Melbourne United star Chris Goulding returned to form to lead his side to a comprehensive 95-69 victory over the Sydney Kings in Melbourne on Monday night.
Looking to bounce back from a 79-70 loss in Cairns last Saturday, United outscored Sydney 24-13 in the second quarter and powered home to record their seventh win of the season, propelling them back into the NBL top four.
Goulding drained seven three-pointers in his game-high 23-point tally with Casey Prather adding 21 points and Josh Boone dominating at both ends of the floor to finish with 17 points and 17 rebounds.
Brad Newley compiled 18 points and 10 boards for the Kings while Perry Ellis finished with 16 points. Import centre Jeremy Tyler scored 13 points but ended the night on the bench after tangling with Goulding and David Andersen in the closing minutes.
Both teams opened the match desperate to atone for last-start losses but the home side struck first to take an early seven-point lead.
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Consecutive three-pointers from Newley kept the visitors in touch but Prather's nine-point burst and Goulding's three triples paced United as they built a 25-21 lead.
Ellis dropped a triple to open the second term but Prather's hot shooting triggered a 9-0 scoring run for United.
With Sydney struggling on offence, Casper Ware (15 points, seven assists) hit from outside to push the lead into double-digits before closing out the half with a running jumper for the 49-34 advantage.
Any hopes of a Sydney comeback required a fast start to the third quarter but Boone slammed the door shut by tapping in an offensive rebound then running the floor for the uncontested dunk before scoring again for an unassailable 21-point lead.
Even with the Kings finally clicking on offence, they could do little to stop Goulding as he nailed his next three attempts from long range, his sixth of the night putting United ahead 70-54 at the final change.
The bottom-placed Kings head home to prepare for Sunday's match against Cairns while United hit the road for a clash with the Illawarra Hawks on Saturday night before a crucial home matchup with third-placed Adelaide.
"The focus for this game was more about how do we get different people shots in different periods of the game," Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman said after the 26-point win.
"I think we did it better job of structuring that tonight."
Sydney Kings coach Andrew Gaze was disappointed after seeing his side slump to their twelfth loss of the season.
"Some of our problems were self-inflicted," Gaze said. "But (United) beat us in a variety of different categories - they are a very good team."
