R3 Preview: Melbourne United vs NZ Breakers

When: 1pm (AEDT), Sunday 19 December, 2021

Where: John Cain Arena, Melbourne

Broadcast: ESPN; Kayo; 10 Peach; 10 Play; Sky Sports NZ


Who won the last time?
Melbourne 90 (Hopson 25, Lual-Acuil 23, Goulding 19) d New Zealand 76 (C Webster 20, McDowell-White 12, Abercrombie 11) - Round 16, 2021, John Cain Arena, Melbourne

Jock Landale only lasted 36 seconds into this contest, but it mattered not for Melbourne who led from go-to-woe, were never seriously challenged and used a 29-12 run bridging three quarter-time to seal the deal. Scotty Hopson and Jo Lual-Acuil filled it up at will as United won bench scoring 58-26, while Chris Goulding nailed 5/8 from distance.


What happened last start?

Melbourne produced arguably the most dominant burst of basketball the NBL has ever seen against Sydney, unleashing 26 straight points in less than six minutes to open the night. In that mesmerising spell they went 9/11 from the field and dropped six triples, while also grabbing 80 per cent of their d-boards to fuel their impressive running game..

The Breakers almost had a memorable night on Friday, literally falling in double-overtime as French tyro Hugo Besson lost his footing trying to create a match-winning shot. There was plenty to like for the Kiwis, however, the form of Yanni Wetzell, the return of Jeremiah Martin and a far more consistent defensive performance than their opening three games.


Who’s in form?

Melbourne’s defence – The United D bounced back with a vengeance after having few answers for the Phoenix. Poor free-throw shooting stopped South East Melbourne from reaching the century – they ended with 94 – but Melbourne held the Kings to half that total in a lockdown for the ages. They’re only going to get stronger too, with Jack White back in the line-up and Caleb Agada adapting to coach Dean Vickerman’s defensive systems.

Yanni Wetzell – Let the numbers tell the story – 25 points, 12/16 from the field, 16 rebounds, six o-boards and two steals in a dominant display against the Hawks. What was most impressive was Wetzell’s array of scores, from post-ups, to dump-offs, rim runs, pick-and-rolls and offensive boards. He’s now averaging 21 points at 73 per cent and eight rebounds, setting up a brilliant battle of emerging bigs with Jo Lual-Acuil and Ariel Hukporti.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Damn Ariel. That was tough. ? <a href="https://t.co/1RlihXyIoR">pic.twitter.com/1RlihXyIoR</a></p>&mdash; Melbourne United (@MelbUnitedHQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/MelbUnitedHQ/status/1471417082126352384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Who needs to be?

Jack White – Jack is Back! The NBL and Melbourne United have missed this future Boomer, but the welcome mat has Finn Delany’s name written on it, meaning White’s conditioning is going to get tested. In his past two games, Delany has managed just 14 points on 1/8 from outside, so expect the Flying Finn to be on the rim come Sunday.

Jeremiah Martin – There were smooth and fearless signs from the former Brooklyn Net on Friday, but ultimately his 6/19 shooting return proved costly in the closest of contests. There will be a little less rust in his second game back, and he might be a little more selective about attacking the tall trees after being swatted five times by the Hawks.


Who’s statting up?

 - Breakers frontcourt starters Wetzell, Delany and Tom Abercrombie shot 63 per cent from the floor on Friday. Their teammates shot a combined 21/58 at 36 per cent

 - New Zealand are averaging 31.8 triple attempts per game, third most in the comp, but rank ninth in o-boards (7.8) and assists (12.8), and eighth in free-throw attempts (15.5)

 - In their opening two games, United conceded 84 points in the paint and 25 second chance points. On Thursday they held Sydney to 20 and three

 - Melbourne’s starters were outscored by 18 points across their first two outings, but won that battle 61-19 on Thursday night, while bench scoring was even


Who’s matching up?

Matthew Dellavedova v Will McDowell-White – Few would have called this a featured match-up in November, but now it shapes as game-defining. McDowell-White’s current trajectory could play him into Boomers contention, averaging 22ppg, 6rpg and 5.5apg the past two games, while knocking in 11/19 from deep and committing just three turnovers.

