Ugly bust-up not forgotten as 36ers, United meet again

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Ugly bust-up not forgotten as 36ers, United meet again

Sparks could fly when star 36ers duo Montrezl Harrell and Kendric Davis attempt to exact some long-awaited revenge on Melbourne United in Saturday night’s grudge match in Adelaide.

Chaos reigned supreme when the teams last met in Melbourne on November 17, with a scuffle between Harrell and United’s Rob Loe leading to a larger melee.

Davis and Harrell then became involved in a physical bust-up with some unruly sideline fans in one of the ugliest scenes the NBL has witnessed for years.

Former NBA star Harrell was slapped with a three-match ban for his involvement in the incidents, while Davis was suspended for two games.

Davis alleged the United spectators involved had hurled a racial slur at him prior to the brawl, but there was insufficient evidence to prove the allegation.

Nevertheless, one fan was banned for life and another received a 10-year suspension for their involvement in the sideline scuffle.

Harrell took to X (formerly

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) at the time to question why no United players were sanctioned for their involvement in the altercation between the two teams.

Tensions have been quietly simmering since then, and it sets the scene for a mouth watering rematch on Saturday night, with Adelaide players to enjoy home-court advantage this time around.

Star United guard Matthew Dellavedova is looking forward to the challenge.

“It’s always a great atmosphere to play in,” Dellavedova said.

“It’s always a tough road game. They love basketball over there, it’s been that way for a long time. It’s always a fun place to play.”

Harrell enters the game in hot form after tallying 25 points and 10 rebounds in Adelaide’s upset 111-96 road win over the Sydney Kings on Monday.

Davis was also crucial against the Kings with 30 points, nine assists and five rebounds.

The win snapped a worrying three-match losing run in which Adelaide had lost by margins of 20, 21 and 24 points.

Adelaide have lost big on numerous occasions this season, with United among their bogey teams.

The 36ers lost 106-79 to United in October, before going down 113-93 in the match where Harrell and Davis clashed with fans.

Adelaide (8-11) desperately need to beat Melbourne in order to stay in the hunt for a berth in the play-in tournament.

United sit second on the table with a 13-8 record, with their 76-66 win over Cairns on Boxing Day snapping a four-match losing run.

Although the Melbourne side have thrashed Adelaide in their two previous meetings this season, Dellavedova is taking nothing for granted.

“It was a lot closer than what the final score reflected,” he said.

“They’ve got guys who play a lot of heavy minutes. We’ve got great depth.

“Can we keep the intensity high, try to wear them down and continually execute the scout?

“That will hopefully have a pay off where we can go on a run.”

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#Ugly #bustup #forgotten #36ers #United #meet

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