NBL27 Preview - Round 6 Game 2 vs Sydney Kings

Following Friday night's thriller, Melbourne United have little time to rest, as they face the reigning champion Sydney Kings at home in their annual Multicultural Game inside John Cain Arena this Sunday. 

The matchup will be their second game of round six and will be another opportunity for United to get their first win at home this season.

WHAT’S THE WORD? 

Following Friday’s close loss, Head Coach Jacob Chance spoke on the excitement surrounding the Multicultural Game and the mindset of his club moving forward. 

“[It’s a] huge game for our club,” Chance said. 

“We had grassroots last week, multicultural this week, [it’s] exciting for our guys to go out and represent the different cultures and heritages that we have throughout our group.

“For us it's about [keeping] moving forward. How do we keep stringing good, productive quarters of basketball together? We've got a great challenge with a good team coming into our gym on Sunday, so we'll be ready for it.”

Luke Travers, who dominated in his homecoming against the Wildcats, spoke on his approach and attitude towards Sydney following Friday’s matchup.

“It's going to be another fun atmosphere. We've played a lot of fun games so far this year and [Sydney’s] going to be right at the top,” Travers said.

“We have to match for urgency. They're coming off a championship, we know it's going to be tough and I'm sure the boys are looking forward to it as well.”

WHO’S HOT? WHO’S NOT? 

Despite another loss in Perth, and a 3-5 record on the year, United traveled back home with a +11 total margin in all their games combined this year. 

This is partly due to our massive blowout of the South East Melbourne Phoenix in round two, but it is also because Melbourne has lost four games by two points or less already this season. 

United’s competitiveness against every team in the comp this year is clear, and to ensure that those contests turn into wins, they will undoubtedly be looking to swing the pendulum back in their favour in these late game situations going ahead, especially against the Kings. 

Against the Wildcats, Luke Travers was sensational. The Perth local was damaging on all fronts as he put together a 26-9-5 masterclass, while shooting 58% from the field and turning the ball over only once. 

If Travers keeps in the excellent form he’s been in, United will have a great chance to take down the champs. 

The margins against Perth were razor thin in all categories, but if there’s one aspect of play that United consistently needs to clean up, it’s turning the ball over. 

The boys currently lead the league in turnovers per game at 13.8, with a lot of them being unforced. With such a new look roster, these growing pains are bound to happen, but if they stand a chance against Kings, United will have to be more diligent when it comes to protecting their possessions. 

The Kings are 5-2 in NBL27, and have the most prolific offence in the league scoring 102 points per game.

Those two stats speak to their success as a team, but individually, their stars are having equally impressive years. 

Kendric Davis, despite shooting relatively poorly by his standards to start the season, is having another elite, MVP calibre campaign. The reigning NBL Finals MVP is averaging 22.9 points and 8.4 assists per game as the offensive engine for the Kings.

Thus far this year, he has been near impossible to slow down, and if United want to win on Sunday, they will have to be locked in on him defensively. 

If the Kings have any weakness to exploit, it’s their three-point defence. Currently they concede the most three-point attempts and makes per game of anyone in the league. 

It could be argued that this is because they are so good at keeping people out of the paint that teams have been punting on making a lot of bad shots; but when Sydney has lost this season, the opposition have shot well from deep; the 36ers and Breakers making 17 and 15 threes respectively. 

If United want to take advantage of Sydney’s shortcomings, they’re going to have to take, and make, a lot of shots from outside the arc. 

DETAILS 

Who: Melbourne United v Sydney Kings

Tip-off: 5:00pm AEST, Sunday October 25, 2026

Where: John Cain Arena, Melbourne

Watch: ESPN via Disney+ and Kayo

Tickets: Here via AXS

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