury in the opening 35 seconds of the game and didn’t return, Dean Vickerman called upon Lual-Acuil Jr. and he answered the call.

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Lual-Acuil Jr. almost doubled his season average of 16 minutes per game by totalling 31 minutes of playing time. He’s shown all season long that he can come in and produce in short bursts, but against the Breakers he was dominant all game long.

He finished with a career-high 23 points on 71% shooting from the field, while also recording 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal.

With Landale ruled out for Sunday’s game, Lual-Acuil Jr. will once again have to shoulder a larger load.

KEY MATCH UP

Casper Ware is averaging 26 points per game over his last three outings – including a monster 40-point effort against the Cairns Taipans – and Mitch McCarron will be out to slow him down.

You’re never going to completely quell the influence of a player like Ware, but McCarron – along with Shea Ili and Yudai Baba – will make life as difficult as possible for him.

Ware has been leading the undermanned Kings so impressively lately and he’s a huge reason as to why they’re still winning games.

McCarron has been one of, if not the most consistent player for United this season. He’s been scoring, dishing out assists and still playing stifling defence. His ability to impact games on both ends of the court is absolutely elite and he’s quickly proven himself as a premier point guard in the league this season.

This will be a fun back and forth battle!

THE OTHER GUYS

The Kings have won four games on the trot and despite having lost key players in Dejan Vasiljevic (achilles injury) and Didi Louzada (signed with the New Orleans Pelicans) for the season recently, they’ve found a way to get wins.

Sitting in third position prior to Round 16 getting underway, the Kings will be desperate to keep their winning streak alive as the race for a spot in the post-season heats up.

Ware is the key to everything that Sydney does, while Jarell Martin is the man who gives the Kings a big offensive punch. Martin is averaging 17.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game this season and is capable of pouring it on when he gets going.

Big man Jordan Hunter is having a great season for the Kings and in their Round 15 win over South East Melbourne, he lodged a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds, highlighting his importance to Sydney on both ends of the court.

Shaun Bruce just does what his team needs with his ability to do a bit of everything. In the Kings win over the Hawks last week, he pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds – an impressive effort for a guard.

Brad Newley, Daniel Kickert and Craig Moller all play important minutes for the Kings and with key players having missed games, they’ve all stepped up at various times throughout the season.

GAME INFO

Who: Melbourne United v Sydney Kings.
Tip off: 3:00pm (AEST), Sunday 2 May.
Where: John Cain Arena, Melbourne.
Watch: SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand
Tickets: GET YOURS HERE