Mitsubishi Match Recap: Hungry Jack’s NBL26 - Round 18, Game 1 v Brisbane Bullets

Melbourne United have begun Round 18 with a win, taking down the Brisbane Bullets at Bendigo Stadium in the team’s final game of the Ignite Cup.

Dash Daniels got the game started in perfect fashion in front of his home-town crowd, slicing inside for a layup to open the scoring.

Physical defence was the name of the game for United as they restricted the Bullets to just three points through the first few minutes.

A Tyson Walker three-ball and Jesse Edwards dunk saw Melbourne go up by eight points before Brisbane connected on some long-range looks of their own.

The shooting advantage would ultimately favour United, with Finn Delany, Chris Goulding and Tanner Krebs all finding the range from deep.

Walker would bring the period to a close with some smooth moves leading to a layup, giving Melbourne a 29-19 lead.

This success from beyond the arc continued to start the second, with Malith Machar nailing his look from the corner, and Walker making his attempt from the top of the key.

Milton Doyle then worked his way into the game, making a mid-range jumper, two free throws and a floater to tally six quick points.

While the fans in Bendigo were already on their feet, the final minute of action on the term sent them wild, as Goulding side-stepped his way into his third triple before Walker repeated his half-court heroics from HoopsFest, banking in his shot to beat the half-time buzzer.

This gave United a 57-36 lead heading into the major break.

The third was another defensive masterclass from Melbourne, as the team locked down at one end and ran the floor at the other.

This produced great scoring opportunities, such as a wing three for Daniels and a slam at the rim for Edwards.

Both Daniels and Edwards followed these buckets up with strong efforts at the rim again, while Fabijan Krslovic cashed in another three for Melbourne.

Doyle then took over, scoring a lightning-quick eight points before a big Kyle Bowen dunk extended United’s lead to 81-50 after three quarters.

With the game all but in hand, some of Melbourne’s bench players got the opportunity for extra court time, producing terrific results in the process.

Machar went upstairs for United’s first points of the period, rising up and throwing down a poster dunk on top of a Brisbane defender.

Tom Wilson added two points of his own with a layup through contact, and Tom Koppens cut from the perimeter to slam home his own dunk.

In the end, Melbourne would finish the game as 98-66 victors, winning every quarter and taking home all seven Ignite Cup points.

Melbourne United will next face the Perth Wildcats on Sunday afternoon from 4:30pm. The game will be streamed live via ESPN and Channel 10.