South East Melbourne Phoenix vs Melbourne United Verdict
Melbourne United lost their opening game in a thriller, but are backed to get up and running with a victory in the first Throwdown of the NBL season. United are backed to cover a -3.5 line on Thursday against a Phoenix side at 1-1.
- Melbourne United won three of four Throwdowns against Phoenix last season.
- SEM have scored 100 and 91 points through their opening two games.
- Cole Anthony dropped 30 points in just 22 minutes on his NBL debut.
- Josh Oduro finished with 14 points and six rebounds against Adelaide.
Head to Head
Melbourne had the upper hand in this matchup last season, winning three of the four Throwdowns, although Phoenix's lone victory was a fairly convincing 111-86 belting.
South East Melbourne Phoenix Form
Phoenix couldn't have asked for much more from their opener, going west and handing Perth a 100-79 defeat.
Tanner Krebs poured in 25 points, while 18-year-old Dash Daniels announced himself in Phoenix colours with 24 points and 12 rebounds.
Things were looking pretty rosy in Tasmania as well when SEM took a 52-38 lead into half-time. Then came the third quarter. The JackJumpers piled on 36 points and eventually turned a 16-point deficit into a 96-91 win.
Nathan Sobey's availability remains worth watching after he missed the opening two games with a back issue.
His return would obviously add another major scoring option, but Phoenix have already shown they have plenty of ways to put points on the board without him.
Melbourne United Form
United are still searching for their first win after going down 97-95 to Adelaide, but there were enough positives to take from the opener.
They stayed with a very good 36ers side and almost pinched it despite still bedding in a substantially different roster.
Then there's Cole Anthony. The former NBA guard was supposed to be easing his way into the season after a calf problem. Apparently nobody told him. Anthony scored 30 points in just 22 minutes, including 22 after half-time.
Josh Oduro also made a solid start with 14 points and six rebounds. He didn't even crack 20 minutes, which is why 7+ rebounds catches the eye here. He doesn't need a monster night; another couple of boards with a little more court time gets us home.