Melbourne United have sent an early warning to their NBL rivals by winning the CODE Sports NBL Blitz in Bendigo despite being without star signings Joe Ingles and Cole Anthony.
United secured the Loggins-Bruton Cup with a 103-98 victory over the Illawarra Hawks on Sunday, finishing one point ahead of South East Melbourne Phoenix at the top of the standings. Their success followed a 97-82 win over the Perth Wildcats in their opening match. ([league.nbl.com.au](https://league.nbl.com.au/news/melbourne-united-claims-blitz-honours?utm_source=openai))
Luke Travers was named the tournament’s most valuable player after averaging 18 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks across the two games. The forward, who has returned to Melbourne after a spell with the Cleveland Cavaliers and their G League affiliate, scored 13 points and collected 10 rebounds against Illawarra. ([league.nbl.com.au](https://league.nbl.com.au/news/travers-claims-ray-borner-award-as-blitz-mvp?utm_source=openai))
United were already without Ingles, who was sidelined by an ankle problem, and Anthony, who was recovering from a calf issue. Their depth was tested further when Sam Waardenburg suffered an early ankle injury against the Hawks and Shea Ili was forced off with a lower-leg problem.
Josh Oduro led the way with 22 points and nine rebounds, while Tom Wilson added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Goulding contributed 14 points and four assists, with United overcoming a 78-76 deficit at three-quarter time by outscoring Illawarra 27-20 in the final period. ([nbl.com.au](https://www.nbl.com.au/news/united-depth-shines-to-win-at-blitz?utm_source=openai))
The result gives new head coach Jacob Chance an encouraging start ahead of the NBL27 campaign, with Melbourne showing they can produce a strong challenge even before their full-strength line-up is available.
