United’s one-word plan to fix a 2-3 start

Melbourne United returned to the winner's circle on Wednesday night against Adelaide, but were made to do it the hard way.

Late in the second quarter, Jacob Chance's side held a commanding position and led by 20 points.

But instead of extending that lead in the second half, the hosts at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre gradually chipped away at the deficit.

The Sixers stormed all the way to trail by just three points before United held their nerve and chalked up their second win for the Hungry Jack's NBL27 Season.

In the post-game press conference, Chance dismissed the idea that he and his team were distracted by other factors, including Cole Anthony's reported frustrations with the officials.

“I don't think they're distractions; I think that's too strong of a word,” Chance said.

“I think they're maybe some small frustrations, but I want our group to live on the edge.

“We want to be invested emotionally in games, and that comes from a good place.

“I've got to do a better job of handling those moments, but I want us to be in the fight.

“We put ourselves in a really commanding position, not too dissimilar to the last game we played, so it's obviously pleasing to get a different result than the last one.

“The buzzword all week for us was urgency. We're going to go into every game swinging; I wouldn't have it any other way.”

United, who have dealt with a number of injuries this season, now sit at 2-3 in NBL27.

Chance credits his team's depth for getting them through this tough patch, ahead of Saturday's Throwdown 34 against crosstown rivals South East Melbourne.

“Rule number one of putting together a basketball team is getting really good basketball players,” he added.

“[I'm lucky enough] to have a lot of those.

“The most exciting part for me is I know how much better we can be; we're nowhere near a finished product.

“[We'll enjoy this win and quickly focus on Saturday, as] we know we'll get a response from those guys.

“They've been playing better since that game [in Round 2 where we beat them].”

Saturday's Throwdown at John Cain Arena tips off at 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN, 9 and 9Now.