Melbourne United stay unbeaten as CG43 shines against Breakers
Goulding Ignites as United Roll to a 7-0 Start
Chris Goulding’s shooting streak shows no sign of slowing. The Melbourne veteran caught fire again on Sunday, burying six triples as Melbourne United stayed perfect in NBL26 with a 104–88 win over the New Zealand Breakers at John Cain Arena.
Just days after climbing to third on the NBL’s all-time three-point leaderboard, Goulding reminded everyone why he’s still one of the league’s deadliest scorers. Coming off the bench, the 36-year-old poured in 23 points in under 19 minutes, going 8-of-12 from the field and 6-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Eighteen of those points came before halftime, helping Melbourne surge ahead 56–38 and control the rest of the night. United’s offence hummed, finishing at 52 per cent from the field and knocking down 16 threes in another balanced, confident performance.
Tanner Krebs kept his strong season rolling with 17 points and five threes, while Tyson Walker packed the stat sheet with 16 points, nine assists, four steals and four rebounds. Kyle Bowen added 13 points and Milton Doyle chipped in 12 as United pushed to 7-0 — their best start since the NBL21 championship year.
The Breakers refused to fold. Izaiah Brockington continued his hot streak with 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting, Parker Jackson-Cartwright flirted with a triple-double (20 points, nine rebounds, nine assists), and Sam Mennenga delivered 16 points and four boards.
New Zealand managed a 9-0 burst in the third quarter to close within single digits, but Melbourne quickly steadied — a trademark of their unbeaten run. Goulding’s deep shooting once again proved the difference.
He has now made at least one three-pointer in 101 consecutive NBL games, extending a league record set just two days earlier when he overtook John Rillie for third on the all-time list.
Next up, the Breakers return to Auckland to host the Brisbane Bullets on Thursday, while United head north to face the Cairns Taipans on Friday as they chase win number eight.
Final score: Melbourne United 104 defeated New Zealand Breakers 88.
