Melbourne claims comeback win over Sydney

Melbourne United displayed its grit on Saturday night, grinding out a hard-fought three-point win over the Sydney Kings at John Cain Arena.

Mitch McCarron and Jock Landale were the stars of the show for United as the team overcame a slow start to win its third game in a row and move into top spot on the NBL Cup ladder.

The Kings were the first team to land a punch, with Casper Ware and Shaun Bruce connecting on triples and after two and a half minutes of play, Sydney held a 10-0 lead.

It was Shea Ili – who returned to action after weeks away due to an ankle injury – who scored first for Melbourne, draining a long-range shot. Despite United getting on the board, Dejan Vasiljevic was on fire for the Kings and when he drove past Landale for a lay-up, Dean Vickerman was forced to call a time-out with four minutes left in the term and his side trailing by 11 points.

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. came into the game and injected some energy, but at the first break, Sydney held a 12-point lead, 28-16.

The second quarter was a defensive tussle as both teams locked down on that end of the court. Melbourne fought back strongly to remain within touch throughout the quarter as Scotty Hopson got going offensively.

When Yudai Baba scored an and-1 bucket and drained the free throw, United had trimmed the deficit to just four points, 35-31, with 3:47 remaining in the first half. For every run Melbourne attempted, Sydney had the answer in the first half with Vasiljevic continuing his hot run to boast 17 points at the main break and his team leading by nine points, 43-34.

Hopson (10 points) and Landale (6 points and 5 rebounds) led the way for Melbourne, while Bruce (10 points and 3 assists) was supporting Vasiljevic well for the Sydney.

Ili got United off to a great start in the third quarter, draining a pair of three-pointers in the opening two minutes of the term, but Ware was looking dangerous for the Kings with some big buckets of his own.

Halfway through the quarter, things changed for Melbourne and McCarron was the reason. He lifted the rest of his team with assists and buckets. A United 10-0 run was capped off by a Sam McDaniel three and with just over three minutes remaining in the quarter, Melbourne trailed by just two points, 52-50

Sydney was forced to call a time-out with just under two minutes left in the term when Baba hit a three to give Melbourne the lead, 56-54. With one quarter to play, the Kings led by two points, 60-58.

Landale rose to the occasion in the fourth quarter as he, along with McCarron, helped Melbourne grab the lead once again. Landale scored three crucial buckets early in the fourth and when Baba scored with 6:41 remaining, United led by three points, 68-65.

Melbourne’s defence lifted in the final frame as their will to win was on full show. McCarron, Baba and Ili were manic on the defensive end; drawing fouls, getting deflections and steals.

After turning the game around in the third quarter, McCarron went to another level down the stretch. He simply wouldn’t be denied, making triples and scoring through contact.

When McCarron dished out an assist to Ili for a corner three with just under two minutes to play, Melbourne held a six-point lead, 79-73.

Just as United fans know all too well though, Casper Ware wouldn’t go away. He kept the Kings in the game, scoring three buckets in a row to have Sydney trailing by just one-point and holding possession with 21 seconds to play.

It all came down to the final play and Ware’s potential game-winner missed the mark. Melbourne prevailed by three points, 83-80, after Landale drained two free throws with 0.5 seconds on the clock.

It was a game of attrition as both teams gave it their all, but ultimately, McCarron (13 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks) and Landale (20 points and 8 rebounds) were the difference.

Ili (12 points on 4/6 shooting from deep) was impressive in his return, while Hopson (14 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds) and Baba (11 points and 3 rebounds) were also crucial.

The Kings were led by Vasiljevic (22 points), Ware (21 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds) and Bruce (17 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists).

The win sees Melbourne improve to 9-1 on the season to sit on top of the ladder. After winning three quarters and the game, United also moves into top spot on the NBL Cup ladder with 17.5 points.

Next up for Melbourne is a Friday night match-up (March 5) against the New Zealand Breakers at John Cain Arena. Tip off is at 7:30pm.