Will Magnay is sure Dakota Mathias will be fine for Brisbane. Scott Roth called the nose injury "more of a bloody nose and a little bit of a laceration"; Mathias returned to finish the game. Roth said Tasmania had its first normal full practice in about four weeks.
Josh Bannan's first Tasmania JackJumpers game ended early after foul trouble including technicals. Will Magnay: "he knows he has to be better in those moments... Obviously, the techs never help." Coach Scott Roth said Taran Armstrong "still has a lot of rust on him."
Kody Stattmann and Biwali Bayles get a second chance at the Tasmania JackJumpers. If they meet club standards, coach Scott Roth said, "They have a good chance to stay with us the entire season." Will Magnay, 100 games in: "I'll never play anywhere else in the NBL."
Fabijan Krslovic captained Melbourne United for the first time, and did it against his former club, Tasmania. Speaking postgame, Krslovic said he was "pleasantly surprised" when coach Jacob Chance gave him the news after shootaround.
Melbourne United's Jacob Chance on giving up 18 offensive rebounds: "You're not going to get every defensive rebound." He named Dakota Mathias and David Johnson as the shooters who punish those second chances, and said Melbourne were better in the second half.
Melbourne United's Jacob Chance, after a reporter recited the 18 offensive rebounds conceded and missed first-half free throws: "Is that a question or a statement?" On whether the night would be hard to digest: "It's not that hard. It's basketball."