Melbourne United rout Perth Wildcats 97-82 at NBL Blitz, Luke Travers stars in preseason return

Melbourne United dispatched the Perth Wildcats 97-82 at the CODE Sports NBL Blitz in Bendigo, a 15-point margin built on a decisive fourth-quarter surge. It was United's first hit out at the Blitz this preseason, while Perth was backing up after a tight loss to the Cairns Taipans on Wednesday night, according to NBL.com.au.

Travers stars in his return to Melbourne

The headline performer was Luke Travers (2,01 m, 25 yo), a Perth local who signed a two-year deal to return to Melbourne United in July 2026 after two seasons in the United States that included NBA minutes with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Back in a United jersey, he delivered 23 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line in 27 minutes, setting the tone for his first season back home.

Both rosters were missing key pieces. Melbourne played without new signings Joe Ingles and Cole Anthony, while Perth was without captain and games-record holder Jesse Wagstaff and Dylan Windler, and had yet to sign its expected third import, a point guard. Shea Ili backed up Travers with 18 points and 3 assists on 8-of-10 shooting, and Josh Oduro added 12 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 steals.

Wildcats rally before United closes it out

Melbourne opened the game on an 8-0 run before Elijah Pepper got Perth on the board, and United still led 22-16 after the first quarter, with Ili already at 9 points on 4-of-4 shooting. Perth clawed back in the second period, outscoring United 28-23 as Jo Lual-Acuil Jr and Pepper both reached 10 points by halftime and Kristian Doolittle logged 9 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Melbourne carried a slim 45-44 edge into the break despite going just 2-of-13 from 3-point range, while Perth had yet to make a single triple, missing all 11 attempts.

The third quarter stayed tight, with Melbourne clinging to a 72-67 lead at the final break, before the game turned in the fourth. United closed the night on a 25-15 run, shooting 8-of-18 from the field and 8-of-9 at the free-throw line, while Perth collapsed offensively, managing just 3-of-21 shooting and missing all 8 of its 3-point attempts in the period. For the game, Melbourne shot 49 percent from the field to Perth's 35 percent, and while neither team found much rhythm from beyond the arc, United's 6-of-32 mark from 3-point range still outpaced the Wildcats' 2-of-28.

Chris Goulding chipped in 12 points and 2 assists despite going just 3-of-13 from 3-point range, and Sam Waardenburg added 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks, with Tom Wilson contributing 7 points and 3 assists. For Perth, Lual-Acuil Jr finished with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals, and Doolittle posted 15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Angus Brandt scored 13 points with 4 rebounds, Pepper added 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals, and Anthony Dell'Orso rounded out the Wildcats' scoring with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.

The result gives Melbourne United its first Blitz win of the preseason, with Travers the standout of the night, while Perth will look to regroup after a second straight loss before the regular season tips off.