NBL GAME PREVIEW: South East Melbourne Phoenix V Melbourne United

South East Melbourne Phoenix V Melbourne United

In what will be the first instalment of the Throwdown in NBL25, this is a contest that will have it all and kick Rpund 2 off in an exciting way. South East Melbourne Phoenix come into this game with a loss after falling short to the Perth Wildcats at hoopsfest in what showed the NBL world that they are a team to watch. Whilst on the other side of the story, Melbourne United got their revenge on the Tasmania JackJumpers in what was an exciting game. All roads now lead to a packed out John Cain Arena in what will be an intriguing matchup in the Throwdown.

The Matchups That Matter

The most crucial matchups on the court will be the guard combos of each team going at each other. The Phoenix will have Derek Walton Jr and Nathan Sobey, whilst United will have Matthew Dellavedova and Shae Illi. The Phoenix combo combined for 26 points in their first matchup where as the United combo combined for 35 points and were better on the defensive end as well. If the Phoenix are to be limited by both of Melbournes guard this is going to be a crucial matchup for them to win this match.

The other matchup that will be interest will be the Jordan Hunter and Matt Hurt matchup against Rob Loe and Marcus Lee. Whilst Melbournes big men are better defensively the Phoenix big man were a masssive reason as to why they scored 54 points in the paint in Round 1. If the Phoenix get a very similar production from their big men this game, it may smell trouble for United.

Why South East Melbourne Phoenix Win

After coming up against the Perth Wildcats it’s obvious that this team is all offence and not much defence. They scored 98 points in their first game of the season which is the 4th best average of the season so far, but did allow a league worst 106 points to the Wildcats. When looking at this matchup in particular, the Phoenix at this stage have the second best points in the paint rank in the NBL with an average of 54 points. This could challenge the United forwards and centres in this matchup.

When we look to some recent history, the Phoenix have started red hot in their past 5 seasons winning every single home opener in those seasons. They are the home team in this matchup and will this form of history repeat itself or will the streak be broken on Thursday night. They are notorious slow starters though and have lost 14 of their last 15 first halves and against the Wildcats were down 53-44. They will need to get it going early against United due to how good they are on the defensive side of the court.

The biggest question will be can the Phoenix have a solid start to the game and get their way in the paint to be able to get some quick and easy points down below.

Why Melbourne United Win

Melbourne United have been nearly the staple of the NBL over the past 5 season with their consistency and ability to continue to rock up season after season. They have again started this season as one of the best defensive teams in the NBL currently ranking as the second best defensive team in the NBL. They rank second in defensive rating with a rating of 100.8 and allowed the second least amount of points with them allowing 79 points in Round 1.

If they can slow down the fast paced and offensively minded Phoenix on offence this will go a long way to winning this matchup. United come into this game with a 5 game winning streak against the little brothers the Phoenix and in overall games against each other, United are leading the matchups 17-7. United will have to move the ball around to take the most efficient shots that they can get as the Phoenix do allow you open shots like we saw against the Wildcats allowing them to shoot 40% from 3 point territory. If this is to repeat this game we could see Melbourne pull away as the veteran savvy team does always find the extra pass and open scorer which allows them to score so efficiently.

For Melbourne to win this game it will be important to elimate the points in the paint for the Phoenix and not allow them to get out in transition and get up quick shots as they play with a very fast pace. This is going to be a very tough and physical matchup as United look to extend their 5 game winning streak at John Cain Arena.

Key Stats For This Matchup

• South East Melbourne has lost the first half in 14 of its last 15 games.

• Melbourne has won each of its last five games against South East Melbourne.

• South East Melbourne has failed to cover the line in six of its last seven home games.

• Six of the last seven matches between South East Melbourne and Melbourne have gone UNDER the total match points line.

• Matthew Dellavedova has recorded 4+ assists in 19 consecutive appearances - longest active streak of any player in the league.