Bench on target in rebound for 36ers

THE Adelaide 36ers have levelled the NBL grand final series at 1-1 after thumping Melbourne United 110-95 in Adelaide yesterday.

Bench reinforcements Majok Deng (18 points at 87 per cent) and Ramone Moore (17 points at 78 per cent) led an even charge with seven Sixers hitting double figures.

United was piloted by Casey Prather (20 points) and Chris Goulding (19).

But both camps were left licking their wounds with former NBA players Josh Childress of the 36ers (shoulder) and United’s Josh Boone (back) injured.

Childress exited the match midway through the fourth quarter after crashing to the floor clutching his shoulder, while Boone hurt himself when he landed awkwardly in a first-term collision with Mitch Creek.

United’s David Andersen also copped a nasty eye poke in the fourth.

The injury to Boone, who came back on clearly troubled before sitting out the entire final stanza, changed the complexion of the contest as Adelaide pulled clear 27-19 at quarter-time after the two sides had gone basket for basket early.

Boone returned midway through the second as fellow American Prather recaptured his best form to slice the deficit to three points before the 36ers dominated the rest of the term.

Deng and Moore ran riot in a 15-2 run to close the half, at the end of which Adelaide held sway 57-41 with significant edges in rebounds (31-18) and bench points (23-3).

The carnage continued in the third as the Sixers drilled four three-pointers to blow the buffer out to 74-47.

Melbourne rallied to reduce the deficit to 18 points at threequarter time before Goulding fired in the fourth to add respectability to the score.