NBL22: Melbourne United come from behind to deny South East Melbourne Phoenix in Throwdown
It was another insane Throwdown between the NBL’s fierce Melbourne rivals, but only one could emerge victorious, and it was United over the Phoenix in a thriller.
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A captivating last quarter three-point party has ignited another edge-of-your seat Melbourne Throwdown.
It was a shame there could only be one winner, because both teams deserved it as they traded an insane seven makes from deep in a three-minute stretch that scorched the John Cain Arena nets.
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In the end, though, it was the ladder leaders who came away with the narrowest of wins, 90-88.
A Jo Lual-Acuil Jr dunk with 28.5 seconds left proved decisive, with Zhou Qi and then Kyle Adnam missing chances to end Phoenix’s trend of coughing up games they should have won.
Sometimes, it’s just not your year.
South East Melbourne led by double digits in the third quarter but execution, as it so often has through a streak that has now become seven losses in their past eight games, deserted them as United ran over the top.
Even an Xavier Munford Hail Mary at the buzzer looked good for a moment, but it wasn’t to be.
Mathematically, the Phoenix can still make the four, but a season that promised so much is all but over.
On the other side, United made it three wins in a row in the Throwdown and showed the steel that will fortify them on an NBL finals run that they will hope ends in a back-to-back championships.
The freakish Chris Goulding lit it up after halftime with 14 points, including four key treys, on his way to an equal game-high 20 points.
“We spoke before the game about them having nothing to lose and in desperation mode and so are we, because we’ve got plans for where we want to finish,” Goulding said after his last-quarter heroics.
“Credit to them, they went on some good runs, they made some big plays and I just love the way that we knuckled down and relied on our defence once again to allow us to get out and run and hit some shots.
“That’s a good result for us against them.”
United coach Dean Vickerman paid tribute to his captain.
“We were really good and played the way we wanted to play in short periods today and they were able to counter it with their own runs,” Vickerman said.
“Defensively I thought we got into their guards, drove them down hill, had shotblockers at the rim, challenged, rebounded well, did all those things that we needed to do and then you need to come up with some plays at the offensive end.
“When we needed a bucket tonight, CG made some huge plays for us and the team did a good job of getting him in his spots.”
Goulding’s athletic running mate Jack White added 14 as he continued his hyper-aggressive starts to games.
Qi and Lual-Acuil Jr went at it in the nosebleeds. The Chinese centre scored Phoenix’s first six points and had 17 for the game, while his United opponent had a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double.
For the Phoenix, the disappointment was palpable, after a fired up Mitch Creek put in 20 of his own, while Munford (14), Adnam (12) and Te Rangi (10) all had moments.
Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell said his team battled hard, but the same issues reared their head down the stretch.
“It’s the same story — turnovers, giving up o-boards, second-chance points, same story every game,” Mitchell said.
“We’re busting our arse trying to get this right, but it’s not working for us.
“I thought the effort was there tonight, I thought the guys scrapped, but we’ve got to be composed, we’ve got to be able to execute under duress — and we aren’t.”
Both teams have short turnarounds and will be in action again Sunday, United off to the tropics to face Cairns, with Phoenix heading regional to Bendigo for a date with New Zealand.
LIKE A FOX
Teenage Phoenix guard Owen Foxwell was injected into the game in the first quarter and the highly-touted baby-faced assassin had an immediate impact, draining a corner three, before then getting to the free throw line. The Bulleen native waived his commercial rights in the NBL to ensure he is eligible for college in the US — and it’s a good thing he did, because there are NCAA schools sniffing around the Aussie junior representative.
DB 200
United’s father figure David Barlow marked game number 200 with the club, bringing his total number to 359 (159 with Sydney Kings and Melbourne Tigers). He is the only player on the roster to feature in its first game as an entity. The 38-year-old is a flat out winner — his teams have appeared in eight grand finals and he’s won five titles in his 13 years in the NBL. He might be one of the game’s most fastidious — plenty of prep goes into ensuring his chiselled frame is in tip-top shape.
DEPLETED PHOENIX
Cam Gliddon was a notable absentee from Phoenix training on Wednesday and it was revealed before the game that he was suffering from a bout of gastro. He was replaced in the team by development player Koen Sapwell. One man who did look good at training was Ryan Broekhoff. He was close to taking the court, but Phoenix medicos decided not to risk his injured shoulder after detecting a little instability in the joint.
SCOREBOARD
South East Melbourne Phoenix 88-90 Melbourne United
Crowd: 4167
Phoenix
Creek: 20 points
Qi: 17 points, 7 rebounds
Munford: 14 points
United
Goulding: 20 points
White: 14 points
Lual-Acuil Jr: 13 points, 11 rebounds
Originally published as NBL22: Melbourne United come from behind to deny South East Melbourne Phoenix in Throwdown
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