Melbourne United had to brush off a lacklustre start before overrunning Adelaide 36ers 84-75 in a see-sawing NBL encounter at Hisense Arena on Friday night.
United’s unblemished record appeared under threat on a night when the lead changed hands on no fewer than nine occasions.
But, a scintillating long range shooting display from United in the second half, led by power forward Daniel Kickert, ensured their unbeaten run would stay intact and they now hold an unmatched 3-0 start the season.
When the going got tough for United, all they had to do was put the ball in the hands of their stretch four Kickert.
The 32-year-old was unstoppable from downtown, draining six-of-nine from the three-point arc to finish with a game-high 22 points.
Two of Kickert’s threes came early in the third quarter, creating a tiny buffer on the scoreboard, before three more came early in the fourth put the game out of the Sixers’ reach.
Kickert was just as adept from close range with his subtle moves under the hoop leaving the Sixers defenders gasping. He also had two blocks on the defensive end to cap the perfect all-round game.
It is the kind of performance that United fans would be expecting from Kickert, who has enjoyed a stellar career overseas.
The Melbourne-born power forward played college basketball for Saint Mary’s in the US before embarking on a pro basketball career, which included stops in Italy, Spain, Poland and Ukraine.
United did not reach the same great heights as their previous two wins and that had to do with the inconsistency of a number of key individuals.
Chris Goulding and Todd Blanchfield showed only fleeting glimpses of their best, while centre Majok Majok was kept under wraps by Sixers centre Daniel Johnson, who finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Point guard Stephen Holt was a mixed bag, finishing with 11 points and seven assists to go with three turnovers and sloppy shooting percentages.
But when the big moments came, Holt was often the set-up man, so his good far outweighed his bad.
Holt’s buzzer-beating three-pointer before half time swung the momentum of the game after the Sixers controlled much of the first half.
Hakim Warrick was United’s most consistent player, finishing with 16 points on seven-from-10 shooting and seven rebounds off the bench.
Warrick, a one-time NBA journeyman, used his long wingspan to disrupt the Sixers offence and his athleticism around the basket to create high percentage shots.
It is a real luxury for United coach Dean Demopoulos to have Warrick’s energy in the sixth man role and, for now, the American seems content to earn his minutes as a sub.
United is back at Hisense Arena on Wednesday night for a bout with Townsville Crocodiles.
Tip off is at 7.30pm and tickets are available at www.melbourneutd.com.au.
NBL
Melbourne United 84 (Kickert 22, Warrick 16, Goulding 14, Holt 11, Blanchfield 10) d Adelaide 36ers 75 (Gibson 17, Johnson 15, Ere, McNeail 10) at Hisense Arena.
Star Weekly’s best …
Daniel Kickert (United): Six three pointers was only the start of his game. Crafty in the paint and strong defensively.
Hakim Warrick (United): What a treat it was for United fans to see the athleticism in the paint displayed by the former NBA player.
Daniel Johnson (36ers): Had the measure of United’s bigs for much of the night before he got worn down by the work load.
