This was published 7 years ago
NBL: Melbourne United stun Sydney Kings to climb off bottom
Melbourne United have climbed off the bottom of the NBL ladder with a stunning road win over league leaders Sydney.
And they managed it without star veteran Dave Andersen.
Passing manoeuvre: United's Chris Goulding executes a quick release under pressure from Kings defence.Credit: Mark Kolbe
United jumped to fifth place when they upset their more-fancied opponents 88-81 at the Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday, as Andersen was in Melbourne to undergo scans on the knee he injured in Friday night's loss to Perth.
"To beat a quality team without Dave is great and hopefully we'll get him back," United guard Chris Goulding said. "We've just got to keep stringing wins together because you get a couple of wins or a couple of losses and it's like snakes and ladders. Who knows if it's a turning point with the way the league is. It's crazy."
Booster shot: Melbourne’s Chris Goulding hopes their win over Sydney will give them confidence.Credit: Getty Images
Perth snapped United's three-game winning streak on Friday night, with Casey Prather draining 39 points and collecting 11 rebounds for the Wildcats in a thrilling 92-89 win at Perth Arena.
The Kings consolidated top spot on the ladder in their first game of the round with a come-from-behind 86-78 win over the Taipans in Cairns.
Sydney stunned the home side with a 31-15 last quarter to notch their 10th win of the season on Friday, but didn't play with the same attacking flair against Melbourne.
"Give them a lot of credit for the way they played and the way they defended us because we weren't able to solve those problems," Sydney coach Andrew Gaze said.
Despairing: Kings head coach Andrew Gaze shows his frustration during the round 10 match between Sydney and Melbourne.Credit: Mark Kolbe
"I don't think we were flat. We just missed shots we normally make and we could never really find our rhythm offensively."
The round got under way in New Zealand on Thursday when the Breakers added to Brisbane's woes with an 82-75 win at Vector Arena.
In the mix: Jerome Randle starred for Adelaide with 37 points.Credit: Getty Images
The situation didn't improve for the Bullets at home against Illawarra on Saturday night, as Andrej Lemanis' side slumped to their fourth loss in five matches. Rotnei Clarke top-scored for the Hawks with 24 points in the 98-88 win.
Adelaide's resurgence continued, as the 36ers moved into second spot with their fourth win in a row – a 102-92 victory over New Zealand in Adelaide on Saturday night.
Jerome Randle starred for the home side with 37 points.
Joey Wright's team has a chance to make it five on the trot when they travel to Cairns to face the Taipans in the final game of round 10 on Monday night.
AAP