IT is hard enough to find a way to knock off Melbourne United without shooting yourself out of the game. Unfortunately for the Sydney Kings that is exactly what happened yesterday afternoon, as the visitors ran away with the contest after quarter time. Trailing by two points at the first break, United scored 58-42 in the final three quarters, including a dominant 16-9 final term. A massive reason for the drop off was the Kings’ shooting from inside the arc, running at just 27 per cent from the match, compared to United’s 51 per cent.

SHOOTING STATS:

In such a tight competition, shooting efficiency is so crucial in a match, and unfortunately for the Kings, their shooting accuracy wavered as the game went on. We will take a look at the differences from quarter to quarter.

FIRST QUARTER:

The first quarter saw the Kings marginally on top at home, leading by two points at quarter time. As the stats reveal, the Kings shot six of their 11 inside and four of their seven outside, making it 10/18 (55.5 per cent efficiency). Melbourne shot incredibly well from inside the arc, nailing their only mid-range jumper, and also capitalising on five of seven from the key.

SECOND QUARTER:

The second quarter is where it really went downhill for the Kings, shooting an absymal one of 10 from inside, and even their reliable three-point shooting from the first quarter disappeared. All up, the Kings nailed a woeful 5/25 – just 20 per cent – from the field, as United finished the term with a far greater 47 per cent. Despite having 32 opportunities to United’s 17, the Kings found themselves trailing by four points after the visitors scored 20-14 in that term.

THIRD QUARTER:

The third term was a little more even, with the visitors extending the lead, but only by three points. A 22-19 term came off the back of some good momentum, but both sides were inaccurate. United shot 8/32 – 25 per cent – from the field, whilst the Kings nailed 7/20 – 35 per cent – in not the greatest display of shooting. However in this case, the slightly higher volume of opportunities helped Melbourne maintain the lead, heading into a crucial final term.

FOURTH QUARTER:

The last quarter was where things went from bad to worse for the Kings. Whilst United’s three-point shooting was still sketchy – nailing one of eight – the Kings did not fare much better with just one of five. The inside shooting saw United have four less chances, but run at 57 per cent, compared to the Kings’ nine per cent. The match had still been in the balance at the final break, but United stormed away with their final quarter effort, getting the job done on the shooting front.

CLOSING THOUGHTS …

Melbourne United travelled up to Sydney and came home with the points, largely thanks to the combination of Caleb Agada and Chris Goulding. Agada scored a match-high 24 points and 14 rebounds – 12 defensive – also recording three assists, four steals and three blocks in an all-round performance. Goulding managed 20 points – including five of his team’s 12 three-pointers – and five rebounds. Jo Lual Acuil (12 points, five rebounds) and Ariel Hukporti (four points, eight rebounds) were other key contributors.

Sydney Kings could just not find a consistently dominant player though Jarell Martin ran at a team-high 50 per cent. All of his teammates (with greater than five points) could not match his 19 points (5/10), and he also recorded eight rebounds. Xavier Cooks had 12 points at a forgettable 22.2 per cent efficiency, but did pick up a double-double with 10 rebounds, as well as four assists three blocks and two steals. Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (10 points, two assists) was the other player to reach double-figures, though Angus Glover was more impactful with seven points and seven rebounds in his 27 minutes.

Melbourne United will be looking to keep their winning streak alive when they head down to MyState Bank Arena on the Apple Isle to face Tasmania JackJumpers on New Year’s Day. The Sydney Kings have a bye in Round 5, with an extra week’s break before also heading to the same venue, against the same opponent, on January 8.