South East Melbourne have conceded 230 points in their past two games. On Saturday night, that defence has to face Melbourne United for the third time this season — and the first two Throwdowns haven't offered the Phoenix much comfort. United won both. The latest meeting, Throwdown 35, is at John Cain Arena on 14 November, with the Phoenix's official schedule listing a 7.30pm AEDT tip-off.
The Phoenix aren't short of ways to score. They put up 99 points against Sydney last Sunday and another 110 against Illawarra on Wednesday. The problem is what came back the other way: Sydney scored 110, then the Hawks poured in 120. Illawarra had 71 by half-time, with Kelan Martin finishing on 27 points and Milton Doyle adding 22. The pair combined for 11 made threes. D'Shawn Schwartz's 22 points and Nathan Sobey's 19 points and nine assists weren't enough to make that exchange work. The official Illawarra match report tells a story of an offence doing plenty and a defence giving away even more.
United will arrive bruised, but hardly short of confidence in their scoring options. Adelaide led them by as many as 34 points on Thursday before Cole Anthony and Josh Oduro helped drag Melbourne within four with three minutes remaining. Anthony scored 27 points, Luke Travers had 18 and Sam Waardenburg 16, but Bryce Cotton's two late threes kept the 36ers clear for a 101–93 win. Melbourne's fightback in Adelaide showed how quickly its creators can turn a stalled offence into a genuine threat. It also showed the price of allowing a rival to dictate the first half.
The previous derbies make the tactical stakes even sharper. In September, the Phoenix went a miserable four from 41 beyond the arc as United won 86–61; the first Throwdown report recorded a fourth quarter in which South East Melbourne scored just four points. In October, the Phoenix built a 15-point lead but lost 104–99 after United's frontcourt turned the contest. Travers scored 24, Oduro delivered 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Waardenburg made important late plays. The second Throwdown review showed a different route to the same result: United found the decisive possessions when the game tightened.
That's why Saturday's central question isn't simply whether Sobey or Schwartz can get hot. South East Melbourne need to stop Anthony getting into his preferred attacking spots, make United work for second chances and hold their defensive shape when the first screen doesn't end the possession. Oduro and Travers can hurt teams in different ways around the basket; allowing their movement to pull defenders out of position makes every kick-out and cut harder to cover. The Phoenix can match an opponent's scoring bursts, but their recent results say they can't keep relying on a shootout to rescue loose defence.
Coach Josh King has been publicly demanding more from his side after three straight defeats, while former Olympian Mark Worthington has questioned the team's defensive system rather than pinning everything on individual effort. The NBL's account of that debate underlines the scrutiny facing South East Melbourne. With Skylar Mays gone from the roster, the responsibility for organising possessions and staying connected falls on the players now available, not a hypothetical replacement.
For United, a third derby win would be a sharp response to the Adelaide loss and another sign that Thursday's early collapse hasn't shaken their attacking identity. For the Phoenix, the opportunity is more fundamental. They've already proved they can score enough to win NBL games. Against a rival that's beaten them twice, they need to show they can defend enough to finish one.
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