Mitsubishi Match Recap: Hungry Jack’s NBL26 - Round 7 v Sydney Kings

Melbourne United have dropped their first game of the season, falling at home to the Sydney Kings on Monday evening.

In front of another sold out crowd, United got on the board first through a pair of Tyson Walker free throws.

Finn Delany was huge in the opening term, getting inside for back-to-back makes at the hoop before finding Jesse Edwards for a powerful slam.

Edwards and Walker continued to work around the rim, opening up space outside for Chris Goulding, who cashed in from deep after checking into the contest.

The sharpshooter used his threat from beyond the arc to draw a three shot foul following this, while Dash Daniels flexed his strength, creating space off the dribble and connecting on a floater.

Kyle Bowen brought the period to a close with a dunk, however it was the Kings holding the upper hand, scoring efficiently to take a 25-20 lead into the first break.

Looking to get back into the game quickly, United’s stars stepped up.

Delany and Milton Doyle each made their three-point looks to bring the home side within one, however former Melbourne star Matthew Dellavedova pushed back, knocking down his third deep-ball.

A focus on paint scoring, with Doyle and Delany leading the way, ultimately tied the game back up, but Sydney held firm, not allowing United to get in front.

Despite two late mid-range makes from Walker, Melbourne went into half time trailing 50-54.

Coming out of the major break, United worked quickly to erase the deficit through the likes of Edwards, Doyle and Walker.

The trio scored from all over the court, once again bringing Melbourne within one point of tying the game, however as they had the whole game, the Kings answered effectively.

This time, they were able to go on a dominant run, extending the lead to as many as 12 points before some timely baskets, including a triple from Dash Daniels, set the score at 69-77 with 10 minutes remaining.

Slowly but surely, United inched closer and closer to pulling in front for the first time since the first quarter.

Down 77-85, the whole team contributed, putting together a 10-0 run, sending the 10,000+ fans inside John Cain Arena wild.

Unfortunately for Melbourne, this was only short lived, as the Kings re-took the lead, which they would ultimately hold onto through to the final buzzer, handing United their first loss of the season.

United will have the opportunity to bounce back quickly as they hit the floor on the road in Wollongong on Wednesday night in the Ignite Cup.

Fans can tune in from 7:30pm on Disney+.