NBL22: SEM Phoenix beaten by United in front of raucous Melbourne crowd

An insane atmosphere greeted the two Melbourne teams in the latest Throwdown as a raucous crowd watched Chris Goulding put the Phoenix away.

Michael Randall

5 min read

March 13, 2022 - 6:00PM

NCA NewsWire

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No NBL game in Melbourne has been lit up with an atmosphere quite as electric in season 2021-22.

The stakes were high, the fans raucous and the play enthralling as Chris Goulding’s late heroics gave United a come-from-behind win over Phoenix in front of the second-biggest crowd to attend a basketball game in Melbourne this season.

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The 8319 in attendance felt equal parts Phoenix and Melbourne, and it might have been strange for United players to hear boos on the John Cain Arena court they have made their own across two NBL title-winning seasons since 2018.

Every bucket from both teams was met with a roar. Every defensive play drew oohs and aahs.

And deservedly so — this was Aussie basketball at its very best.

Chris Goulding had a brilliant last quarter in front of a huge crowd at John Cain Arena. Picture: Getty Images

United captain Chris Goulding paid tribute to the huge crowd.

“When we ran out, the boos from the Phoenix fans, the cheers from ours, it was a really good mix,” Goulding said.

“We had a lot of fans here tonight, we thank them for coming out, they made up a big portion of the crowd, they were great.

“It was a good atmosphere and a big crowd and a loud crowd and it’s what you want to play in front of.”

The first quarter was the equal highest scoring of the NBL season, Phoenix going in to the break with a one-point lead, 30-29, the big plays coming thick and fast.

Mitch Creek was on fire with 10 for the quarter. Matthew Dellavedova had eight himself.

Zhou Qi brought the house down when the spider-like big man caught the ball on the run and rocked the rim with a two-handed jam as the Phoenix flexed their muscle.

Zhou Qi with the big two-handed jam. Picture: Getty Images

Shea Ili and Mason Peatling gave United spark, getting to the line and hitting from deep as the team in white launched a barrage — hitting seven treys in the first.

Teenage wunderkind Ariel Hukporti checked in and threw down a ferocious tip jam that left the crowd stunned.

The first few minutes of the second quarter were played at absolute breakneck speed, both teams having a competition to see who could get up the floor the quickest. The only breather in the first two-and-a-half minutes was when Qi put it on the floor and helped himself to a nice and-1 on Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. He went back up the other end and sent the United big man’s effort back at the other end.

Broekhoff got the shooters roll to give the Phoenix their biggest lead — six points. United fought back, though, Goulding finishing a ridiculous prayer in the lane with Kyle Adnam draped all over him and adding a free throw.

A Delly three as the clock expired on the half put the exclamation point on the United fightback, giving them a five-point lead 54-49.

Ryan Broekhoff suffered a shoulder injury. Picture: Getty Images

Mummified Mason Peatling hit a huge three for United. Picture: Getty Images

Both teams were in the wars in the second quarter as Broekhoff went to the medical room with a suspected shoulder injury, Lual-Acuil Jr left the court proppy after a knock to the knee and Peatling did his best impersonation of a character out of a Brendan Fraser movie, looking a bit like a mummy with some heavy strapping around his head after suffering a cut to the chin.

Phoenix used the long break to reload and came out scorching with a 9-0 run which quickly flipped a deficit to a lead. United coach Dean Vickerman played big men Lual-Acuil Jr and Hukporti together and an audacious Creek ran the ball up the floor and splashed a three in the former’s face to help the Phoenix to a 73-66 three-quarter-time lead.

In the last, Creek shrugged his shoulders after he made the most of a broken play in the middle of the lane with a baby hook that touched nothing but net — an indicator of how much the Phoenix star was feeling it — but winced as he appeared to tweak an ankle.

Mitch Creek was a big problem for the United defence. Picture: Getty Images

There was a heart-in-mouth moment at the other end when Lual-Acuil Jr fell hard on Goulding during a rebounding contest and stayed down for a little while. Fortunately, they were both OK.

The lid came off for United’s talisman Goulding in the last as he potted a pair of threes and his side roared back into the game.

It reached boiling point when Dellavedova’s three capped off a 9-0 United run made it 85-all with 3.13 to go.

Time-out, Phoenix.

United went ahead on a Goulding put back, then Xavier Munford took the lead straight back with a three.

Goulding shot the lights out late. Picture: Getty Images

Ili then got into the teeth of the defence to put United up one with two minutes left. Clutch Ili’s step back made it three points before Munford answered again with a pair of free throws

But Goulding made a trademark three from the carpark with a minute to go and the Phoenix faded out.

Creek — with a game-high 27 points — was then ejected after pairing his technical foul with an earlier unsportsmanlike foul, and, while Goulding missed the free throw, Jack White made a pair to kill off the game.

The guard battle was brilliant. Dellavedova led United’s scoring, Ili had 19 off the bench and Xavier Munford’s 24 was a feature for Phoenix. Equally fun was the big man battle. Both Qi and Lual-Acuil Jr ate glass, the former grabbing 12 boards, the latter 15 as each registered double-doubles.

John Cain Arena is still United’s house for now but, if this was an NBL Grand Final preview, sign us all up.

Matthew Dellavedova and that jumpshot. Picture: Getty Images

Dell-icious

Not a game goes by that someone doesn’t tweet about Delly’s ‘ugly’ jumpshot. They’re not wrong, it ain’t pretty, but it works. The ex-NBA man was the most important cog for United, handling the bulk of the playmaking duties and taking it upon himself to provide the offensive punch. He drained four of his eight three-point tries on his way to 22 points.

Taking fandom to another level

A bloke seated behind the backboard in a hot pink suit might have provided the off-court highlight of the night. In the third quarter, he stripped down to his Phoenix-coloured bright green jocks as poor Caleb Agada took a pair of free throws. The histrionics were rather amusing as Agada missed the first and the fan was carried out of the arena by the Phoenix’s Bird Man mascot.