Melbourne United didn't just beat Brisbane on Saturday night. They made a compelling case that their two-import attack is becoming one of the NBL's hardest problems to solve. Cole Anthony and Josh Oduro combined for 60 points as United overwhelmed the Bullets 120–92 at John Cain Arena on 7 November, turning a ten-point three-quarter-time lead into a 28-point rout.
Anthony's 32 points came on an extraordinary 13-of-14 shooting, with six assists alongside them. Oduro supplied 28 points and 14 rebounds on 11-of-15 shooting. Together they made 24 of 29 attempts from the floor. That's a staggering conversion rate for two players carrying so much of the offence, and it explains why Brisbane couldn't simply load up on one scorer and live with the consequences. The NBL's match report records the pair's production and United's fourth consecutive victory.
The scoreline hides a brief opening for Brisbane. United led 29–17 after one quarter and 62–48 at half-time, but the Bullets cut the gap to 83–73 at the final break. Brisbane had hit five threes in the third quarter and, at that point, had at least given themselves a chance to turn a difficult night into a contest. Melbourne's answer was immediate and emphatic: 37 points to 19 in the fourth. Rather than protect the lead, United kept attacking.
Oduro's influence went well beyond his own scoring column. Brisbane centre Tyrell Harrison managed five points and five rebounds, taking just four shots and committing four turnovers. United's interior advantage meant the Bullets were chasing the game even when their perimeter shooting briefly gave them momentum. Anthony's ability to finish possessions and find teammates made that mismatch even more punishing.
There was useful support, too. Tom Wilson scored 13 without missing a field-goal attempt, including three triples, while Malith Machar added 11. Chris Goulding played only 12 minutes amid foul trouble, yet Melbourne still reached 120. That matters as much as the headline scoring: United weren't dependent on a vintage Goulding night to generate quality shots. The official game centre provides the result and player box score.
Brisbane's best scorer was Lat Mayen with 15, followed by Mitch Norton and Nate Hinton with 13 each. The Bullets came in having won two straight, so this wasn't a side without momentum. But their comeback depended on a burst of outside shooting, while Melbourne kept producing reliable looks around the basket. Once the final-quarter threes stopped providing an answer, the gap grew quickly.
United are now 7–5 after four consecutive wins, and their next assignment is a Thursday visit to Adelaide. That's an especially interesting test of the Anthony–Oduro partnership against a 36ers side coming off Zylan Cheatham's triple-double. The club fixture list confirms the 12 November meeting. Melbourne's challenge isn't to recreate an almost absurd shooting percentage. It's to keep the same balance of interior pressure, passing and complementary scoring when the opposition makes life harder.
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