Preview: Melbourne vs South East Melbourne - Round 7, NBL24

Sunday, November 12 at 2pm AEDT | John Cain Arena

Live and free on ESPN via Kayo Freebies | 10 Peach and 10 Play

Derek Rucker has labelled this clash as a clear win for South East Melbourne following the injury clouds hanging over Ian Clark, Luke Travers and Ariel Hukporti, and stated his belief that the combination of Mitch Creek and Alan Williams would be too much for Jo Lual-Acuil Jr.

Hukporti, Travers and Clark all exited last week’s overtime loss to Perth due to knee, concussion and hamstring injuries respectively. Only Hukporti returned.

Seven-time Adelaide 36er MVP Daniel Johnson has signed for the Phoenix as an injury replacement for Gorjok Gak, who exited last week’s clash with Brisbane with a calf injury.

Melbourne emerged as 15-point winners when these two sides last met in the Round 1 season-opener.

South East Melbourne
91-78 win over Cairns
92-108 loss to Brisbane
103-100 win over New Zealand

Melbourne
95-102 defeat to Perth
96-84 win over Illawarra
90-82 win over Tasmania

Gary Browne
South East Melbourne’s Puerto Rican pocket rocket has been on fire in NBL24, and Alan Williams’ comments about both he and Gary Browne feeling more comfortable in their sophomore seasons in the competition ring true.

In the entirety of NBL23, Browne registered just one game of 20 points or more, and that was a 20-point, five assist performance in the Play-In Qualifier defeat to Perth. This season he’s already dropped at least 20 points in three games, however, two of those have been in defeats.

The best ability any player can have is availability, and Browne looks to have shaken off the consistent niggles that plagued his debut season with South East Melbourne.

With Will Cummings potentially out of this massive local derby, can Browne continue his immense form in South East Melbourne’s backcourt?

“I think there’s a level of him being more comfortable this season. When you’re playing overseas like us, the second year is easier. You understand the nuances of the game, you understand how the officials call it, you understand how the league goes and how teams like to play, it’s easier to make the same reads you were making last year and you go into it being a lot more comfortable and understanding what to expect, as the great player Gary is, I’m sure it’s been a lot easier for him this year, because he has that experience after year one.” – Alan Williams to NBL Media.

Kyle Bowen
When someone’s gone down for Melbourne United this season, Kyle Bowen has tended to step up in a big way from the bench.

With a hobbled Ariel Hukporti struggling to get going and Luke Travers out of the game due to concussion against Perth, Bowen logged 32 minutes and pulled in a game-high 16 rebounds, as he both played his natural power forward position and pinch-hit as a center against the immense size of Alexandre Sarr.

He’s shown his ability to hit the scoreboard in the past with a 17-point performance against Tasmania, and although his jumpshot is unconventional to say the least, there’s no denying it works, given his shooting splits of 57.7 per cent from the field and 46.2 per cent from three.

Bowen is the type of no frills, no fuss player Saint Mary’s prides itself on producing, and while there may be bigger stars at play in this game, if he can slot into Luke Travers’ role well then he could prove a key factor in proceedings.

“Credit to the other guys and the minutes they logged, Kyle Bowen coming in and getting 16 boards … I thought Kyle Bowen was excellent in his coverages and the way he showed and recovered and did a lot of great things.” – Dean Vickerman following the loss to Perth.

Alan Williams and Daniel Johnson vs Jo Lual-Acuil Jr and Rob Loe
A current MVP candidate will be battling with a former MVP candidate still shaking the rust off from a long-term injury when Alan Williams locks horns in the post with Jo Lual-Acuil Jr, and with a pair of injury replacement players likely playing backup minutes – it makes for an intriguing low post battle.

Lual-Acuil Jr has played five games since returning from the long-term wrist injury that plagued his pre-season, and although he’s putting up strong numbers, he looked to be in a number of heated discussions with head coach Dean Vickerman in Monday’s loss to the Wildcats.

Williams, on the other hand, has already proven how crucial he is to the Phoenix’s hopes, thanks to their 1-3 record without him to open up the season.

Former Melbourne and Adelaide big Daniel Johnson will likely make his return to the NBL in his new colours against United, and Rob Loe will likely be activated in place of Luke Travers who has been ruled out of the game with concussion.

Lual-Acuil Jr is a proud player, and Derek Rucker’s mid-week statement about Williams proving too much for him in the post will almost certainly be ringing in his ears all game long. JLA and Johnson in particular play their best when they’re heated and toeing the line, so expect a passion-fueled battle down low.

The ‘home team’ has won each of the last five games between Melbourne and South East Melbourne. All five games have been played at John Cain Arena. The closest of these games was a six-point win for United in Round 9, NBL23.

Melbourne United took the win when these two teams last met in Round 1.

South East Melbourne
Gorjok Gak – calf (TBC)
Will Cummings – quad (TBC)

Melbourne
TBC