Agada, Goulding help Melbourne ease past Kings

Star Melbourne United pairing Caleb Agada and Chris Goulding again combined to lead their team to victory against the Sydney Kings at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday.

After trailing 27-34 early in the second term, United grabbed the lead five minutes before half-time and didn’t relinquish it for the remainder of the contest as they ran out 82-68 victors.

A week after nailing six second-half three pointers, Goulding got the visitors going again with another blitzkrieg, nailing 16 points, including four triples, to inspire a 20-6 run either side of half-time, which saw them go up 47-40 early in the third period.

Chris Goulding in action during round four on Boxing Day. Credit:Getty Images

And despite Jarell Martin’s best efforts to keep the Kings in touch, Agada picked up where Goulding left off, scoring 16 of his 24 points in the second half to guide Melbourne to their third win on the trot.

Agada capped off his performance with a spectacular block on Shaun Bruce with 55 seconds left in the game, and the result already safe in Melbourne’s keeping, denying the Sydney captain a lay-up after running him down from behind.

The Nigerian international went at 55 per cent from field (10-18) and also registered 14 rebounds, four steals and four blocks, while Goulding finished with 20 points, including a game-high five triples, and six rebounds.

Martin was the Kings’ best player with 19 points and seven rebounds, and he was well-supported by Xavier Cooks (12 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks).

The result was further soured for Sydney after Biwali Bayles suffered a right ankle injury in the final quarter.

After a sluggish 0-2 start to the season, the reigning champions are flexing their muscles now, and the result saw them leapfrog Sydney in fifth spot on the ladder.

Caleb Agada, right, blocks Sydney’s Shaun Bruce. Credit:Getty Images

UNITED WAKE UP DEFENSIVELY
After starting the game in sluggish fashion defensively, Melbourne got their act together after quarter-time, conceding just 42 points after the Kings scored 26 in the opening period. The Kings finished with a woeful 30 per cent from the field (24-80), compared to Melbourne’s 40 (31-76) and United also out-rebounded the hosts 55-47.

LUAL-ACUIL LEADS BY EXAMPLE
Jo Lual-Acuil produced one of the highlights of the game early on when he blocked Martin on the defensive end, and shortly after stopping a Kings bucket, ran down the other end of the court to score a basket of his own from close range to give the visitors a 4-0 lead. He was also a valuable contributor for Melbourne with 12 points, four assists and two blocks.

DELLY NOT DELIVERING
Melbourne marquee signing Matthew Dellavedova’s shooting struggles continued on Sunday. The former NBA champion headed into the game with 13-37 from the field at 35 per cent and could only manage another 1-5 at 20 to take his season total to 14-42 at a paltry 33 per cent.

KINGS ON SONG FROM DEEP
In their previous two games, Melbourne had conceded a combined 9-58 from three-point land. To Sydney’s credit, despite their overall horror show of a shooting performance, they did nail 11 triples from 32 attempts (34 per cent), compared to Melbourne’s 12 from 39 (30).

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