Match Recap: NBL22 Round 1 vs Sydney Kings

An undermanned Melbourne United side has fallen just short of spoiling the Sydney Kings’ first game of the season, going down in a hard-fought effort on the road.

Missing captain Chris Goulding as well as David Barlow and Jack White, the defending champs fought hard to match the nearly full-strength Kings side.

Brad Newley got off to the perfect start on his former home floor, doing a bit of everything in the opening term, including hitting the opening basket of the game, a wing triple.

With Newley leading the way, Melbourne got into a good rhythm, pushing ahead by six points in the first five minutes thanks to efforts from around the court.

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. led all scorers in the opening term, tallying seven points, while Caleb Agada scored his first few baskets for United.

The Kings were able to close the gap across the final few minutes of the quarter, however Shea Ili pushed the visitors back out in front by three points following a mid-range fade-away in the closing seconds of the quarter.

Despite heading into the second term with this momentum, it was a difficult 10 minutes for the defending champs.

Melbourne managed only 10 points across the entire quarter, with six of them coming from Delly in his first taste of NBL action.

The Kings on the other hand were able to run their offense efficiently, scoring 22 points in the term to take a nine-point advantage into half-time. 

Needing a boost of energy, United turned to a pair of their development players, David Okwera and Zac Triplett, who provided a much needed spark for the side.

Okwera, known to his teammates at ‘DSav’, scored eight points and provided some staunch defense both inside and out, while ‘Trip’ knocked down his first NBL basket, a wing three that got the Melbourne bench on their feet.

The Kings were able to extend their lead to 12 points heading into the final term, however United appeared poised for a strong final 10 minutes.

Melbourne got the better of the contest across much of the final quarter, as the defending champs raised their energy to slowly chip away at the Sydney lead.

Despite a difficult game shooting the ball, Agada stayed aggressive, finishing the game with 11 points, and lobbed a terrific alley-oop to Next Star Ariel Hukporti, to cut the Kings' advantage to seven points.

Thanks to some tight defense from the likes of Delly and Ili, United were able to draw within three points, however that would be as close as Melbourne would come.

Missed opportunities and some last-second free-throws from Sydney sealed United’s fate, a five-point road loss.

Melbourne’s next game will be Throwdown XIII next Sunday against the South East Melbourne Phoenix. Secure your tickets here.