Match Recap: NBL23 Preseason vs Brisbane Bullets Game 2

Melbourne United have fallen just short against the Brisbane Bullets on Saturday night at Casey Stadium in their final preseason game before the NBL Blitz.

Following a harsh review of their performance on Thursday evening, United came out with a renewed intensity to start Saturday’s game.

From the opening tip Melbourne’s bigs crashed the boards, with Jordan Caroline and Ariel Hukporti both pulling down offensive rebounds leading to scores.

The beneficiary of many of these extra opportunities was Rayjon Tucker, who continued his hot form to open the first quarter.

Tuck led all scorers in the opening term, knocking in eight points in just over four minutes on the court.

When he hit the bench, United’s reserves kept the pressure on Brisbane, and kept the scoreboard ticking over.

Development Player Josh Duach sank a triple within his first few possessions, while Brad Newley connected on one of his trademark layups, helping Melbourne hold onto a 22-18 going into the first break.

Looking to maintain their advantage, United kept up their strong defence, while Tuck went back to work.

The former NBA guard got it done from all over the court, including an impressive four-point play, on his way to 15 first half points.

Leaning on their rebounding and toughness, United managed to hold the Bullets at bay for much of the quarter, before a late surge from Tanner Krebs and Devondrick Walker pushed the visitors to their first lead of the game as time wound down in the term.

Needing a bucket, Xavier Rathan-Mayes delivered, sinking a tough midrange jumper before time expired to give Melbourne a 42-41 lead heading into the major break.

There was no slowing down Tuck coming out of half-time, as he quickly added to his tally with some spectacular plays.

The explosive guard cashed in on a tough three pointer before breaking his defender’s ankles en route to a silky mid-range jumper.

Following this scoring spurt, United’s offence slowed, almost like a lid had been put on the basket.

This, combined with some great shotmaking from Brisbane, flipped the script on the scoreboard, leading to a 12-point deficit for United heading into the final 10 minutes of action.

Facing a double-digit hill to climb, Melbourne’s trademark defence showed up in the fourth quarter.

United worked tirelessly, getting stop after stop, to slowly cut into the Brisbane lead.

With the Casey crowd rocking thanks to some huge plays, Melbourne put themselves in a position to take the lead with less than a minute remaining.

Lockdown defence from Makuach Maluach, followed by a clutch three from Zac Triplett brough Melbourne to within three points of the lead, however that would be as close as they would come, ultimately falling 72-76.

Rayjon Tucker finished the game as its leading scorer, pouring in 28 points to go along with nine rebounds.

Melbourne’s next game will be against the Illawarra Hawks for their first game of the NBL Blitz in Darwin on September 18.