THE National Basketball League (NBL) kicked off the 2023/24 season last night, and it was Luke Travers leading Melbourne United to a 15-point win over the SEM Phoenix to kick things off.

In front of a sold out crowd at John Cain Arena, the two Melbourne based sides went head to head in a fitting way to start the season. NBA Legend Scottie Pippen was there to officially launch the fixture, as one of the most anticipated seasons in recent memory got underway with another installment of the Throwdown series.

The Phoenix got off to an ideal start, jumping out to an early lead on the back of some tremendous offence while Melbourne could not find the bottom of the net. Eventually, United managed to get going with some excellent play from some of the team’s big names, and a 16-6 second quarter proved telling. South East Melbourne was outplayed in that period, and although competitive in the remainder of the match, could not get a true run going as United cruised home to an 82-67 win.

Highly touted youngster Travers was at the forefront for Melbourne in its win, standing up under lights with a magnificent performance on the offensive end.

Melbourne United (82) def. South East Melbourne Phoenix (67)

Luke Travers – 20 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block

Travers’ move to United was one of the most highly publicised signings of the off-season, but the young gun justified the attention with a terrific debut performance at John Cain Arena.

Travers was the match’s leading scorer, standing up for Melbourne when its offence looked stagnant and the bottom of the net was hard to find.

Although not renowned for his scoring, Travers was immense in creating space for himself and producing some important buckets when United took over the match.

He shot 7/15 for the match, with a large portion of these coming from inside the arc, as Travers found space around the rim with a terrific knack for knocking down floaters. He was also able to try his hand at three-point shooting, with the forward/guard splashing home one triple on three attempts.

Travers also crashed the glass superbly, with five of his eight rebounds coming on the offensive end, creating important second chance points for United that ended up proving crucial in the context of the match.

It was the perfect way to start the season for one of the NBL’s brightest talents, with Travers standing up with a match-winning performance for United under bright lights and showcasing his impressive scoring ability.