Melbourne United edge Bullets in NBL

Melbourne United have consolidated top spot on the NBL ladder, with the finals looming, by winning an arm-wrestle against the Brisbane Bullets by nine points.

United entered Saturday’s ahead of the Sydney Kings only by by percentage, with both sides having won 18 of their 25 matches.

Facing an undermanned and understrength Bullets outfit they were put to the test in front of their own fans at John Cain Arena, as the crowd enjoyed a free-flowing display.

United shot at just 36 per cent from the field and 25 per cent from beyond the arc but hit clutch shots when it mattered most to seal an 88-79 victory.

Jo Lual-Acuil had a monster double-double with a game-high 25 points and 12 rebounds, with Shea Ili tenacious on the defensive end, registering five steals and seven assists.

The win puts United in the box seat to secure top spot with games to come against the Cairns Taipans on Monday before they wrap up their regualr season campaign against the Tasmania JackJumpers.

Rivals Sydney, on a 13-game win streak, have to face the Adelaide 36ers, the Taipans and Illawarra Hawks.

“We’re really looking forward to trying to secure home court advantage if we can and that’s two tough games,” United coach Dean Vickerman said.

“Cairns played us tough up there the other day and we know the JackJumpers in Tassie is going to be a really tough game.

“Looking forward to both those ones to help us get better towards the finals.”

In Saturday’s contest, Brisbane enjoyed marginal leads at the end of the first and second quarters before United levelled the game at 61-all heading into the final 10 minutes,

See-sawing through the fourth quarter, United eventually found the edge with three minutes to play when Chris Goulding nailed a three-pointers off an extra possession, before they went on a scoring run of 10 unanswered points to put the result beyond doubt.

After a disrupted week due to illness and questions over player health, Bullets guard Jason Cadee said he was proud of the resilience his side showed.

“We trained with five or six, we didn’t know how many people were travelling, we kind of just got down here; we weren’t sure who was playing and a few guys got in overnight…it was just a mess,” he said.

“To kind of put that aside and come out and play against them and get after them…. It was a good effort and it’s disappointing to lose, but you can’t help but feel proud about how everyone fought.”