Melbourne United had to draw a line in the sand.
United could not afford to enter the NBL play-in tournament with question marks hovering over their validity after such a barren stretch of results since going 9-0 to start the season.
Watch live coverage of NBL and WNBL 2025-26 seasons with ESPN on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
It was the really good version of United on show for most of a 95-91 win over crosstown rivals South East Melbourne Phoenix in a Throwdown classic with huge implications at John Cain Arena on Thursday night.
The result means the Sydney Kings and Adelaide 36ers are locked into the top two and will each have home court advantage in a semi-finals series.
The Phoenix will finish 3rd and host either the Perth Wildcats (if they beat the 36ers on Friday night, or lose by a small margin) or United (if the Wildcats are well beaten) in the Seeding Qualifier, with a semi-final spot on the line.
Either the Wildcats or United will host the Tasmania JackJumpers in the Play-In Qualifier (5th vs 6th), with the Seeding Qualifier loser and Play-In Qualifier winner to face off for the final semi-final berth.
There was a patience and certainty about United on offence that has not been apparent for weeks.
Their defence was up in the face of Phoenix players and the fans appreciated the effort with chants of “Melbourne” raining down as United took a 16-point lead midway through the third quarter.
The energy was up in the United camp.
Never say die
But this Phoenix team plays with a grit like no other that United has faced in Throwdown history.
It only needs to see a glimmer of light through the door to force it wide open.
United let their guard down for a mere four-and-a-half minutes late in the third quarter and Phoenix went on a stupendous 19-0 run to take the lead.
Phoenix’s MVP candidate Nathan Sobey was the catalyst.
The veteran guard had a game-high 29 points on 9/15 shooting, including 5/8 from three, to go with seven rebounds.
Forward Wes Iwundu (17 points) and super sub Ian Clark (14) showed up late for Phoenix to make it a thrilling end.
Are United back?
But this was the night United stood up and reminded everyone of their threat.
United’s big three of Milton Doyle, Tyson Walker and Chris Goulding played starring roles.
Walker was the ever present with 23 points, including 5/10 from three, and five assists.
The American import is relishing his chance to lead United with guard Shea Ili out with a hamstring.
Dominant Doyle
The key development for United was the commanding performance of Doyle.
Doyle arrived at United with a reputation as a closer and he did just that to topple Phoenix with a team-high 25 points, including 5/12 from three.
The former Tasmanian JackJumper scored the game-sealing free throws in the fourth when Phoenix closed to within two in the dying seconds.
Sobey had a chance to level the scores late, but his floater fell short, giving Doyle the chance to ice the game from the line.
Melbourne United 95 (Doyle 25 Walker 23) d South East Melbourne Phoenix 91 (Sobey 29 Iwundu 17)
At John Cain Arena, Melbourne
Kings cook Cats to go top of NBL | 01:27
BREAKERS GO BIG IN IGNITE CUP FINAL WARM-UP
– Max Hatzoglou
New Zealand Breakers star forward Sam Mennenga fired a career-high 32 points on return from injury to help lift his side to a comfortable 115-84 win over Cairns Taipans ahead of a big Ignite Cup final.
After a tight start at Eventfinda Stadium on Thursday, the Breakers jumped out to a 17-point advantage at half time with Mennenga knocking down 17 to the main break.
The Breakers extended their lead to 22 points at three-quarter time before cruising home for a 31-point win.
Mennenga shot 15 of 19 from the field and registered nine rebounds in his first game back from a fractured wrist injury that kept the 24-year-old out for six games.
NBL Next Star Karim Lopez also returned after three games out and put up a steady 15 points and six boards.
Coming off a close 92-89 loss to Adelaide 36ers, the Breakers bounce back to winning ways with the win to finish the season with a 13-20 record in seventh position.
The victory comes ahead of a much-anticipated inaugural Ignite Cup decider against the 36ers in the Gold Coast on Sunday where the winner takes home a share of $300,000.
Without Izaiah Brockington (hip flexor) and Tai Webster (calf), who could return for the final, the Breakers also had captain Parker Jackson-Cartwright step up with a double-double 19 points and 13 assists.
Carlin Davison notched his first NBL double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds to cap off a strong season. Rob Loe was influential with 11 points from 10 minutes, including three triples.
“I’m just proud of the group,” Breakers coach Petteri Koponen said post game.
“Everybody really gave good minutes, this is the right way to finish the season in front of our fans but at the same time, we know we got a massive opportunity on Sunday to do history and try to win something this season which is really big for us.
“We go there and try to surprise Adelaide.”
Meanwhile the Taipans, who fought early to gain a six-point lead in the second period after being five down, suffered their 24th loss of the campaign.
Import guard Andrew Andrews led the charge with a team-high 24 points. Guard Kody Stattmann had a career-high 20 points.
But the Taipans fell short as the injury-hit outfit this campaign finish their NBL26 season in ninth place.
QUIET MCVEIGH
It was a quieter game for newly re-signed forward Jack McVeigh who finished his standout campaign with a season-low six points.
But there is plenty to celebrate when it comes to the 29-year-old’s season with the NBL champion finishing with career-best averages of 21.1 PPG, 3.9 APG and 6.1 RPG.
DUNKING MENNENGA
The Breakers big showed no sign of rust coming back from injury with back-to-back dunks in the second quarter.
Mennenga later nailed another dunk in the third and finished with three assists to go with his 32 points and nine boards.
TOP BREAKERS
The Breakers have suffered from injuries this campaign with Izayah Le’Afa and Rob Baker II copping season-ending injuries and Mennenga recently missing games.
But a positive to have come from the painful blows has been the rise of big Loe and forward Davison.
The pair continued to produce promising moments on Thursday with Loe going 3/5 from three-point range and Davison shooting 7/10 from the field.
New Zealand Breakers 115 (Mennenga 32, Jackson-Cartwright 19, Lopez 15, Davison 15)
Cairns Taipans 84 (Andrews 24, Stattmann 20, Smith 13)
Discussion about this post