Preview: Round 4 Game 2 v Brisbane Bullets

Melbourne United will be looking to make it five wins in a row to start the season when they face the Perth Wildcats on Sunday afternoon at Bendigo Basketball Stadium.

After a thrilling win over the Bullets in Brisbane on Friday night, in which Chris Goulding caught fire and drained seven triples, United face the defending Champions in what will be a star-studded match up.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. provided plenty of excitement last year in his first season with Melbourne United, but his improvement in 2021 has been impressive to say the least.

Averaging just shy of a double-double with 11.3 points and 9 rebounds per game, Lual-Acuil Jr. has shown his ability to shoulder a large offensive load when he’s on the floor. He can score in a variety of ways and when he’s in the paint, Lual-Acuil Jr. presents a real headache for opposition big men.

On Friday night in Brisbane, Lual-Acuil Jr. was vital in the first half when United was struggling to score. He came out firing and scored 11 points in an eight-minute stretch that kept Melbourne in the game.

Lual-Acuil Jr. isn’t afraid to get his shots up and he plays an important role in taking some of the scoring focus off the likes of Chris Goulding and Jock Landale.

KEY MATCH UP

Bryce Cotton (29.5 points, 6.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game) is the league’s leading scorer and he’s certainly hit some clutch shots against United over the years. He’s at the centre of everything that Perth does and Melbourne’s guards will have their hands full.

As we know, United possess one of the premier defensive guards in the league; Mitch McCarron. He is a relentless agitator; not allowing the opposing guard any time or space.

While his work on the defensive end of the court will be vital, he will need to stay involved on offence to ensure Cotton can’t take plays off when he’s on defence.

In the Round 3 win over South East Melbourne, McCarron found his offensive groove, dishing out a team-high 6 assists and scoring 8 points. He followed that up with another great performance against the Bullets, finishing with 10 points and 8 assists.

THE OTHER GUYS

Having only played two games so far this season, the Perth Wildcats are a difficult team to gauge this early in the season. Having said that, Perth is always a threat and you can never count them out.

Currently sitting at 1-1, Perth have played two home games both against South East Melbourne and won the first encounter 88-76, before falling in dramatic fashion in the second game, 90-89. A Jesse Wagstaff lay-up attempt at the buzzer would’ve given the Wildcats the win, but it wasn’t to be.

As they have been for years now, the Wildcats are led by their superstar guard Bryce Cotton. He’s Perth’s go-to man and demands a lot of attention, but there are others who are extremely dangerous too.

Big man import John Mooney has been massive in Perth’s first two games, averaging 16 points, 13.5 rebounds and shooting 60% from the field. After a couple of seasons with the Hawks, sharp-shooter Todd Blanchfield made the move to Perth in the off-season and he’s a key piece of their puzzle, averaging 13.5 points and 6 rebounds per game.

GAME INFO

Who: Melbourne United v Perth Wildcats.
Tip off: 5:00pm (AEDT), Sunday 7 February.
Where: Bendigo Basketball Stadium, Bendigo.
Watch: SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand.

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