ALL the talk in the National Basketball League (NBL) surrounded Melo Trimble this week, as he led his side to one of its biggest wins of the season. On the other side of that loss were the Wildcats, who experienced a rare loss at home. Meanwhile, the Adelaide 36ers have been dealt a big blow with Ramone Moore ruled out for the rest of the season, and some strange numbers are behind his bad luck. Moore’s former teammate, Chris Goulding experienced some success though, being the first player to reach 100 games for Melbourne United.

Melo Trimble getting big points on the board

Melo Trimble has been no stranger to the scoreboard this season, and his current form is no different. In Cairns’ 600th NBL game, he became the first Taipans player to score 20 points by half-time in consecutive games. By half-time against Melbourne, Trimble had racked up 23 points, including 18 first-quarter points – the most points ever scored by a Taipan in the first quarter. Cairns led 25-18 at the end of the first term, meaning Trimble had the same amount of points as the whole United team. He finished that game with 42 points, three rebounds and two assists, contributing to 47 per cent of the team’s final score of 89. Against Perth, Trimble had 21 points by the main break. He finished that game on 32 points, seven rebounds and one assist, inspiring his team to a 81-79 win over the former ladder-leaders in the Perth Wildcats. With that, Trimble became the highest Cairns points scorer in a single game at Perth. The previous record was held by Chris Burgess, who scored 29 points in October, 2004.

Close home losses for Perth

Not only did Perth drop a game against the cellar dwellers in Cairns, but the Wildcats went down at RAC Arena, which is quite rare. By three-quarter time, the Taipans led by 11 points, which is just the sixth time any team has been in front of Perth at three-quarter time. The previous five teams all went on to win the game, and Cairns made it six from six in Round 13. However, the Taipans’ lead was significantly reduced in the fourth quarter, only getting over the line by two points. This is something the Wildcats have been accustomed to at home, as their last four home losses have been by less than three points. In Round 9, the Wildcats lost against the Kings by one point, while last season, they were outdone by the 36ers by one point in the semi-final and the Taipans in Round 18, as they secured the narrow two-point win.

Ramone Moore’s strange run of bad luck

Earlier in the week, it was revealed that the Adelaide 36ers would be losing Ramone Moore for the rest of the season with a calf injury. This is not the first time that a calf injury has troubled Moore, as he was ruled out last year for Melbourne United towards the end of the season. At that stage, Melbourne United were sitting on 10 wins and 10 losses. Adelaide is in the same position, sitting on 10 wins and 10 losses. Not only is that a strange coincidence, but Moore also wears the number 10.

Chris Goulding becomes first player to reach 100 games for Melbourne United

NBL veteran, Chris Goulding has played 272 games, but he has played most of those games at one club. Against Cairns, he became the first player to reach 100 games for Melbourne United. Goulding joined the club in 2015, and was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the Grand Final last season, as Melbourne claimed its first NBL championship as the United franchise.