Match-up to watch is Felix v Prather

Sosa vs Ware

Pledger Vs Boone

Vukona vs Wesley

I'm not sure I agree about the difference in those odds.

NZ has won 9 out of the last 10 games between these 2.
Melbourne has won 9 out of their last 10 games. Their 1 loss was to NZ.

NZ looked to be getting back into some form in their games against Illawarra last week (although Illawarra's loss to Brisbane last night makes you wonder about the credibility of those wins).

The line is currently at 5 points and it mightn't be a bad bet to have a sneaky few $ on NZ(+5)

Which Fox Sports channel is the game on?

(Having some trouble- Fox website seems to be unavailable)

Fox Sports 3 apparently

The Breakers have won 10 of their past 11 games against United, damn didn't know they owned them that much.

Felix looking early like he wants Prather back in the squad, too.

Felix isn't NBL import standard.

I'm torn on this game.

United at home should be a lock in. Breakers with a 10/11 streak? Well, that's a big monkey on United's back. They would be looking at shaking that one.

A win by United would help the Sixers, so I think that's who I'll go for!

OH SHIT!
How are your ankles Abercrombie? oOOoooO

Sosa's smokin

Melb look in trouble early

I guess Newbill is just going to dunk on everyone now.

Down 7 at quarter time, Melbourne still favourites for mine

Sosa saying SOMEBODY STOP ME!!!

Why is Barlow so bad?

New Zealand are playing well, but they're making shots at a higher rate than normal and the opposite is true for United.

Melb needs to run offence through Wesley more. He's their most efficient offensive player. Get a cross match with a couple screens in the paint because Mika is playing him tough

They really do look like a different team against Melb, they play with so much more confidence.

Sosa does some really stupid shit.

Barlow shouldn't be shooting with anything more than 10sec on the shot clock

Yep getting wild static on my stream too. Hope they fix it or I won't bother with the next game.

Awesome dunk by Felix!

Tohi Smith-Milner should be seeing court time here. He's been huge for United in the last month

Great first half NZ up 54-50.

Felix drops the F word lol

I'll finish that one for you, Carrick.

Fucking good pass

I think that missed rebound by Felix on the Goulding miss at the end of the Q was more impressive than his dunk.

Watch breakers push this lead back out to double digits

Tbh I'd rather Redhage over Greer in commentary

home cooking from the referees, damn that's gross thy're putting melbourn eback in this game

Melbourne allergic to the lead

Yeah that's right Vaughan, watch the pretty floater rather than trace the shooter to see whether Christmas clobbered him before he landed. Spoiler: he did

It's just all too hard for United

GROWN. MAN. MOVES.

FAMILY. TO. FEED.

Back within 1, here comes the breakers 7-0 run

SEVENTEEN KIDS

No one is going to beat Melb in a final with these 3 referees on the game. Unfortunately it is likely they will also end up being the three chosen.

To much free calls Melbourne's way when it matters

Pretty textbook "piss the game away" performance from NZ these last couple of minutes. Played like they were down 8 when it was 2 points.

WAS ON BREAKERS+ 5
what kind of fix that was, this uis f*kin gross

No one going to address the fact that Sosa is seemingly a negative for chemistry?

If he isn't shooting the lights out, the offence suffers. Ili is generally more productive than Edgar. Their is a bit of JP Tokoto in Sosa. BAN

But he's gritty. He's caliente. I like him. Tokoto is just annoying across the board

14-0 to end the f*kin game

Sosa jacks a lot of tough shots. Makes a decent % of them, but the law of averages works out in the end I guess. On the terrible travel call he had a wide open Newbill behind the arc too.

Just once I wish the sign-off were, "and every member of the hardworking crew".

"All the hardworking crew" is pluralising a singular. Doesn't actually make sense.

sosa a bitch!!!

still can't understand how a team can't score a single point in the span of getting smashed 14-0 at the end of a close game

crazy

Best game Felix has played. Such a risky call bringing Prather back.

still can't understand how a team can't score a single point in the span of getting smashed 14-0 at the end of a close game

Best game Felix played was in Wollongong, but this was up there.

Can we get official word on his status pls!

I just didn't register that Abercrombie played in the second half.

