Melbourne United have continued their surge up the NBL standings, building serious momentum with a dominant victory over the New Zealand Breakers, but it wasn’t the result that dominated the headlines following the final game of Round 7.
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NBA veteran Cole Anthony found himself at the centre of another controversy involving the league’s officials during United’s 94-74 victory, while the Breakers have now dropped four consecutive games, with head coach Gordon Herbert ruled out through illness before tip-off.
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United are now riding a three-game winning streak after another impressive display, led by Anthony and Josh Oduro, with the latter continuing to establish himself as one of the league’s premier imports.
However, it didn’t take long for frustrations to boil over for Anthony, who just a week earlier had declared, “I’m going to leave them refs alone.”
Fast-forward to last night’s contest, and the NBA veteran was once again involved in a heated exchange with an official, this time Chris Reid, who issued multiple warnings before eventually handing Anthony a technical foul minutes into the first quarter.
Despite flashes of brilliance throughout the contest, which saw him finish with 21 points, Anthony’s frustrations continued, with a third-quarter time-out potentially landing the United star in further hot water.
During the time-out, cameras appeared to capture Anthony making unsavoury comments towards the officials, adding another chapter to his growing frustrations with the league’s referees.
‘GOT WHAT HE DESERVED’
United head coach Jacob Chance addressed the incident post-game, insisting his star guard doesn’t need to change his approach, although he admitted the technical foul was warranted.
“No, nothing needs to change,” Chance said.
“Credit to Chris (Reid), who was the crew chief tonight. I’ve had such good discussions with the league. I was really disappointed with the two (technicals) he (Anthony) got earlier in the season for just an audible swear word.
“To me, that doesn’t make a lot of sense. Tonight was a warranted technical. I gave him a warning, and he went back, and he got what he deserved.
“The disappointment for me is I thought Cole did a great job moving on. And we’re working with the league. He reset. And my feeling was that the crew didn’t move on in the second quarter.”
While Anthony’s latest incident threatened to overshadow the result, United’s performance was another reminder of just how dangerous they can be when firing on all cylinders.
Their defensive intensity continues to improve, but it was Oduro who stole the show, producing one of his most impressive performances since arriving in Australia.
The first-year import finished with 17 points, 19 rebounds, three steals and two blocks, getting the better of his matchup with Breakers star Sam Mennenga, who endured a difficult night.
Oduro, who is quickly establishing himself as one of the league’s most impressive imports, believes United are beginning to find their rhythm after navigating an inconsistent start to the season.
“I think we’re really starting to come together now,” he said.
“I think, you know, a lot of new guys, new places, new play style. We’re learning how to play together. And, you know, people have been injured. So we haven’t really been able to get that feng shui together.
“We are starting to enter into our stride. And I think we are starting to play with a little bit more urgency, not just settling back on offence or on defence.”
With three consecutive victories and their defence beginning to click, United are building momentum at an important stage of the season, with Oduro’s emergence adding another dimension to an already talented roster.
‘I’M PROUD OF OUR GUYS’
For the New Zealand Breakers, the night began with an unexpected setback after head coach Gordon Herbert was ruled out through illness, leaving lead assistant Sebastian Gleim to take charge on an interim basis.
It proved to be another frustrating outing for the visitors, who struggled to find any consistency offensively, particularly from beyond the arc.
The Breakers connected on just six of their 30 three-point attempts, shooting a disappointing 20% from deep, with Most Improved Player candidate Carlin Davison among the few positives, finishing with 12 points and 10 assists.
Despite the defeat, Gleim praised his players’ effort while acknowledging United’s superior execution throughout the contest.
“I think first of all, congrats to Melbourne United today,” he said.
“They deserved to win. They made big plays. They played extremely smart. They used all their players on offence and found each other.
“We fought, I’m proud for our guys, how we tried to come back any time we were down. We tried, we tried, but we couldn’t get this control in the game, it’s what you need to win here.”
The defeat leaves the Breakers sitting ninth on the NBL standings with a 4-7 record, having now lost four consecutive games after showing promising signs earlier in the season.
With the FIBA break fast approaching, New Zealand is running out of opportunities to regain momentum before the competition pauses.
While there is still plenty of basketball to be played, the Breakers will need to turn things around quickly if they hope to avoid a difficult road through the remainder of the NBL27 season.
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