NBL27 Match Recap: Melbourne United vs Sydney Kings. 25 October 2026.

Melbourne United have come away with their first home win inside John Cain Arena against their historic rival, the Sydney Kings. The matchup was Melbourne’s annual Multicultural Game, and both sides put their best foot forward, but United’s execution on both ends of the floor was too much for the reigning champs. 

The start of the game was a three-point barrage for United. Melbourne’s tallest Tall Black opened up the scoring, as Sam Waardenburg cashed in his first shot of the game from deep for three points.

Then, following a stop on the other end, Luke Travers continued his great shooting from Friday’s matchup, knocking down a three pointer of his own. Which was quickly followed up with a catch and shoot three from the other side of the court by Malith Machar, who’s been shooting at a great clip all year. 

Melbourne’s fourth straight three was dropped in by their most prolific three-point shooter, as Cole Anthony hit the toughest of fadeaway threes with a foul, for a four point trip down the floor. 

Despite Melbourne’s electric shooting, Sydney’s offence was matching them each step of the way. By the midway point of the first quarter, after another Waardenburg three, Melbourne only had an 18-17 lead.

Even as the game’s pace slowed, the scoring stayed on the outside, as Josh Oduro knocked down his first score of the game, and his first three-pointer in the NBL, to open the flood gates for his offensive game. 

A three pointer off glass from Tom Wilson, and a classic display of interior dominance for two from Oduro, meant the score was still in the home team's favour after a slow stretch, but only slightly. 

As the clock ticked down for the final seconds of the first, Anthony isolated, drove left and hit a tough floater at the buzzer which, after a score from Sydney on the other end, snatched back the momentum and gave his team a 32-31 lead going into the break.

Melbourne put on a jumpshooting clinic in the first quarter, knocking down seven of their nine attempts from three point range, taking advantage of Sydney’s defensive weakness early. 

Anthony’s midrange game kicked off the second for United, as the star recruit knocked down a signature baseline fadeaway for two points. 

A slow couple of minutes, in which Sydney made some tough shots, left Melbourne down four, a lead they quickly ate into, as Shea Ili swished a corner three to kill any chance of a run by the Kings. 

A pair of scoring drives in quick succession, big and small, from Waardenburg and Anthony, brought the duo into double figures scoring each, and swung the score back in United’s favour; 42-41 with six minutes left in the half. 

After a small Sydney run changed the lead again; Anthony, in one of his most efficient first halves of the season, knocked down a step-back three to tie up the scores off a between the legs dribble that had his defender stuck in mud. 

The half came to a close with a flurry of field goals from the home team; Two strong drives from Travers, a steal and score from Ingles, and a nasty combination of dribble moves into a baseline midrange for Anthony, meant Melbourne had their biggest lead of the game, up 56-51 to end the half. 

The third quarter started as it so often does, with a clinical move and score in the post from “The Opener” Oduro to extend Melbourne’s lead early. 

Effort on the offensive glass on the following possession left Machar wide open for another three, which he knocked down for his second bucket of the game. 

Two looks at the ring, and a string of elite defensive possessions meant that United had ballooned their lead to 12 just over two minutes into the quarter, forcing the opposition into a timeout. 

Melbourne’s urgency and desperation was palpable, as they continued not to settle for tough looks. For his sixth point of the quarter, Oduro took to the post again, muscling his defender under the ring and putting in an easy jump hook. 

Then, off a Kings miss, Travers got back out in the open court for a slick dunk through contact that blew the roof off of John Cain. 

Midway through the third, off a Fabian Krslovic steal on defence, Ili knocked down another three to give United a healthy 75-59 lead. 

Despite Melbourne’s scoring slowing to close the third, they didn’t let up defensively, conceding only three points in the last three minutes of the period. 

As the buzzer sounded to end the quarter, Melbourne had a 77-64 lead, an advantage built off the back of Oduro’s excellent play inside, who had 8 points in the period and proved too much for the Sydney defence. 

Oduro got the first two buckets of crunch time, both off Ingles passes deep into the paint. The scores gave him 23 points with eight and a half minutes to play in the game; a season high for the big-man and his fifth 20 point game of the year. 

Perhaps Melbourne’s best offensive set of the game came next, as United went inside-out, and back inside again for another Travers slam off a slick bounce pass from Anthony.

A quick run from Sydney cut their deficit to single digits, but Melbourne kept fighting back. Midway through the fourth, after another strong move to the ring and bucket from Travers, and a set of free throws for Anthony, United had a 90-79 lead. 

The imports, in an excellent display on both ends, sent shockwaves through the home crowd. First, Anthony swatted away a jumpshot attempt from Sydney’s Kendric Davis, hustled for the rebound and got Oduro open off a pick and roll for another finish at the ring. 

The next three trips down the floor were straight dominance from Anthony. The guard knocked down a tough layup through contact, and a pair of clutch jumpers that gave United a 13 point lead with two minutes left, and him 30 points for the contest. 

With just over a minute left, United veterans Luke Travers, and the irreplicable Shea Ili, made the win inevitable for Melbourne. 

Travers caught a risky pass and turned it into a score, and Ili, as he’s done so many times before, stripped the opposition, sprinted down the other end, and knocked down two free-throws to ice the game, making himself United’s second all-time leading scorer in the process. 

Melbourne United finished the game with poise, and off the back of an epic combined 57 points from Oduro and Anthony, walked away with a 105-95 win over the reigning champs in their best performance of the year. 

The win brings United’s season record to 4-5 and gives the boys in blue an opportunity to get their record into the positive in round seven’s double-header.

First, they fly up north to take on the Cairns Taipans as the away side at 7:30pm on Saturday the 31st of October. 

They then take the floor as the home side against the New Zealand Breakers for NBL Rookie Round, the night before Melbourne Cup Day, on Monday the 2nd of November at 7:30pm.

Get your tickets to their home matchup here via AXS. 

Saturday’s Matchup against Cairns will be available to watch on 9GO or 9NOW

Both games will be available to watch on ESPN via Kayo or Disney+.

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