Delly put his feet up and rested after Thursday’s fast start with seven points, five assists, three steals and a ridiculous +37 in 19 minutes. That’s good news for the 31-year-old, who will need all his famous defensive guise and energy to disrupt McDowell-White’s outstanding pick-and-roll game, and to work WMW over constant picks and in the low block at the other end.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">William McDowell-White sends it to OT<br><br>The Breakers guard sold Duop Reath on the hesitation before exploding to the hoop. <br><br>? Watch the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL</a> live on ESPN <a href="https://t.co/kd0bAlqidq">pic.twitter.com/kd0bAlqidq</a></p>&mdash; ESPN Australia &amp; NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ/status/1471789032971538436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Who’s talking the talk?

There was a lot talk across the opening two weeks about the issues with Melbourne’s new line-up this season, but the reality is they were purely speculative because that line-up had yet to play with each other.

On Sunday, the Breakers will get the first look at the defending champions in their #NBL22 glory.

“Great to have Chris back in the line-up, great to have Barlow back in the line-up, looking forward to getting Jack White and Mason Peatling back in the line-up for Sunday,” coach Dean Vickerman said.

Sydney got an ominous first look at United’s first five, the dangerous duo of Goulding and Agada feeding off the savvy of Dellavedova.

“Super happy for (Agada), we didn’t start him the first couple of games, we wanted to work on his defence and he really took that on,” Vickerman said.

“Once he showed us the defence last game we thought let’s inject him straight back in the starting line-up, and I thought him and Chris can work together and I thought they did a good job of sharing their usage today, just being smart basketballers.”

That starting five is almost impossible to guard. With Barlow, Goulding, Agada and Lual-Acuil all capable from three-point range, there is room for Delly to create, and space for Agada and Lual-Acuil to attack the rim.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">He could do this all night. Barlow with back-to-back triples. <br><br>Tune in live via <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNAusNZ</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/kayosports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kayosports</a> <a href="https://t.co/l3xeHAyYNj">pic.twitter.com/l3xeHAyYNj</a></p>&mdash; Melbourne United (@MelbUnitedHQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/MelbUnitedHQ/status/1471408094685007877?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“Having Chris and Barlow in that first group, I thought we were good at driving, putting our feet in the paint and making good decisions,” Vickerman said.

“Once we get our spacing right and the way that we share the basketball, I think we can be pretty positive offensively.”

Add Jack White to that mix, with defensive guns Shea Ili and Brad Newley on the perimeter, and this is close to the best two-way outfit in the NBL.

It's a scary proposition for the 0-4 Breakers, backing up from Friday’s heartbreaking double-overtime defeat.

With the irreplaceable Tom Abercrombie back on the injured list, Dan Shamir’s team must have a serious case of déjà vu as they again live a permanent road life while battling one setback after another.

“The great thing about the New Zealand Breakers, we’ve been through a lot in the last three years, it’s never broken, it’s always functional,” Shamir said.

“We only have ourselves, the great thing about these guys is it’s mental a lot, right now, it’s not just about the reads and the covers and the Xs and Os, right now it’s a little but about mental strength and toughness and making the first step.”

One step Shamir is considering is rushing in former Orlando and Real Madrid point guard Chasson Randle, given Dellavedova and Shea Ili are waiting to ambush the Breakers’ backcourt.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Chasson Randle, too hot to handle.<a href="https://twitter.com/ChassonRandle?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChassonRandle</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MagicTogether?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MagicTogether</a> <a href="https://t.co/3yOBtynMaD">pic.twitter.com/3yOBtynMaD</a></p>&mdash; Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) <a href="https://twitter.com/OrlandoMagic/status/1377778410685075460?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“We are thinking about what to do with him,” Shamir said.

“Taking into account our team situation, he’s obviously not going to be 100 per cent prepared, he’s just arrived in the country. It’s definitely an option that we’ll play him.”

It would be a welcome mental boost for the NBL’s only winless team, who could be excused for finding Sunday’s assignment daunting.

However, according to centre Yanni Wetzell, nothing could be further from the truth. The Dellavedova v McDowell-White, Goulding v Besson, Barlow/White v Delany and Lual-Acuil v Wetzell match-ups give the Kiwis a challenge to look forward to.

“This is what we get paid to do. We all love it, we all love playing basketball, it’s a great group of guys, we love being around each other so that’s the nature of the beast,” he said.

“There’s no excuses, no complaints, we do this because we love it.”