Melbourne United has added to the Brisbane Bullets’ woes, while the surging Adelaide 36ers’ charge to the NBL playoffs continued. Check out Sunday’s NBL wrap.
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MELBOURNE UNITED def BRISBANE BULLETS 115-88
The Brisbane Bullets will not feature in the 2025 NBL post-season after league-leaders Melbourne United booted them from playoff contention with a comprehensive routing at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
Bullets fans, players and coaching staff will be left to wonder what could have been after the injury-ridden club crashed further down to earth with the 115-88 loss spelling wraps for their 2024-25 campaign.
With key forwards Josh Bannan, Tyrell Harrison and Rocco Zikarsky and elite guard James Batemon among those out injured for the home side, United took advantage of the glaring chinks in Brisbane’s armour.
It took just 10 minutes before the visitors piled on the pain in a fine display of shooting (53% FG), athleticism and execution.
The visitors’ dominance was evident from the outset, with Matt Dellavedova orchestrating the offence (6 assists), Ian Clark lighting it up from beyond the arc (24pts, 5-13 on three-pointers), and Melbourne’s clear size advantage making life difficult for the Bullets.
At quarter time the scores were level at 26-all. Quickly, in front of a packed house, the title contenders showed who was boss in their seventh straight game on the road – five of which they’ve won.
Talk about hitting your straps at the right time.
Second quarter woes
United ran all over Brisbane in the second quarter to establish a healthy 21-point lead heading into the second half (61-40).
Brisbane never recovered.
Chris Goulding was on a heater, ‘Delly’ was dishing out dimes left, right and centre, Jack White was cutting to the cup with force and always loomed a menace in transition.
Melbourne’s championship pedigree was on show for all who filed into the BEC for one last time this season.
“It has been amazing. A new arena for us, a new home. It was a lot of firsts for us this year … the BEC has been amazing to us. We are excited for what’s building,” Brisbane captain Mitch Norton said.
The visitors reeled in 21 rebounds to Brisbane’s 15 in the first half and tightened the screws on defence to force the Bullets into tough shots. United forced a costly six turnovers from Brisbane in the second to have them reeling with one half left to play.
The home side then trailed by as many as 31 (95-64) at the start of the fourth and the silence was loud as United continued to fire on all cylinders.
In the process of shutting out Brisbane’s main man Casey Prather (15 points), United snared top spot on the ladder.
The big win also keeps Melbourne in the box seat to finish at least second, which would guarantee a playoff berth.
Marcus Lee stands out
United forward Marcus Lee was a standout offering quality over quantity in his short time on the court. The athletic big man stunned the crowd with two thunderous dunks in the first half. His energy was contagious and United fed off his rim rattling jam over Callum Dalton to mount a 35-14 second quarter and 26-21 third quarter showing.
He almost had a third poster, this time on Tohi Smith-Milner but he was fouled in the process. What a finish it would have been for the 211cm American with springs under him.
Lee’s vertical leap was only overshadowed by Ian Clarke’s 9-0 individual scoring spurt in the second half that nailed the coffin shut and 36-year-old Chris Goulding, who wound back the clock with a stunning slam dunk in the third.
“Hang on! Hang on a minute,” Aussie legend Andrew Gaze said in ESPN commentary.
Clark joked Goulding was now “going to bring it (the dunk) up everyday”, while coach Dean Vickerman added: “Hopefully that inspires him (Dellavedova) to get one.
“It was good to see CJ smash one down.”
Clark said he drew confidence from his 16- point game against Perth on Wednesday.
“I hold myself to a high standard because I try to work really hard. You never want to let those guys down (guys in the locker room),” Clark said.
“To come out and have a game today is not really about me; it’s a product of how we’re all playing.
“We got some selfless guys who make plays for each other. It is fun playing it that way.”
Schueller’s optimism moving forward
If losing in-form forward Josh Bannan (concussion) wasn’t bad enough already for Brisbane, the home side had to find a way without three-point specialist Keandre Cook, who missed the entire second half.
Cook dropped 26 points in Friday’s win against the Breakers but experienced chest pains which forced him to the locker room when the game was in the balance.
“We are concerned but know he is in good hands right now. We will know in time what that looks like,” Brisbane coach Justin Schueller said of Cook, who was taken to Hospital.
Although Brisbane’s playoff hopes are gone, Schueller is still optimistic that the squad could challenge for the playoffs next year, if they have a better run with injuries.
“We have a vision of where we want this club to go. We are all impatient. Right now, that’s where I can’t handle things going against us,” he said.
“We are very confident in the forward steps we are taking. I love this group …. We are not dead yet.
“It’s the big what if in my mind. What could this group look like if they were at full strength? We have had to change and move so many parts this year.”
Adelaide and Brisbane make finals push | 01:24
ADELAIDE 36ERS def NEW ZEALAND BRAKERS 94-78
The surging Adelaide 36ers’ charge to the NBL playoffs continued against the New Zealand Breakers, Montrezl Harrell celebrating his birthday in fine style and Kendric Davis pushing his MVP case in a pulsating 16-point win.
Fiery fan favourite Harrell turned 31 on Sunday and blew out the candles with a typically entertaining, game-high 26 points and eight rebounds, while Davis continued a rich vein of form with 23 points and an NBL season-high 13 assists in front of yet another sellout crowd at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
Adelaide never trailed and led by as much as 28 points across the first three quarters, with that lead whittled down to 21 entering the final term, the Sixers cruising to the win with the home fans backing in their man Davis with a spirited “MVP! MVP!” chant.
The result was the Sixers’ sixth win from their past eight games, strengthening their hold on sixth spot on the ladder with a 13-13 record that looked unlikely as their season, marred by suspensions, injuries and internal discord, threatened to spiral out of control at 7-11.
“I think that this team is in a completely different place,” coach Mike Wells said.
“I think this has been one of the toughest stretches that anyone has had to play.
“So, credit to our guys … our level of communication and organisation and attention to detail on the defensive end is night-and-day different.
“Those guys are talking, saying the right things, and everything that we’ve done has been on the defensive end, to be honest with you.”
With star guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright out injured, the Breakers struggled mightily on offence, Mojave King the only New Zealand player with double-figure points after three quarters, finishing with a team-high 20.
DJ ties the 3-point record | 02:15
Birthday blue
Things got heated just two minutes into the game when Jonah Bolden and Harrell clashed.
There was plenty of barking between the two after Bolden was called for a foul on Harrell, but the situation escalated when Bolden put Harrell on the floor as he cut to the basket soon after.
With memories of Harrell’s suspension for his part in the ugly scenes against Melbourne United still fresh, hearts were in mouths when the fiery import jumped up and charged at Bolden.
But the birthday boy only shoved his opponent, with coach Wells among the Sixers quick to defuse the situation.
Adelaide led 4-3 when the push-and-shove kicked off and went on an 8-0 run with the roaring crowd in full voice.
The pair clashed again late in the second quarter when Bolden was called for an offensive foul when he caught Harrell with an errant arm as he drove to the basket.
Harrell collapsed to the floor, but was able to head to the locker room for treatment and played the second half with a plaster over his left eye.
Long-range NZ
The Sixers shot at 61 per cent from the floor and led 27-15 at the first break, with all of the visitors’ points coming from long range.
Unable to get anything going inside, the Breakers shot 5-from-11 from three-point range in the first quarter.
They kept up the long-range barrage in the second, but were just 7-from-24 at halftime, with Adelaide 4-from-9 in response.
The visitors threw up 43 attempts from long range in the game and made 15 of them at 34 per cent, with the 36ers 8-from-20 from outside the arc.
— NCA NewsWire
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