WWAG Match Recap: NBL23 Round 13 v Brisbane Bullets

Written by Melbourne United Media

Melbourne United have picked up an important victory in their lone game of Round 13, running away from the Brisbane Bullets on the road.

Coming off a strong performance on Christmas night, Isaac Humphires picked up right where he left off, tallying four points and a block in the opening minutes of the game.

While Humphries was playing well, GorJok Gak, who started the game for the Bullets in the place of an injured Aron Baynes, challenged him, tallying eight points of his own.

To counteract this, United started pushing the pace, which they immediately reaped the rewards of.

Rayjon Tucker found Shea Ili for a wide open triple before Marcus Lee slammed home an enormous slam off a lob from Xavier Rathan-Mayes.

Playing his first game back since sustaining a concussion in Round 11, David Barlow got himself involved, sinking a late three-pointer to close the first 10 minutes.

To begin the second term, United again looked to Humphries to create.

The big-man scored off a nifty post move for two points before finding a cutting Ili for an easy bucket.

It looked like Melbourne started to find their groove, as Rayjon Tucker skied for an alley-oop slam before swiping the ball away a few possessions later, leading to an easy layup for Chris Goulding.

Despite this, the Bullets fired back, orchestrating a 12-2 run to take a four-point lead in front of their home fans.

Luckily for United, both Tucker and Rathan-Mayes finished well at the rim to close out the term, tying up the contest at 43-43.

Looking to take control of the game, Melbourne started the third period well, capitalising on turnovers and finishing from all over the court.

A layup from CG43 capped off an 11-2 run, however even though he had missed his first eight three-point attempts of the evening, United’s captain showed everyone why he’s considered one of the most dangerous shooters in league history.

Goulding cashing in on four threes on four straight possessions, helping the visitors lead by as many as 13 points.

Brisbane were able to make a late run, closing the gap to eight points leading into the final 10 minutes.

Things looked shaky to start for Melbourne, as the Bullets promptly went on a 6-0 to cut the margin to just two points.

With the game in the balance, United showed their grit, answering back with a 13-0 run of their own to hold off the home side.

There were highlights aplenty during Melbourne’s run, with Marcus Lee nearly ripping down the rims at Nissan Arena with his powerful dunks.

A Shea Ili triple in the closing minutes was the icing on the cake for United, who will head back to Melbourne with their 10th victory of the season.

United’s next game will come on the road against the Tasmania JackJumpers on Saturday from 5.30pm AEST.