Preview: Adelaide 36ers vs Melbourne United - Round 11, NBL24

Saturday, December 16 at 8:00pm AEDT | John Cain Arena 

Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo Sports

Box scores: Download the free NBL App

These teams last met in Round 1, and plenty has changed since for the 36ers. Dejan Vasiljevic wasn’t on the roster, Trentyn Flowers was yet to bloom and CJ Bruton was still the coach of the team. 

Liam Santamaria lauded Melbourne's Thursday night Throwdown win as a 'big brother beatdown' over the Phoenix, where Jo Lual-Acuil Jr tied his career-high of seven blocks.

Melbourne's score of 106 against the Phoenix was its highest of the season, and the 28-point margin was the biggest in Throwdown history.

Vasiljevic stated mid-week he's looking towards staying with the 36ers following the conclusion of NBL24, but his prime focus is winning games and earning a Play-In spot this season.

Scott Ninnis believes he won't alter Adelaide's game plan too far from the Round 1 defeat to Melbourne, but has hinted at another shuffle of minutes as he looks to establish his best rotation.

Melbourne 
106-78 win over South East Melbourne
103-68 win over Brisbane
103-115 loss to Cairns

Adelaide 
101-116 loss to Cairns
94-59 loss to Tasmania
96-83 loss to New Zealand

Dejan Vasiljevic
All eyes are on Dejan Vasiljevic for multiple reasons going into Round 11. The two-time NBL champion has been positioned as the go to player on the roster, with extension talks looming and the 36ers searching for a new identity under coach Ninnis – Vasiljevic will have to show he’s able to carry the team and is worthy of an extension in the coming months. 

The sharpshooting wing scored a team-high 30 points in Adelaide's Round 10 defeat to Cairns in a game where the 36ers starters combined for 89 of the side's 101 points. Despite his electric performance in the first three quarters, some pundits questioned Vasiljevic's shot selection in the final quarter, and stated he needs to be able to pass the ball more when his shot is not falling.

Some of Vasiljevic's performances this season will surely have put him in the shop window for that Olympic opportunity he publicly craves, but the best way to push himself to the forefront of Brian Goorjian's mind will be to be the star man on a winning team. He's got the star man part down pat, now the 36ers need to start winning.

"I think he's shown in this stretch in Adelaide that he can be the man on a team. Can he be the man on a winning team? A playoff team? A championship winning team? I'm not sure we've seen that." - Liam Santamaria on NBL Overtime.

Luke Travers 

Luke Travers' move to Melbourne was supposed to coincide with a leap to NBL stardom and provide the next step in his path to the NBA. As it stands this season, that's all going to plan.

Cleveland Cavaliers General Manager Mike Gansey was in Melbourne for Thursday night's Throwdown to assess Travers - whose draft rights are still held by the Cavaliers - and the former Wildcat impressed in a big win.

He's averaging a career-high 12.2 points per game this season, and while he's definitely improved his game and is thriving in a more ball-heavy role in Melbourne, he's not had that true breakout moment so far this season.

He's had some exceptional stretches that have offered an insight into why the Cavaliers are keeping such close tabs on him - but can Thursday's blowout against the Phoenix prompt Travers to take more responsibility on the offensive end against Adelaide?

“We’re checking up on him via text, via call, checking his stats, watching his tape. I’m here, we’ve had other staff visit throughout the year ... we’re excited. He’s someone we think could be a future Cavalier at some point and that’s why we’re taking all the time to get him better.” - Mike Gansey via News Corp.

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr vs Isaac Humphries 
Isaac Humphries is one of the best two-way threats in the NBL, and while he was being given a curiously minimal number of offensive touches by former head coach CJ Bruton, Scott Ninnis looks to have told his players to ensure the ball gets in his hands on a consistent basis on the offensive end.

Humphries scored just five points in 13 minutes last time Adelaide played Melbourne, but he exploded for 22 points on 9-11 shooting against Cairns in Round 10, and was just one board away from what would have been his second double-double of the season.

In his way this week is the defensive juggernaut that sets the tone for Melbourne's league-leading rearguard, Jo Lual-Acuil Jr - who will enter this clash in red-hot form thanks to his seven blocks against South East Melbourne on Thursday night.

Dean Vickerman commented he believed the South Sudanese international could have done a better job protecting the paint in United's Round 10 smashing of Brisbane, and JLA responded in due course with one of the most defensively dominant performances in recent NBL memory.

It wasn't just Lual-Acuil Jr's shot-blocking that impressed though, he still had the wherewithal to end the game with 17 points and seven boards to be placed on a genuine triple-double watch.

Humphries and Lual-Acuil Jr are two of the best natural shot-blockers in the NBL, and they both like to get down and dirty at the offensive end. They're both big, fiery, and proud players, and their impending battle will likely be decisive in the context of the game.

The Adelaide 36ers have lost the first half in their past 12 games, but have gone on to register four wins during that streak. Melbourne scored 35 points in the first quarter against the Phoenix on Thursday, so can the 36ers limit a red-hot offence?

Trey Kell III.

Melbourne
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Adelaide
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