36ers primed to limit United scoring threat

Melbourne United will travel to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Saturday night hoping to score as many points as they can in their NBL Summer Shootout clash with the 36ers.

United has chosen their trip to Adelaide as the game they think they will score the most points away from home during the month, and the 36ers will want to tighten up on the defensive end.

In two wins against Adelaide so far in NBL25, United has scored 106 and 113 points, and will be looking for another big three-figure score on Saturday, but will come up against a revitalised 36ers.

Melbourne has several players who can put big points on the board, starting with Chris Goulding, who has connected on the most three-pointers by any player so far this season with 61. 

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THE KEY
Goulding has been on an offensive tear throughout the NBL25 season to date and doesn’t look like slowing down.

The Tokyo 2021 Olympic bronze medalist has been averaging 18.8 points per game so far in NBL25, the second best of his career since the 2013/14 season.

He can put points on the board in a hurry, and can turn a match in a matter of minutes, and the 36ers must limit his influence on the contest.

Adelaide has multiple players it can rotate onto Goulding, Lat Mayen can use his extra length, Keanu Rassmussen can play a blanketing role, while Nick Marshall has got the assignment in the past.

THE SECRET
Melbourne has depth right across their roster, with multiple players capable of winning any game on any night.

With the likes of Goulding, Matthew Dellavedova, Jack White and Ian Clark getting a majority of the headlines, United has several players who can turn the momentum of a match.

Rob Loe has been putting up big numbers and is a big threat for the 36ers frontcourt with his ability to stretch the floor and shoot the three-pointer at a good percentage.

Flynn Cameron has shown he will be if not already is one of the premiere point guards in the competition, while Shea Ili is a defensive powerhouse.

DEPTH CHART
Ili / Cameron
Dellavedova / Clark
Goulding / Krebs
White / Bowen / Aliir
Loe / Lee

FINAL WORD
The intensity and the effort on the defensive end will be vital in the outcome of this contest.

Adelaide will need to lock in on the defensive end against a United side who are hoping to score a big number, and getting stops will increase the ability to run fluent offense on the other end.

After Monday night’s result in Sydney, the 36ers will be full of confidence and eager to continue the new-found form and outlook on the season.

Expect a thrilling, intense and strong effort at both ends of the court come Saturday night.