Mitsubishi Match Recap: Hungry Jack’s NBL26 - Round 14 v Brisbane Bullets

Melbourne United have bounced back to record a victory against the Brisbane Bullets in their lone game of Round 14.

Stepping back into the starting lineup following his illness, Chris Goulding showcased his desire to get Melbourne back on the winners list, cashing in a three-pointer to open the game.

He followed this up with an and-one layup, a second three, and three made free-throws to bring his total to 12 points in under five minutes of play.

This put United in a favourable position as his teammates looked to build on the advantage he helped create.

Fabijan Krslovic and Tyson Walker each connected from downtown, while the latter produced great plays at the defensive end, tallying three first quarter steals.

The Bullets were able to stay within reach however, attacking in the paint and reducing the United lead to 28-26 to close the period.

Despite sitting for an extended period to end the first term, Goulding stayed hot to start the second, splashing his third triple of the game.

Melbourne were able to lean on their defence to pull ahead after this, going on a 14-0 run with the entire lineup contributing.

Krslovic was huge, recording a block, steal and bucket, Kyle Bowen and Milton Doyle made their three-point looks, and Goulding floated in a shot from the midrange to bring his first-half total to 17 points.

Brisbane were able to end this run, but Walker and Tanner Krebs put their feet on the gas, pushing the pace and allowing United to go up by as many as 17 points.

A couple of late free throws from the Bullets would set the score at 59-45 at the major break.

Apart from a Jesse Edwards dunk, the start of the third was all Brisbane, as the home side pushed back within nine points.

Bowen played a massive part in halting this momentum, taking a charge at one end and going upstairs for a pair of dunks at the other.

Add in a three pointer, which followed a Krebs three-ball, and United found themselves back ahead by 14 points.

Walker and Daniels each got inside for layups on their own late in the term before the Bullets went on a charge culminating in a buzzer-beating three-ball to cut Melbourne’s advantage to 80-71.

This run continued to start the fourth, with a Goulding mid-range make United’s lone score in the middle of a stretch that put Brisbane up by four points.

Trailing 82-86 with five minutes remaining, the visitors locked in.

First, Krebs and Bowen each came up with huge putback finishes, scoring inside off offensive rebounds to tie the game.

Doyle then gave Melbourne back the lead, spinning into the paint for a tough bucket, before another O-board found Krebs, whose three-ball made it a 9-0 run and extended the lead to five points.

Ultimately, this would be a lead that United would hold onto down the stretch and finish the game with a 92-87 victory.

This improves Melbourne’s record to 15-7 ahead of the team’s next game, a road matchup with the Tasmania JackJumpers on 3 January from 7pm.

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