Kings are road kill
MELBOURNE United have begun the first of six matches away from home with a 14point win over Sydney Kings at Qudos Bank Arena.
United prevailed 82-68 after a start that lacked pressure, according to coach Dean Vickerman, as they trailed by two at quarter time.
After the Kings won the teams’ first encounter at home by five, followed by an embarrassing 42-point loss to Melbourne in the southern capital, it was a series of three matches in 21 days that Vickerman “wanted to win”.
“It’s a bit unique playing the same team three times in the first five games,” he said.
“We found a way to win against a team (where) we had to play two games at their place.
“We play everyone three times in this league, and we play South-East Melbourne four, winning a series on the road was really the key for us today.
“There’s a number of our guys who haven’t had a win in Sydney over the last couple of years, so good (for those guys) to get their first win.”
The defending NBL champions had failed to win any of their last seven matches at Qudos Bank Arena and both sides will need to now wait until the finals for a possible rematch.
“We open our account on the road, Tasmania is our next one, and we then just roll through a bunch of games. If we just put ourselves in a position, in the fourth quarter like we did tonight – to close games out – I’ll be very happy,” Vickerman said.
The coach heaped special praise on the Boxing Day efforts of Nigerian guard Caleb Agada, who finished with 24 points, including three from the arc.
“What Caleb did tonight was pretty amazing to be a two-guard and have 14 rebounds, four block shots, four steals, quite an incredible allround
game from him,” Vickerman said.
Agada, however, was all praise for his captain Chris Goulding.
“Chris is a hell of a player. From a shooting standpoint, I have never played with anyone like him,” 27-year-old Agada said.
“When I start seeing him making those shots (threefrom-three from the arc in the second quarter), it punched me up and makes me lock in.
“Chris is our leader, so when he gets going like that I feel like that. It’s my turn to step up and do something in other aspects (whether it’s defence or rebounding).”
Goulding is just one shy of 600 threes for Melbourne United, in his ninth season, and is ranked 16th all-time in the NBL for most threes.
The Kings managed just 28
points in the second half, continuing their scoring woes this season, with Sydney yet to post more than 84 in a match and averaging less than 75.
“Credit to Melbourne, they were really, really physical and pushed us off our spots a little bit,” Kings coach Chase Buford said. “We had some empty possession in the second half (and) couldn’t find great quality shots at the end of the day.”
Buford alluded to the fact the physicality may have gone a touch too far.
“I thought it was the excess physicality and the contact that wasn’t called, more than their size, that really bothered us,” he said.
“But you’ve got to play through it. When they’re not calling it, you’ve got to play through it and we didn’t do that good enough.”