Championship Series Game 3 Preview

GAME PREVIEW –

Melbourne United V Tasmania JackJumpers

Championship Series Game 3

Sunday March 24, 5.30pm tip-off AEDT

John Cain Arena

Watch LIVE and FREE on ESPN via Kayo Sports & Foxtel

State of Play

The series is tied at one win apiece with the third game to be in Melbourne on Sunday. It's guaranteed to return to Hobart at least for Game 4 next Thursday.

The JackJumpers overcame a 15-point deficit mid-way through the third quarter of Game 2 to run out as eventual five-point winners to level the series at 1-1.

Things look to be headed to a similar fate as Game One on Friday night in Hobart when Will Magnay gathered his 4^th foul in the 3^rd quarter, as United went on an 11-0 run.

Nobody gave the Jack Jumpers that storyline though, with Jack McVeigh (16 points, eight rebounds, four assists) lifting them back into the contest to close the third quarter and cut the deficit to three.

Despite Tasmania going up five with two and-a-half minutes to go, it still went down to the wire but the JackJumpers did enough. Getting Jo Lual-Acuil (nine points, 11 rebounds) and Shea Ili (20 points) out of the game with five fouls proved instrumental.

Bounce-back performances from guard duo Sean Macdonald and Jordon Crawford were cited as crucial keys for the JackJumpers heading into Game 2 of the Championship Series, and the pair both played starring roles in Tasmania’s five-point win over Melbourne.

Derek Rucker says if United come back to MyState Bank Arena on the wrong side of a 2-1 series tally, Game 4 could mean curtains for the Regular Season Champions.

Last time they met  

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES GAME 2 – MARCH 22

TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 82 (McVeigh 16, Crawford 13, Doyle 13, Macdonald 13)

MELBOURNE UNITED 77 (Ili 20, Goulding 19, Lual-Acuil Jr 9)

SERIES SUMMARY

Game 1
Melbourne emerged as 23-point winners from the Championship Series opener, in a game where Tasmania looked competitive in the first quarter but buckled under United’s defensive pressure as the game wore on.

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr was named Foot Locker Player of the Game for his dominant performance inside, while Chris Goulding his six threes en route to a game-high 22 points.

Luke Travers has been near-universally praised for his defensive performance on Jack McVeigh, and ended the game with four blocks.

Will Magnay played just 13 minutes due to picking up four fouls over his short time on court, while Anthony Drmic top scored for Tasmania with 18 points.

Jordon Crawford’s poor run of shooting form continued, and he finished the game with seven points on 3-13 shooting.

Game 2
Tasmania travelled back to MyState Bank Arena to defend the island in Game 2 of the Championship Series, and a surging comeback from a 15-point deficit saw the JackJumpers emerge from Friday’s clash with a hard-fought and emotional five-point win.

Jordon Crawford shot the lights out in the first quarter with 13 points in the opening term alone, but quietened late and remained sat on the bench in favour of Sean Macdonald down the stretch.

Only Milton Doyle and Jack McVeigh ended the game having played more minutes than Macdonald for Tasmania, and the development player added 13 points and a staunch rearguard action in the win.

Melbourne found itself in foul trouble in the second half, and all three of Jo Lual-Acuil Jr, Shea Ili and Ian Clark fouled out of the game, while Matthew Dellavedova and Chris Goulding ended the clash with three fouls apiece.

Ili was the game’s top scorer with 20 points, while Goulding ended the clash with 19.

Melbourne scored just 14 points in the final term as the top-seeded side wilted under the defensive pressure imparted by the JackJumpers in the late stages of the game.

SRT Logistics Coaches’ take

Head Coach Scott Roth said "Obviously things weren’t looking really well for us, but the MO of our teams for three years now is to never give up and keep fighting. They kept their composure, figured out some things and we made a nice run to get it back to a manageable level, and then holding them to 14 points defensively in the fourth quarter was fantastic."

Ins & outs 

Tasmania JackJumpers: TBC

Melbourne United: TBC

Opponents on the Radar

Shea Ili was game 2’s top scorer with 20 points, while Goulding ended the clash with 19.