Mitsubishi Match Recap: Hungry Jack’s NBL26 - Round 4 v Sydney Kings

Melbourne United have won their first game of Round 4, an Ignite Cup clash on the road against the Sydney Kings.

Injected back into the starting lineup with Shea Ili on the injured list, Tanner Krebs provided a great spark to open the game.

The wing enjoyed success from all over the court, scoring at the rim, in the midrange, and from deep to bring his total to nine points.

Tyson Walker was also hot in the first quarter, tallying seven points of his own as the teams fought for control of the game.

A Dash Daniels triple, followed by a Finn Delany offensive rebound and score late in the period put Melbourne up 29-25 after 10 minutes.

Four quick points extended United’s lead to a game-high eight points to start the second, however a 10-0 run from Sydney erased that advantage in a matter of minutes.

Each side would trade brief periods in front across the entirety of the term, with triples from Tom Wilson, Walker and Krebs all connecting from downtown, while Fabijan Krslovic and Milton Doyle found success in the paint.

Ultimately, a late bucket from former United star Matthew Dellavedova put the Kings up 50-52 at the major break. 

While Sydney were able to score the first four points coming out of half time, Melbourne hit back through some of their stars.

Walker got inside for a pair of layups through contact, while Doyle and Krebs each fired away from deep to recapture the lead.

Daniels continued his strong evening, with the 17-year old knocking down his second three of the game, as well as a tough layup through contact.

It was however the dynamic duo of Walker and Doyle who brought the quarter to a close in style, with the former stepping back for another triple, before the latter beat the buzzer with his own moonshot long range, giving United a 81-71 buffer heading into the final frame.

Looking to pull away from the Kings, Melbourne’s import trio finished the game in tremendous fashion.

The combination of Walker, Edwards and Doyle combined for 22 of the team’s final 26 points, while providing great defence.

This allowed hold Sydney at bay, not allowing the home side to come within 10 for the final nine minutes of the game and securing a 14-point victory.

The win gives United six points on the Ignite Cup leaderboard.

The side will next hit the court on Sunday afternoon in The Grassroots Game inside John Cain Arena against the Cairns Taipans from 4:30pm.

Tickets are available here.