Disappointing career tbh. Needed to learn how to dribble the ball

Edgar Sosa is that you?

Was a very entertaining game and there were at least 8000 In attendance. Not the strongest crowd but nothing to be ashamed of.

What a game from Casper!

Wesley continues being the man.

Felix influences games without needing the ball in his hand for long periods.

Another monkey off the shoulders too- like Perth recently

Sosa is an awesome player - but at the end of the game - shoving Casper - what a bad sport.

Home cooking - are you kidding?
NZ got all the charge calls
And some of Goulding & Ware's fouls were ridiculous

Most of the fouls were there. A couple of off 50/50 ones went United's way but so did a couple go towards NZ

So they were 50/50 calls or "6 of one and half a dozen of another". Which was it LV?

Dick move by Sosa at the end. But kinda makes me more excited for Sunday.

What we should really be talking about is Tommy Greer wabapping all over the place when Felix dunked on Abercrombie

I heard he wabapped all over John Casey...

Melbourne toughed it out.
Sosa was terrible down the stretch. Poor reads, poor shot selection, Casper got in his head in 2nd Q.
We played well and Melbourne were struggling to stay in the game for 3/4.
But roles were reversed from when we had an 8,10 point lead to the end.
Melbourne got stronger and we got weaker.
Newbill makes better decisions in the clutch, but I notice he doesn't like a screen and he is not good enough of the dribble when it matters.

Manu - not sure if it helps answer your question but it's really a question of official word on Prather's status. When Prather is cleared fit to return, Felix leaves.

This Roy Ward article gives some info on Prather's recovery, as at Thursday:
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/basketball/carrick-felix-playing-every-game-like-his-last-20180208-p4yzpb.html

Tom - I think Melbourne won 3 out of the 4 quarters - so Im not sure how they were struggling for 3/4 of the game ??

Thanks PeterJohn. Obviously the story says once Prather is healthy Carrick is gone, but it could've said why -- is that driven by United or the league?

It sheds some kind of light anyway, cheers

LV "What a game from Casper!"

One of the best "performances I have ever witnessed"

That ability to just flail away and throiw yourself around with minimal or zero contact was supurb.

Should make mention of the three supporting cast members also. They bought into the performance wholeheartedly with their whistles ready and firing everytime he flinched.

Sosa needs to not buy into it BUT it's tough when not only is the guy milking the calls he is also jaw jacking to you about it and carrying on like a dick who just made the winning shot in the GF every time.

FSTOS, Casper got hit on all of those. He's good at selling the contact, but Mika didn't need to throw elbows around multiple times down low and the Breakers didn't need to be so aggressive defensively on the perimeter. He deserved the calls he got. In fact, Christmas nailed him on that floater to end the third quarter but no whistle

Elbows are a part of the game of course, but they were high. Around the head.

The onus is on Vukona to not get his man up top. The fault is not with Casper for being short. Vukona was elbowing/hooking. Fouls were there.

On the perimeter, generally speaking Casper gets handchecked a lot but it doesn't visually affect him because he's so strong. Doesn't mean the contact isn't there. I can't remember each and every contact but I remember thinking the fouls were there

anon fwit...they have been saying that for over 30 years.

In that time there have been how many Melbourne teams almost all propped up by some rich dude who eventually gets tired of their toy, team fold...rinse and repeat.

NBL will be the better with only 7 teams I guess.

I wonder if this year's finals series will be the last time we see Mika in the NBL.

Will his frustration with the officials see him play overseas next summer. The officials just don't appreciate his unique style.

His stylish elbows would need extra room in the plane.

Yeah. Thanks mate. A lot of people on here cant just look at things impartially it appears.

Whinging is a loser mentality. Blame transference. It's a sign of a lack of accountability

Accountability is a hallmark of being a functional adult

Well i think Vukona did ok with some calls last night - the Boone charge call, Vukona initiating the tangling of arms with Goulding and then getting the call - shall I go on?

And Christmas seems to get away with a bit - and he likes to throw the head back and emphasise contact

Manu with the text book quotes.

I'm old and I'll tell you something. Whingeing is the one thing in life that you can get better at the older you get.

Which fouls on Vukona do you think were not right?