NBL27 Match Recap - CODE Sports Blitz v Perth Wildcats

Melbourne United have won their first game of the CODE Sports NBL Blitz, taking down a shorthanded Perth Wildcats team 97-82.

Sam Waardenburg got the scoring started in Bendigo for United, getting the ball on the block and finishing an impressive fadeaway.

His Tall Blacks teammate Shea Ili followed this up with a pair of buckets at the rim, the latter of which came following a Luke Travers steal.

Travers then got himself on the board, deftly cutting through the lane for his first points, before finding Ili again with a sweet dime to give Melbourne a 10-2 lead after three minutes of play.

Defensively, United looked to be thriving, as Josh Oduro and Travers each swatted shots at the rim, however the Wildcats fought back into the game, tying up the contest at 15-15.

Looking for energy off the bench, Malith Machar provided a spark, scoring four quick points to give Melbourne a little buffer leading into the closing seconds of the quarter.

With time running down, it was Ili once again impacting the scoreboard, rising through contact for a mid-range make, plus one at the free throw line, to put United ahead 22-16.

Defence stayed the priority for Melbourne to open the second, as Oduro poked away a pass and got to the line on Perth’s first possession.

Waardenburg showed off his varied skillset, spiking a Wildcats layup off the backboard before netting another jumpshot from inside the arc.

Oduro added to his tally, finishing back-to-back makes in the paint, while Development Player Christian D’Angelo finally registered the team’s first long-range make, cashing his look from the corner.

Travers followed this up with a three-ball of his own, putting Melbourne ahead by seven, but Perth refused to stop fighting, going on a run to briefly take the lead.

Late baskets from Oduro and Waardenburg sandwiched a Wildcats score, but pushed United back in front 45-44 at the major break.

After giving up the opening points coming out of half time, Melbourne looked to find some rhythm, thanks in part to great defence from Oduro.

After Travers got to the hoop for a layup, the American registered two steals in three possessions, with Melbourne scoring on both possessions.

Another Ili and-one extended the lead back to seven, before triples from Tom Wilson and Chris Goulding gave United a double-digit advantage.

More great effort plays from Machar, who grabbed offensive rebounds on back-to-back trips down the floor to set up scores, helped Melbourne maintain this lead, however another Wildcats run to close the period cut into the margin.

It was once again Ili connecting from the mid-range in the final second of the term that helped United take a 72-67 lead into the final term.

With the game on the line, both teams fought hard to collect the victory.

Goulding made good on his third triple of the game, while Oduro rebounded his own miss to finish a putback basket.

While the scoring slowed for a period for Melbourne, Travers nearly blew the roof off Bendigo Stadium, thundering down the lane for a poster dunk.

Free throws from Wilson and Travers kept the points coming for United, as Perth looked to cut into the lead via the free throw line themselves.

Putbacks from Oduro and Travers rebuilt the Melbourne lead back out to 10 points with three minutes remaining, while two more Ili mid-rangers all but iced the contest.

Ultimately, United finished with a 97-82 victory, claiming six points on the CODE Sports NBL Blitz table in the process.

Melbourne United will next face the Illawarra Hawks on Sunday afternoon from 2:30pm.

Fans can tune in via ESPN on Disney+ or Kayo, or secure a ticket to see the game live here.

FULL STATS AVAILABLE HERE