Goulding scored 35 points in the 105-93 win against the Sydney Kings (Photo: @melbunited / X)
Not many players who shoot the long ball with conviction quite like Chris Goulding. A trailblazer of Australian basketball, Goulding is the Australian Steph Curry.
Melbourne United have had depleted stocks for the entire season. They have only play 45 seconds as a whole unit this season, but they have still found ways to win.
A 9-2 record going into their top-of-the-table clash against the Sydney Kings, yet it still felt that United had their backs against the wall.
No Matthew Dellavedova nor Ian Clark for the matchup, the Kings took huge advantage of that early, getting out to as much as a 19-point lead early in the third quarter.
Enter CG43.
Goulding churned in a vintage performance, dropping 35 points in the side’s 105-93 come-from-behind win at a sold-out John Cain Arena.
He was the sole constant for United in the first half, creating ways to get open and make shots fall. It was only fitting that the man who has for so long been United’s go-to guy hit a wide-open three without doubt to reach 6000 career points.
More Basketball News:
As the game seemed to drift away from the ladder-leaders, Goulding always had an answer. Shooting the ball from everywhere, he scored 13 points in the final quarter as United came home with a wet sail. The sharpshooter said post-game that his ability to produce games like these is based on his instinct.
“Sometimes you make a couple [of shots] and the instinct kicks in,” he said.
“Sometimes when I did [trusted my instinct tonight], there were a couple of bad shots and some misses, but I got some really good looks tonight which was pleasing.”
Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman credited Goulding for his efforts particularly in the second half where he led the team to victory.
“CG was an absolute monster in the second half,” he said.
“Once we found a rhythm of how we were going to attack offensively, he made tough shots, and everyone supported him.”
The crowd thought Goulding’s performance was MVP like. By the time he stepped up to the line in the final two minutes of the game, MVP chants rang around John Cain Arena.
It’s something that the veteran is yet to obtain in his 17-year NBL career, however if he keeps producing games like this, he might just have the Andrew Gaze Trophy in his hands at the end of the season.
About Author
