We are set to bring Round 10 of the Hungry Jack’s NBL season to a close on Sunday when we face off against the Perth Wildcats inside John Cain Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Both sides are coming into the matchup on the back of three straight wins, setting up a pivotal contest in terms of ladder positions.
We have found success against the Wildcats across recent seasons, having won six of the past seven meetings.
For Perth, a win would bring them equal with us with a league-best six road victories.
WHAT’S THE WORD?
Coming off a thrilling battle with the Illawarra Hawks on Friday, Head Coach Dean Vickerman said he expects another hard-fought game on Sunday when the Wildcats come to town.
“Perth’s going to be a hell of a challenge… Like us they’ve got an injured point guard, so how you manage around that is going to be a key part of the game,” Vickerman explained.
“JLA (Jo Lual-Acuil Jr) coming back to Melbourne, it’s going to be a super fun, intense game. Right now I think we’ve beaten everybody in the league and this is the team we haven’t played, so going into the FIBA Window if we’re good enough to win this game, it’d be a nice spot to be in.”
Perth Head Coach John Rillie also elaborated on his team’s opportunity to test themselves against who he believes is the league’s best team.
“Sunday will be a great challenge to see where we’re at, at the moment… We’ve got to tidy up some things if we want to get to that Championship level consistently,” Rillie said.
“They’re playing at a phenomenal level, they’re the best team in the league, but like most of us they’re dealing with injuries, bringing guys in and out, and they had a tough game tonight (Friday).
“We’ll prepare like we do for any other team, we’ve got to go in with a nice edge about ourselves and see where we’re really at.”
WHO’S HOT, WHO’S NOT
After a two game stretch where he only connected on two of 11 three-point attempts, Chris Goulding appears to have locked in from deep across our winning streak.
The sharpshooter has cashed in 10 looks from deep at 41.6%, including five long-range makes in the Friday night win over the Hawks.
That was Goulding’s 88th game with at least five threes made, good for third most all time.
Looking to match the marksman will be Kristian Doolittle, who has been on a tear of late, averaging 23.3 points, 9 rebounds and 3.7 assists across his last three games.
The American forward is now averaging an NBL career-high in all three of those categories.
GAME INFO
Who: Melbourne United vs Perth Wildcats
Tip-off: 4:30pm AEDT, Saturday 23 November, 2025
Where: John Cain Arena, Melbourne
Watch: 10 Drama & ESPN
Tickets: Available here.
