THE Brisbane Bullets have suffered a 28-point defeat at the hands of Melbourne United, going down 120-92 at John Cain Arena after struggling to contain the home side’s offensive firepower.
United’s dynamic duo of Cole Anthony and Josh Oduro combined for a staggering 60 points, powering the home side to a fourth consecutive victory and extending its remarkable dominance over Brisbane.
Melbourne came into the clash having won its past three games, while the Bullets were riding a winning streak of their own, but United quickly stamped its authority on the contest.
The Bullets were dealt another blow when Jaylin Williams suffered a shoulder injury, but refused to surrender, producing a spirited third-quarter fightback to reduce the deficit to just 10 points at three-quarter-time.
However, any hopes of a remarkable comeback were extinguished in the final term, with United unleashing a 37-19 scoring blitz to turn a competitive contest into a 28-point demolition.
Anthony was virtually unstoppable, finishing with 32 points and six assists, while also converting all six of his free throws. Oduro was equally influential, recording 28 points, 14 rebounds and two steals, while also keeping Brisbane centre Tyrell Harrison largely out of the contest.
Harrison managed just five points and five rebounds, committing four turnovers and attempting only four shots.
For Brisbane, Lat Mayen led the scoring with 15 points off the bench, knocking down three of his four attempts from beyond the arc.
Captain Mitch Norton and Nate Hinton added 13 points apiece, with Hinton also contributing four steals and three assists, while Taine Murray finished with 12 points.
Harry Rouhliadeff also showed signs of finding his shooting touch, connecting on three of seven attempts from long range.
The Bullets’ cause was further hampered by their inability to contain United’s attacking pressure, with Brisbane conceding 29 personal fouls.
United capitalised at the free-throw line, converting 28 of 35 attempts.
The defeat leaves the Bullets at 6-6 for the season, having earlier matched their entire win tally from last season with a hard-fought 109-104 victory over the Perth Wildcats at Nissan Arena.
The Bullets will have little time to lick their wounds, with a trip across the Tasman to face the New Zealand Breakers at Spark Arena on Friday night, with tip-off at 4.30pm.
They will then return home to host the Tasmanian JackJumpers at Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Sunday afternoon, with tip-off at 4pm.
