NBL27 Match Recap: Melbourne United vs Brisbane Bullets - Round 8 - 7 November 2026

Melbourne United have successfully extended their record on the year to 7-5 in their game against the Brisbane Bullets in an important win for seeding at this early point in the NBL27 season.

The result is their fourth straight win and third in a row inside John Cain Arena; a solid indicator that things are coming together for the boys in blue a third of the way into the regular season. 

A shaky first minute of play was settled by United’s most consistent performer, Josh Oduro, who knocked down his side’s first bucket of the game off a pair of offensive rebounds.

The inevitable Cole Anthony soon followed with a pair of buckets of his own; two floating jumpshots off glass from opposite sides of the key to give United a 7-2 lead two minutes in. 

After forcing another two misses on defence, United found Malith Machar open on the wing for three, which he knocked down in rhythm. 

On the next trip down the floor, Machar attacked a closeout from the same spot and finished with a finger roll for a 5-0 run on his own. 

Oduro’s activity on the offensive glass left him open for another made layup, and some dribble drive penetration left Shea Ili open for three, which he knocked down, extending United’s dominant first five minute lead to 13. 

A putback from Fabian Krslovic, and a tough fadeaway baseline jumper from Chris Goulding kept the good times rolling for Melbourne. 

A Bullets rebuke cut United’s lead down to six with two minutes left in the period, until Tom Wilson caught nothing but nylon on his first three-point attempt of the game, regaining momentum for United in the process. 

On his second shot, from the opposite corner, Tom Wilson found the same result for his sixth point of the game. 

United put the ball in Oduro’s hands on their final offensive possession of the quarter, as he took advantage of his single coverage with a gorgeous drop step to leave him wide open for two points, giving his team a 29-17 lead as the buzzer sounded. 

Melbourne’s 12 point first quarter lead is the biggest they’ve had to start a game all season.

They opened up the second quarter carrying momentum from the first, extending their lead to 18 just over a minute into the period; off the back of a pair of buckets from Anthony, an open jump-hook for Oduro, and a spectacular move to the ring from Joe Ingles for his first score of the game. 

Anthony’s paint presence was unstoppable early. Two minutes into the second, he knocked down a tough floater through contact to take his second quarter tally to seven.

As the Bullets kept biting into the United lead, Anthony and Oduro kept fighting back. First, Oduro’s excellent positioning left him open for another close shot off an Ili feed, which he knocked down. 

Then, another spectacular move from Anthony saw him flying to the ring and laying the ball in through contact for a three point trip down the floor. 

With six minutes left in the half, Melbourne were up 15, and moving at a lightning quick pace, found Machar open in the corner for a three to extend their lead even further. After another Anthony bucket, Machar showed how deep his bag goes, attacking a close out and putting in a floater with some soft touch.

His ten point tally was already the most prolific half he’s had in NBL27, and boded well for United’s ball movement as the game continued. 

A Sam Waardenburg steal and outlet pass led to a signature open-court slam for Luke Travers, and took United's tally of players with a field goal in the first half to an outrageous nine. 

Over the next couple of minutes, United’s shooting started to dry-up, but their league best defence was relentless in congruence, and kept the away side from cutting into their huge 19 point deficit. 

With a minute left, after a Bullets bucket, Oduro’s engine was running hot, as he grabbed two consecutive offensive rebounds on his way to the free-throw line on back-to-back possessions.

Melbourne finished the half with a 62-48 lead, in what was their highest scoring half so far this season. Their import duo of Oduro and Anthony headlined, combining for 29 points. 

Oduro also pulled in ten rebounds for a first half double-double, continuing his MVP calibre form, dominating the paint against a side that has been the best at rebounding in the league this season prior to the contest. 

The Bullets came out firing to start the third, cutting their deficit down to nine with three threes in the first two minutes of the third. 

To stop the bleeding, United’s star duo took over, scoring United’s first ten points of the half. The scores, two drives to the ring from Anthony for buckets, and two open looks under the ring for Oduro off Anthony feeds. 

Four minutes into the third, the home team had a 12 point lead after Goulding got two feet in the paint and fed Oduro for a two handed jam, taking his game tally to 20 with 15 minutes to play in the contest. 

Some stellar defence and hustle kept the Bullets at bay, and allowed United to work out some offensive sluggishness over the next couple of minutes. 

Their patience was rewarded, after a block from Machar opened up a fastbreak opportunity for Ili, which he layed-up at pace for his seventh point of the contest. 

A quick 7-0 run from Brisbane cut Melbourne’s lead down to single digits again, and with a minute left in the third, United needed to fight back. 

On cue, Ingles cashed in his first three of the game to take advantage of a 2-for-1 opportunity, and bring the crowd inside John Cain arena back to life. 

As the buzzer sounded to end the third, United had weathered the Bullets storm from deep, walking away with an 83-73 lead despite struggles on both ends of the floor in the period. 

The fourth opened with an athletic move from Anthony, as he went head first into the Bullets’ bigs, hanging in the air for two.

On the next play, a steal and unreal behind the back dime from Travers to Oduro wowed the home crowd and extended the United lead to 14 early in the final period. 

Another excellent drive for two from Anthony took his game tally to 26 just two minutes into the period, and after a slick feed from Ingles led to a Waardenburg dunk, the vibes were high heading into a Brisbane timeout. 

King Cole’s barrage continued with another bucket, which Oduro followed up with a slick fadeaway jumper for two more. 

With six minutes left in the game, Anthony already had his fourth 30+ point game of the season on a ridiculous 13/14 from the field; his most efficient game of the year. 

One of the highlights of the contest came soon after, as Anthony’s sick dribble moves drew a double-team, which he recognised, then flipped a no-look pass to Oduro for a wide open dunk. 

With four minutes left, with a 105-84 lead a United win looked inevitable, and the home crowd knew it. 

With three minutes left, Oduro and Anthony checked out of the game, finishing their play with a combined 60 points; the most they’ve combined for in their time at United. 

With a few minutes left, Kyle Bowen got involved in the action with a tough reverse layup off a Jensen Bradtke feed. 

For his first ever NBL bucket, United’s Will Hynes put in a tough finish off glass. He then demonstrated his defensive capabilities, stripping a Bullets guard for a steal. 

Capping off his stellar night, Tom Wilson knocked down his third three for his first double-digit scoring performance of NBL27. 

Fabian Krslovic scored the last bucket of the game, a three to give United a 120-92 win. The 28 point margin is their largest win of the season so far, and their 120 points for the contest is the most the team has scored in a game since the same day in 2024. 

This win is another in a stretch of excellent performances, and sets the table for a potential five game win streak if they get the job done when they next take the floor as the away side against the Adelaide 36ers on Thursday November 12th at 7:30pm. 

They next take the floor inside John Cain Arena in a home Throwdown against the South East Melbourne Phoenix on Saturday October 14th at 7:30pm. Get your tickets for that game here via AXS.

Both games will be live on ESPN via Kayo or Disney+. The throwdown will also be live on 9GO and 9NOW. 

FULL BOX SCORE AVAILABLE HERE

‍