NBL22 Match Recap: Round 9 vs Adelaide 36ers

Melbourne United have dropped the final contest of their seven-game road-trip, falling just short against the Adelaide 36ers in overtime.

The first quarter was up and down for United, as the side flashed some great moments, but failed to break the game open.

Delly got Melbourne going with a nice take to the basket before the defending champs shifted their focus to feeding the big-man inside.

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr scored six quick points, creating space in the paint for cutters.

Caleb Agada capitalised on this opening, streaking inside for five first quarter points of his own.

Despite this, along with United’s usual lockdown defence, the visitors couldn’t pull away from the Sixers, only managing a two-point advantage going into the first break.

The second quarter mirrored the first in many ways, but lacked the positives that the opening 10 minutes brought.

United struggled to find good looks, only hitting on three made field goals, and continued to turn the ball over, finishing the half with 10 give-aways.

The Sixers capitalised on Melbourne’s missteps, starting the term on a 9-0 run, which was only ended by a Jack White alley-oop from Dave Barlow. 

That play was just about all United had to celebrate in the term, as they headed into half-time down 38-30.

Looking for an energy boost to start the second half, Jack White took it upon himself to get Melbourne moving in the right direction.

White fed JLA for a nice dunk, before throwing down a few slams of his own to help United build momentum.

He found some solid support from Mason Peatling off the bench, who added 11 points in his 16 minutes.

Despite still trailing by eight points heading into the final period, United looked poised to go on a game-winning run.

This run started to materialise almost immediately, as JLA scored eight points in four minutes to help Melbourne reduce the deficit.

With only minutes remaining, Jack White knocked down a clutch three-pointer, which alongside some free-throws from Jo gave United its first lead since early in the second term.

Leading by one, the visitors looked to have sealed the win following a Shea Ili three in the final minute, however some sharp-shooting from the Sixers, and a missed final attempt from United sent the game into overtime.

While Melbourne opened the extra period perfectly, with a JLA alley-oop from Delly, Adelaide’s Dusty Hannahs put the game away.

Hannahs scored eight points in the final five minutes to put the Sixers in a strong position to win, while United’s shooters couldn’t quite find the right range.

The 88-83 loss ended United’s eight-game winning streak.

Melbourne’s next game will be back at John Cain Arena for the first time since December, and will feature a live performance from Tones And I at half-time.

United will welcome the Tasmania JackJumpers on Sunday 6 February at 3pm.

Tickets are available here.