WWAG Match Recap: NBL23 Round 10, Game 1 v Brisbane Bullets

Written by Melbourne United Media

Melbourne United have come up with a crucial win over the Brisbane Bullets on Saturday evening at John Cain Arena.

With Shea Ili back in the lineup, United’s energy seemed to lift significantly, with a David Okwera offensive rebound leading to a Marcus Lee layup on the opening possession.

The excitement only rose from there, as Rayjon Tucker scored Melbourne’s next bucket with a ferocious dunk after zipping past Aron Baynes.

Ili then got himself involved in the scoring burst, adding five points in the opening two minutes to give United a 9-2 advantage.

While Brisbane fought back, Melbourne looked unwilling to relinquish their lead, with nearly every player for the home side finding the bottom of the net in the first period to lead United to a 28-23 lead after 10 minutes.

 This energy persisted to start the second term, as Ili stole the ball from the Bullets before feeding Chris Goulding for his second three of the game.

Melbourne kept the pressure on for much of the quarter, leading by as many as 13 points thanks in part to Marcus Lee, who scored efficiently on his looks (11 points, 5-7 shooting).

Many of United’s scoring plays came on the back of slick passing, with the home side recording 13 assists on 19 made baskets.

A late push from Brisbane allowed the visitors to close the gap slightly, with Melbourne taking a nine-point advantage into the major break.

Despite holding the lead, United struggled out coming out of half-time, going scoreless for nearly four minutes before Chris Goulding splashed a huge three-pointer.

This seemed to wake up Melbourne, with the home side picking up the intensity on both ends.

Xavier Rathan-Mayes and CG43 each came up with important defensive plays leading to scores for United before Shea Ili beat the buzzer to help give United an eight-point buffer leading into the final 10 minutes.

 With the game in the balance, Melbourne’s stars shined bright.

Tucker scored United’s first five points of the term, giving the home side momentum the Bullets simply couldn’t stop.

It was a three-point party across the final term, as CG43 sunk his fifth and sixth triples, before Brad Newley put the game away with a long-range make of his own.

Perhaps the most exciting moment of the game came with 90 seconds to go, as Cal Dalton entered the game for the first time since tearing his ACL last season.

In one of his first plays back, the ball swung to Cal at the top of the three-point arc, leading him to cash in a silky-smooth three-ball, sending United’s bench, and the entire arena, into a frenzy.

Dalton’s three sealed the deal for Melbourne’s 104-88 victory, breaking United’s five-game losing streak.

United’s next game will come on Monday evening when they face the Perth Wildcats at RAC Arena from 9:30pm AEDT.

The game will be streamed live on ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel.